{"id":39156,"date":"2025-11-21T21:21:33","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T21:21:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/here-are-the-20-best-cities-in-the-world-to-live-in-or-visit\/"},"modified":"2025-11-21T21:21:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T21:21:33","slug":"here-are-the-20-best-cities-in-the-world-to-live-in-or-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/here-are-the-20-best-cities-in-the-world-to-live-in-or-visit\/","title":{"rendered":"Here are the 20 best cities in the world to live in or visit"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f8710e1a9cbb014deaa77?format=jpeg\" alt=\"An aerial view of Hong Kong.\"\/><figcaption>Hong Kong.<\/p>\n<p>MR.Cole_Photographer\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>Resonance, a data and research firm, released its annual ranking of the world&#039;s best cities.<\/li>\n<li>The company compared more than 400 cities worldwide with populations exceeding 1 million.<\/li>\n<li>The top cities include popular hotspots, but you&#039;ll be surprised at some that didn&#039;t make the cut.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There&#039;s a big world out there to explore. If you haven&#039;t made your 2026 travel plans yet, we&#039;ll help you narrow down where to head next.<\/p>\n<p>Resonance, a data and research firm, has released its Best Cities report, an annual ranking that spotlights the globe&#039;s most influential and economically thriving cities.<\/p>\n<p>To identify the best places to live and visit, the company compared over 400 cities with populations exceeding 1 million. It scored each city on three factors: livability, lovability, and prosperity \u2014 using measures such as the number of family-friendly attractions, walkability, public transit quality, nightlife, overall economic health, and more.<\/p>\n<p>Resonance also analyzed user-generated data from platforms such as Google, Instagram, and TikTok to gauge appeal.<\/p>\n<p>The top cities of 2026 are familiar names across Europe, the US, and Asia, with one in the Middle East. Surprisingly, a few popular tourist hubs, such as Mexico City and Miami, didn&#039;t even crack the top 20. Read below to find out which cities did.<\/p>\n<p><em>Business Insider included population data from Resonance, alongside housing and dining data from Numbeo, a crowdsourced comparison website that provides detailed cost-of-living information for major cities worldwide.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>20. Istanbul<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f8759e1a9cbb014deaa8b?format=jpeg\" alt=\"An aerial view of Istanbul.\"\/><figcaption>Istanbul.<\/p>\n<p>prmustafa\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population: <\/strong>14,206,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): <\/strong>$714.60<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center:<\/strong> $964.04<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks):<\/strong> $47.20<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $3.81<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>19. Hong Kong<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f872b89026fbb4d0e1b20?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The city of Hong Kong.\"\/><figcaption>Hong Kong.<\/p>\n<p>kan wang\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population:<\/strong> 7,617,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): <\/strong>$1,081<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: <\/strong>$2,318.18<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks):<\/strong> $70.64<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $5.14<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>18. S\u00e3o Paulo<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f878dabd5e944effb3035?format=jpeg\" alt=\"A skyline view of S\u00e3o Paulo\"\/><figcaption>S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n<p>StockLapse\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population:<\/strong> 22,421,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing):<\/strong> $636.60<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center:<\/strong> $668.09<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at <\/strong>a <strong>mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks):<\/strong> $38.36<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $2.14<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>17. Toronto<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f87b7e1a9cbb014deaa9e?format=jpeg\" alt=\"A skyline view of Toronto.\"\/><figcaption>Toronto<\/p>\n<p>Deejpilot\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population: <\/strong>7,605,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): <\/strong>$1,088.50<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center:<\/strong> $1,685.81<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a<\/strong> <strong>mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks):<\/strong> $85.40<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $3.91<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>16. Shanghai<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f8855abd5e944effb305a?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Skyline view of Shanghai\"\/><figcaption>Shanghai.<\/p>\n<p>Yaorusheng\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population:<\/strong> 28,482,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing):<\/strong> $588.30<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center:<\/strong> $908.02<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at <\/strong>a <strong>mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks):<\/strong> $32.33<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $3.14<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>15. Beijing<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f88d489026fbb4d0e1b72?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Skyline picure of Beijing.\"\/><figcaption>Beijing.<\/p>\n<p>Ping Shu\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population: <\/strong>21,312,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing):<\/strong> $578.20<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center:<\/strong> $984.62<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks):<\/strong> $28.11<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $2.86<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>14. Amsterdam<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f890a89026fbb4d0e1b7c?format=jpeg\" alt=\"An overview of Amsterdam.\"\/><figcaption>Amsterdam<\/p>\n<p>CreativeNature_nl\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population: <\/strong>2,989,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): <\/strong>$1,330.10<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center:<\/strong> $2,459.87<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a<\/strong> <strong>mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks):<\/strong> $115.28<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino: <\/strong>$4.92<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>13. Seoul<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f897e89026fbb4d0e1b92?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The skyline of Seoul, Korea.\"\/><figcaption>Seoul.<\/p>\n<p>Mongkol Chuewong\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population:<\/strong> 24,160,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): <\/strong>$1,034.80<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: <\/strong>$868.77<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a<\/strong> <strong>mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks):<\/strong> $54.47<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $3.61<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>12. Los Angeles<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f8a7fe1a9cbb014deab25?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Skyline of Los Angeles.