Despite the region's uncertain economic outlook, cities in Europe were high up in the latest quality of living survey by Mercer.

Western European cities continue to enjoy some of the highest quality of living worldwide, filling seven of the top 10 places in a ranking by Mercer.

Vienna held onto its number one spot, which it has claimed in the last seven published rankings. European cities that followed the Austrian capital were Zurich in second place, Munich in fourth, Dusseldorf in sixth, Frankfurt in seventh, Geneva in eighth and Copenhagen in ninth. 

In the UK, where the future of the country's relationship with the EU looks increasingly uncertain ahead of June's in/out referendum, London ranked 39th.

Mercer highlighted heightened security threats and social unrest as key challenges for multinational companies when sending expatriate workers abroad. European cities dominate the top of the personal safety ranking, with Luxembourg in the lead, followed by Bern, Helsinki, and Zurich tied in second place. However, several cities in the region rank considerably lower given terrorist attacks in the last few years. Paris, for example, came in 71st place, London in 72nd and Madrid in 84th.

“Multinational companies need accurate data and objective methods to determine the cost implications of deteriorating living standards and personal safety issues when compensating expatriates,” said Ilya Bonic, senior partner and president of Mercer’s talent business. 

In North America, where most cities remain fairly safe for expats, Canadian cities boast the highest quality of living, with Vancouver in fifth place, followed by Toronto in 15th and Ottawa in 17th. In the US, San Francisco ranks highest in 28th place, followed by Boston (34), Honolulu (35), Chicago (43), and New York City (44).

As for the Asia-Pacific region, New Zealand and Australia stood out for their quality of living, with Auckland ranking third, Sydney 10th, Wellington 12th, and Melbourne 15th. In Asia, Singapore remains the highest ranking city in 26th place. Other notable Asian cities include Tokyo in 44th place, Hong Kong (70), Taipei (84), Kuala Lumpur (86), Shanghai (101), Beijing (118) and Bangkok (129). In terms of personal safety, Singapore ranks eighth, followed by Auckland and Wellington sharing ninth place.