Trying to determine where are the best cities to live is not an easy task, everyone has a reason why
theirs is the best; whether it’s the best public transport, the cheapest houses, the safest
communities – it’s not something that is easily settled. However each year The Economist
Intelligence Unit or the EIU bring together all such factors such as wealth, employment rates,
education, amount of leisure time, infrastructure and safety to create its ranking of the most liveable
cities.
This year, there were three Canadian cities in the top 10 with Vancouver rated third in the world. It
was followed by Toronto at fourth, Calgary in sixth place and looking at the top fifty cities in the
world, Montreal came in at 16th place. All four cities scored 100 points (or full marks) for their
education and health care, whilst gaining 90 + points in culture and environment, stability and
infrastructure.
Of course if you were trying to establish Canada’s most liveable cities then you could take the
EIU’s guide. MoneySense however produced a different list, taking into account other variables such
as average income, crime rate, value of real estate, length of the daily commute and number of hot
days a year to produce their list. They rated the top five to be Ottawa, Quebec City, Calgary,
Winnipeg and London, completely different to EIU’s and just proving the difficulty of determining
the most liveable cities!
With only Calgary making it into both lists, if you’re looking to move to Canada, then it should
definitely be on your list of cities to consider. Calgary is a cosmopolitan city and the largest in the
Canadian province of Alberta. It is also one of the sunniest cities in Canada and has a relatively dry
climate. Expats moving here can enjoy a dynamic city life as well as an outdoor lifestyle with both
the Canadian Rockies and Banff National Park nearby.
