World champions: Brisbane named best city on earth

18 hours ago 2

Sophie Foster

Updated 16 Mar 2026, 12:29pm

First published 16 Mar 2026, 12:28pm

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People swimming and sunbathing at Streets Beach, South Bank, Brisbane.

Explosive global rankings have crowned Brisbane the best city in the world to live in – smashing 49 huge competitors including London, Helsinki and Sydney with a surprise per capita knockout.

The bombshell rankings saw the Queensland capital leave southern rivals like Sydney and Melbourne choking on their lattes, after Brisbane emerged the 2026 world’s best city on earth to raise a family.

The Compare the Market Best Cities to Raise a Family Index 2026 saw Brisbane lead with 6.457 points, well ahead of London (5.992 points), Auckland (5.460 points) and Helsinki (5.305 points).

It demolished other Australian capitals, with Sydney only managing fifth place, Perth sixth and Melbourne limping in at seventh spot.

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The River City’s green spaces and parks, relative affordability, and cheaper cost of living including transportation saw it rein supreme.

US cities ranked poorly due to minimal parental leave (only 12 weeks) and low family benefits spending, while Zurich was the most expensive at $6,900.20 USD per month, with New Delhi and Mumbai the cheapest but low scoring on other metrics.

The data was brutal for Sydney which likes to think of itself as Australia’s premier destination – with families there forking out an eye-watering $6,176.23 a month ($4,162.10 USD) just to survive.

Meanwhile in Brisbane, families live the good life for $4,827.06 ($3,390.70 USD) – nearly $1,350 cheaper every single month or over $16,000 back in their pockets annually.

Brisbane’s massive ace was something no other city could claim – having the highest number of parks and green spaces per capita of all 50 cities – with 84.89 parks and playgrounds per 100,000 people.

It was also the second-highest globally for safety – and all Australian cities ranked sixth-highest in happiness scores among the countries represented in the index.

Australian cities also had high child vaccination rates and statutory parental leave in the world compared to other countries on the index.

Despite massive surges in property prices, Brisbane’s affordability factor gave it a huge edge too over international competitors with its cost of living significantly better – thanks in part to its unbeatable 50 cents public transport fares in its most populated area in South East Queensland.

Brisbane has its share of roadways but also the highest green space per capita of all cities surveyed.

Brisbane was nearly $1,647 USD/month cheaper than London ($5,037.80 USD) with its combination of affordability, safety, green spaces and family-friendly policies giving it the edge over cities with higher happiness scores like Helsinki: 7.736) or more amenities such as London’s 758 activities.

Compare the Market money general manager Stephen Zeller said families looking to make the move to buy in places like Brisbane needed to be smart in the current climate.

“A mortgage is for a long time, enough time to start a family and raise your child into adulthood. If you’re looking at buying a home in a city that you think will be a good spot to raise a family, the biggest piece of advice is comparing your options before applying for a mortgage,” Mr Zeller said.

“A mortgage with a smaller interest rate could save you thousands of dollars in interest over the course of your loan. It’s a key thing to look for when getting ready to take out a mortgage.”

“Other things to look for are account fees, redraw facilities, offset accounts and other features that could save money or give flexibility to borrowers. Compare the Market’s team of brokers are on hand to guide borrowers through every step of the process.”

The next time someone from Sydney or Melbourne tries to tell you their city is superior, just smile and point them to the data. Brisbane is number one in the world, not just Australia.