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Vancouverites under 30, you chose wisely.
Time Out has just revealed its 20 best cities in the world for Gen Z to live in for 2026, and Vancouver has landed at No. 19 — the only Canadian city to make the cut.
The ranking, created in partnership with Intrepid Travel, drew on Time Out’s global survey and zoomed in on answers from people under 30, looking at the things that actually make a city good to live in: affordability, things to do, access to nature, getting around and the ability to squeeze some joy out of an ordinary Tuesday. Only the highest-scoring city from each country was included.
Beaches, mountains and very good reasons to go outside
And Vancouver’s case is pretty compelling.
Yes, we all know the city can be eye-wateringly expensive. But some of its best features cost precisely zero dollars. Mountains? Right there. Beaches? Pick one. Parks? You could practically spend the summer hopping between them. The ranking specifically singled out Vancouver’s mountains, beaches and green spaces, along with the bounty of budget-friendly ways to enjoy them.
The numbers back up the love affair with the outdoors: 81 percent of Vancouver’s Gen Z respondents rated the city’s green spaces positively, while exactly the same proportion said they find joy in everyday experiences here. Another 88 percent praised Vancouver’s public transit network.
That means a pretty convincing Saturday can consist of taking transit to the beach, going for a seawall wander, eating something excellent and finishing the evening on a patio — without requiring a private-equity salary.
Free fun is having a moment at Oakridge Park
And Vancouver has been adding even more ways to have a good time on a budget.
At newly opened Oakridge Park, the August calendar is packed with free programming. Upcoming events include Sunset Movement Pilates on August 13 and 27, Cinema in the Park on August 21 and Salsa in the Park on August 22, alongside Wednesday Zumba and live music in the North Atrium from Thursday through Sunday throughout the month.
And the shopping lineup keeps growing: Vancouver-born jewellery brand Leah Alexandra opened its new Oakridge Park boutique on August 12, complete with its Spark Studio for permanent bracelets and personalized pieces.
Then there’s Time Out Market Vancouver, which may be the ultimate answer to the Gen Z desire for convenience: why organize a citywide restaurant crawl when some of Vancouver’s best chefs and food concepts are already under one roof?
Time Out Market Vancouver serves up the goods
The 51,000-square-foot Market brings together 20 kitchens, three bars, cultural spaces and a sprawling pet-friendly patio, so one friend can get dumplings, another can order fried chicken and someone else can pursue their current pasta obsession. Case in point: Pasta e Basta by Ask for Luigi’s Alla Vodka, tapping straight into the vodka-pasta moment. Add butter soft serve, bubble tea, seafood towers, pizza, tacos and plenty of camera-roll-ready dishes, and assembling a group order becomes significantly more entertaining.
Drinking doesn’t have to be the main event either. Zero-proof choices cater to the sober-curious and anyone simply skipping alcohol, while those who are having a drink can make it an intentional one — something like the Market’s bright Yuzu Margarita, rather than three forgettable vodka sodas. The cocktail was recently featured by Time Out Market Vancouver during Pride.
And you don’t necessarily leave after eating. The Market’s cultural programming gives you an excuse to stick around, with live music, DJ sessions, sports screenings, workshops and rotating interactive events on the calendar. Its big communal spaces are particularly handy when everyone in the group chat wants something different but still, miraculously, wants to hang out together.
That local-first approach matters too: rather than feeling like a generic food hall, the Market puts Vancouver chefs, restaurateurs, emerging culinary talent and cultural programming front and centre. And because it sits inside Oakridge Park — Vancouver’s new town centre and cultural hub — you can combine dinner with shopping, an event, a park hang or whatever catches your attention next.
In other words, it’s increasingly less “place where you go shopping” and more “place where you accidentally spend nine hours.”
Tokyo may have taken the global crown, followed by Porto, Melbourne and Edinburgh, but Vancouver has something most cities on earth would happily steal: ocean, mountains and urban life all piled on top of one another.
Turns out waking up and thinking, maybe I’ll go to the beach today, is pretty good for you.
Follow us on Instagram or find out more about the best of the city on Time Out Vancouver here.
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