Every year, Time Out publishes an annual ranking of the world’s greatest cities. The cities make the list thanks to the results of a comprehensive survey of over 18,500 locals, who share their feelings about their city’s nightlife, food and culture, as well as stuff like happiness, access to green space and walkability. Their insights, alongside votes from a panel of Time Out experts, help us create a definitive guide to the best cities on the planet to live (and to visit) right now.
But the things that make a city great can look very different from generation to generation – and we wanted to find out what today’s twenty-somethings think. Based on the same data as our Best Cities survey, but filtered to responses from those under 30, this global ranking of the world’s best cities for Gen Z celebrates the places where the next generation truly thrives.
So, what exactly matters to today’s young urbanites? Some of Time Out’s Gen Z staff have their ideas.
‘I’d say the one factor is a properly accessible cultural scene,’ says Time Out’s London and UK news editor Ed Cunningham. ‘Accessible in the sense that anyone can participate in it, performing music or exhibiting art, but also for people going to events and exhibitions. You want loads of things to do at affordable prices – if a city’s arts and culture scene is snobbish and inaccessible, what's the point?’
‘My favourite cities are walkable – that’s the most important thing, because it lends itself to having a proper see-where-the-night-takes-you evening out, and it’s also the most fun way to explore,’ says Time Out’s travel writer Liv Kelly. ‘Also, as a Gen Z, I like walking because I’m broke and it’s free.’
So there you have it. Things like affordability, a great nightlife scene and ease of meeting new people are up there, according to our survey. Many cities made the ranking for being diverse and inclusive, and for having great art, plenty of green spaces and efficient public transport.
Curious to see which cities made the list? Read on – these are officially the best cities on the planet for Gen Z to live in 2025.
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The world’s best cities for Gen Z in 2025
- Bangkok, Thailand
The Thai capital topped the ranks thanks to its stand-out scores in happiness (84 percent of Gen Z say they’re happy living there) and affordability (71 percent say it’s a budget-friendly city to live in). It’s also a great place to meet new people: Gen Z urbanites in Bangkok are the most likely bunch to say it’s easy to make friends in their city.
- Melbourne, Australia
Australia’s cultural capital came in second, with 77 percent of Gen Z describing their city as diverse and inclusive and 96 percent giving high ratings to the city’s art and culture scene. It also scored highly for quality of life, with a whopping 91 percent of twenty-somethings saying quality of life in Melbourne is ‘good’ or ‘amazing’.
- Cape Town, South Africa
In third place was Cape Town, where 82 percent of Gen Z inhabitants are happy. The coastal city got top marks for beauty (71 percent of Gen Z would describe Cape Town as beautiful), cheap nights out (76 percent say going out for a drink is affordable), and for being an all-round exciting place to live (62 percent would describe it as such).
- New York City, United States
The Big Apple was the most likely city on the list to be described ‘exciting’ by Gen Z, who also praised its walkability (82 percent of Gen Z said it’s easy to get around by foot) and, of course, its after-dark offerings (84 percent rated the city highly for nightlife).
- Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen was recently crowned the world’s most liveable city, and our survey backs up that accolade. The Danish capital received a high happiness rating (64 percent of Gen Z are happy living there), as well as a pretty decent rating for romance (54 percent say it’s easy to find love).
- Barcelona, Spain
Not only are 71 percent of twenty-somethings happy living in Barcelona, but the city also tied with Melbourne to receive the highest rating for diversity and inclusivity (77 percent of Gen Z living in Barcelona would describe it that way).
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Edinburgh topped several categories in our survey of Gen Z, receiving the highest score for green spaces and access to nature (according to 95 percent of twenty-somethings living there) and walkability (89 percent of Gen Z say the city is walkable).
- Mexico City, Mexico
Gen Z in Mexico City are among the happiest on the list, with a huge 83 percent saying they’re happy in their city. It’s also the second-most affordable place for Gen Z to live after Bangkok, with 69 percent of twenty-somethings giving it high scores for affordability.
- London, United Kingdom
London is known for its free art and culture, so it’s not surprising that a whopping 96 percent of Gen Z living there rated its culture scene highly. The city’s food scene also received a tonne of praise in our survey, with 95 percent of young people rating it highly. Unsurprisingly, the UK capital didn’t fare too well for affordability; only 45 percent agree it’s a budget-friendly place to live.
- Shanghai, China
Shanghai got top marks for public transport (96 percent of Gen Z locals gave it a high rating) and for overall happiness (84 percent say they’re happy living there). Young people living in Shanghai are also most likely to describe their city as modern.
- Sydney, Australia
- Beijing, China
- Paris, France
- Tokyo, Japan
- Berlin, Germany
- Seville, Spain
- Chicago, United States
- Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Lisbon, Portugal
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