Brisbane named world’s best city to raise a family, with London second

Australian cities dominate a new global index of 50 locations, while several major U.S cities rank near the bottom over safety, cost and parental leave

Brisbane has been ranked the best city in the world to raise a family, according to a new global index comparing 50 major cities across safety, green space, cost of living and child-friendly amenities.

The Queensland capital, pictured, topped the table with a score of 6.457 out of 10, driven by what researchers described as the highest number of green spaces per capita — 84.89 parks and playgrounds per 100,000 residents — alongside a strong safety score and high national vaccination rates.

London placed second with 5.992, helped by the second-highest number of child-friendly activities — 758 in total — and the United Kingdom’s combined 54 weeks of statutory parental leave, equal to Australia and the highest among countries included in the study.

However, the capital’s cost of living remains among the steepest in the index, with a family of four facing average monthly expenses of $5,037.80 (£3,960), and it ranked 17th for safety out of the 50 cities analysed.

Auckland came third (5.460), followed by Helsinki (5.305) and Sydney (5.239), meaning four of the top five cities were in Australia or New Zealand.

The rankings were compiled by Compare the Market AU using nine weighted indicators, including safety scores, world happiness rankings, child vaccination rates, national education spending and the number of parks per capita. Safety, green space, cost of living and the number of activities for children carried the heaviest weighting.

Australian cities performed particularly strongly overall. Perth and Melbourne also made the top 10, ranking sixth and seventh respectively. The report cited high safety scores, strong vaccination rates and comparatively generous parental leave policies as key advantages.

By contrast, several major U.S cities clustered toward the bottom of the table. Phoenix ranked 48th out of 50, Los Angeles 44th, Washington D.C. 42nd and Houston 40th.

The report pointed to lower safety scores, limited statutory parental leave — 12 weeks combined — and relatively low national family benefits spending of 0.6 per cent of GDP as common factors affecting U.S cities.

New York was the highest-ranked American city, placing 28th overall. It recorded the highest safety score among US cities in the index and 445 child-friendly activities, though it was also the second most expensive city overall, with average monthly living costs of US$6,180.60 for a family of four.

Zurich was named the most expensive city in the study, with monthly family costs averaging $6,900.20.

The study assessed cities using a 0–10 scoring system across each category before applying weighted calculations to produce the overall ranking.

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_{Main image: Marcus Ireland/Pexels}