\"\/><figcaption>Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p>Cavan Images \/ Toby Harriman\/Getty Images\/Cavan Images RF<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population: <\/strong>12,928,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing):<\/strong> $1,348.80<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: <\/strong>$2,555.26<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a<\/strong> <strong>mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks):<\/strong> $100.00<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $5.74<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>11. Sydney<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/685072cff748d8c055f3c9b0?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Sydney, Australia skyline and harbor\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>andresr\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population:<\/strong> 5,450,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): <\/strong>$1,134.50<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center:<\/strong> $2,197.54<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks):<\/strong> $81.61<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino: <\/strong>$3.52<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>10. Barcelona<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f8ae089026fbb4d0e1bd3?format=jpeg\" alt=\"An aerial view of Barcelona.\"\/><figcaption>Barcelona.<\/p>\n<p>Pol Albarr\u00e1n\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population: <\/strong>5,094,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center:<\/strong> $1,549.23<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): <\/strong>$911.3<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks):<\/strong> $69.17<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino: <\/strong>$2.96<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>9. Berlin<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f8c6be1a9cbb014deab73?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Downtown Berlin.\"\/><figcaption>Berlin.<\/p>\n<p>Nikada\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population:<\/strong> 5,106,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing):<\/strong> $1,140.7<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: <\/strong>$1,420.68<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): <\/strong>$72.05<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $4.44<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>8. Dubai<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/67c9908eb8b41a9673f9d826?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Dubai skyline\"\/><figcaption>Dubai has one of the world&#039;s biggest expat populations.<\/p>\n<p>Umar Shariff Photography\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population<\/strong>: 6,000,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center:<\/strong> $2,458.65<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing):<\/strong> $1,128.6<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at <\/strong>a <strong>mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): <\/strong>$81.69<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino<\/strong>: $5.85<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>7. Rome<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f8d3aabd5e944effb3155?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The skyline in Rome, Italy.\"\/><figcaption>Rome.<\/p>\n<p>LeonU\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population:<\/strong> 4,306,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing):<\/strong> $1,022.6<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center<\/strong>: $1,447.95<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at <\/strong>a <strong>mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): <\/strong>$80.69<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $2.09<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>6. Singapore<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f8d9889026fbb4d0e1c33?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The Singapore skyline.\"\/><figcaption>Singapore.<\/p>\n<p>Eric Yang\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population:<\/strong> 6,038,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing):<\/strong> $1,126.1<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center:<\/strong> <strong>$2,967.40<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $68.86<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $4.67<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>5. Madrid<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f8dfee1a9cbb014deabad?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The Cibeles Fountain and Gran V\u00eda Street in Madrid.\"\/><figcaption>Madrid.<\/p>\n<p>alxpin\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population:<\/strong> 6,983,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing):<\/strong> $929.20<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center:<\/strong> $1,512.80<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a<\/strong> <strong>mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks):<\/strong> $69.17<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $3.24<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>4. Tokyo<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f8bc2e1a9cbb014deab61?format=jpeg\" alt=\"An aerial view of Tokyo.\"\/><figcaption>Tokyo.<\/p>\n<p>tawatchaiprakobkit\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population:<\/strong> 36,635,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing):<\/strong> $930.3<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center<\/strong>: $996.97<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks):<\/strong> $41.95<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $3.26<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>3. Paris<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f8b91e1a9cbb014deab57?format=jpeg\" alt=\"An aerial view of Paris.\"\/><figcaption>Paris.<\/p>\n<p>querbeet\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population:<\/strong> 13,171,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing):<\/strong> $1,206.80<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center:<\/strong> $1,609.17<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a<\/strong> <strong>mid-range restaurant:<\/strong> $74.93<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $5.01<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>2. New York<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f8b6889026fbb4d0e1beb?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Aerial view of New York City.\"\/><figcaption>New York City.<\/p>\n<p>Tim Robberts\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population: <\/strong>19,940,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing):<\/strong> $1,668.60<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center:<\/strong> $4,142.86<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant:<\/strong> $145<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $5.72<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>1. London<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f8b33abd5e944effb3101?format=jpeg\" alt=\"An aerial view of London.\"\/><figcaption>London.<\/p>\n<p>Gary Yeowell\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population: <\/strong>12,451,000<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing):<\/strong> $1,393.7<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center:<\/strong> $3,112.03<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a three-course meal for two at a<\/strong> <strong>mid-range restaurant:<\/strong> $104.58<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost of a cappuccino:<\/strong> $5.27<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Read the original article on Business Insider<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hong Kong. MR.Cole_Photographer\/Getty Images Resonance, a data and research firm, released its annual ranking of the world&#039;s best cities. The company compared more than 400 cities worldwide with populations exceeding 1 million. The top cities include popular hotspots, but you&#039;ll be surprised at some that didn&#039;t make the cut. There&#039;s a big world out there [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39157,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-39156","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-usa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}