The 20 best cities in the world in 2026, according to Time Out

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Impact Link Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. Time Out ranked the best cities in the world based on happiness, affordability, and quality of life. The magazine surveyed of over 24,000 participants across 150 cities, plus over 100 experts. The list is full of popular tourist destinations, with a few surprises. AI-generated summary Summaries are generated by an AI model trained on Business Insider's articles. AI may make mistakes or provide inaccurate/incomplete information. We're unable to load that answer right now. Please try again. What factors influence city happiness? Why are some cities surprising on the list? How does Time Out select city experts? How is quality of life measured? What defines affordability in a city? Whether you're looking for a quick getaway or to plant roots overseas, there are plenty of places to choose from.To make that decision a little easier, Time Out surveyed more than 24,000 people across 150 cities and used their insights to rank cities worldwide by happiness, affordability, and quality of life. They also asked 100 Time Out city experts to weigh in to bolster their results. The survey questions went beyond recommendations for restaurants and nightlife and also sought to capture the feeling of living in each city.The result is a comprehensive list of diverse cities, some of which are known for grandiose entertainment like F1 and others that are known for their historic museums and galleries.No one region — or continent — commands the list, and while there are a few cities you'd expect to see, there are some that may surprise you. Check out which cities made the top 20. Business Insider included population data from World Population Review, alongside housing and dining data from Numbeo, a crowdsourced comparison website that provides detailed cost-of-living information for major cities worldwide. 20. Valencia Valencia, Spain. Sergio Formoso/Getty Images Population: 843,071Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $825.60Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,397.99Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $70Cost of a cappuccino: $2.80 19. Madrid Madrid. Eloi_Omella/Getty Images Population: 6,834,320Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $954.70Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,471.23Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $70Cost of a cappuccino: $2.96 18. Guadalajara Guadalajara, México. Jia Liu/Getty Images Population: 5,656,180Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $698.40Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $899.03Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $45.90Cost of a cappuccino: $3.76 17. Porto Porto, Portugal. Alexander Spatari/Getty Images Population: 1,339,000Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $804.50Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,282.55Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $58.33Cost of a cappuccino: $2.49 16. Kraków Rynek Glowny square in Kraków, Poland. Alexander Spatari/Getty Images Population: 769,354Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $873.20Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $959.88Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $54.81Cost of a cappuccino: $4.37 15.

Hong Kong Hong Kong. barleyman/Getty Images Population: 7.4 millionMonthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,078.40Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $2,175.46Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $63.84Cost of a cappuccino: $4.95 14. São Paulo São Paulo. stocklapse/Getty Images Population: 23,168,700Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $702.5Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $692.18Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $47.08Cost of a cappuccino: $2.19 13. Copenhagen Copenhagen. SW Photography/Getty Images Population: 1,409,680Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,359Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,955.30Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $125.28Cost of a cappuccino: $7.17 Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro. Grafissimo/Getty Images Population: 14,023,100Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $631.50Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $646.10Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $39.23Cost of a cappuccino: $2.30 11. Zurich Zurich. pawel.gaul/Getty Images Population: 1,466,850Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,902Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: 3,014.65Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $151.66Cost of a cappuccino: $7.20 10. Tokyo Tokyo. tawatchaiprakobkit/Getty Images Population: 36,953,600Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $940.40Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,150.92Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $44.17Cost of a cappuccino: $3.41 9. Seoul Seoul, South Korea. Atakorn/Getty Images Population: 10,050,200Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,042.90Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $868.85Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $60.88Cost of a cappuccino: $3.65 8. Bangkok Bangkok.

Wat Arun Ratchawararam Population: 11,543,900Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $694.70Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $704.87Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $37.48Cost of a cappuccino: $2.95 7.

Mexico City Mexico City. Argelis Rebolledo/Getty Images Population: 23,016,800Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $799Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,158.86Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $57.26Cost of a cappuccino: $3.88 6.

Cape Town Cape Town, South Africa. fivepointsix/Getty Images Population: 5,147,500Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $732Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,027.98Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $48.63Cost of a cappuccino: $2.40 5.

New York New York City. Alexander Spatari/Getty Images Population: 8,346,955Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,661.90Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $4,215.09Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $140Cost of a cappuccino: $5.75 4. London London. Elena Zolotova/Getty Images Population: 9,927,020Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,486.30Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $2,957.81Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $107.40Cost of a cappuccino: $5.45 3. Edinburgh Edinburgh, Scotland. TomasSereda/Getty Images Population: 568,163Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,195.2Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,603.44Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $107.40Cost of a cappuccino: $5.16 2. Shanghai Shanghai. lukyeee1976/Getty Images Population: 31,049,800Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $594.40Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $884.08Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $29.28Cost of a cappuccino: $3.04 1. Melbourne Melbourne, Australia. GordonBellPhotography/Getty Images Population: 5,464,920Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,215.60Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,728.24Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $84.43Cost of a cappuccino: $3.83