FROM AN EXPAT'S point of view, which cities in Southeast Asia are considered the most livable? Extracted from a list of 215 cities around the globe, the following are the Top Ten Most Livable Cities in Southeast Asia, together with their respective world ranking, according to the 2007 study conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Mercer, a reputable consultancy firm which provides advice to multinational companies on international assignments, came up with a global ranking of the most livable cities using 39 key quality-of-life issues which includes: public safety, political stability, the environment, currency-exchange regulations, housing, political and media censorship and school quality. Using New York City as a base city (with a score of 100), data was collected by Mercer between the months of September and November 2006 and came up with the global ranking. Here are the Ten (10) Most Livable Cities in Southeast Asia based on the 2007 global study and their respective global rankings and scores:
1. Singapore, Singapore (Score: 102.5, World Ranking: 34)
2. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Score: 88.9, World Ranking: 75)
3. Johor Baharu, Malaysia (Score: 81.2, World Ranking: 101)
4. Bangkok, Thailand (Score: 76.8, World Ranking: 109)
5. Manila, Philippines (Score: 72.3, World Ranking: 123)
6. Rayong, Thailand (Score: 69.3, World Ranking: 132)
7. Jakarta, Indonesia (Score: 63.7, World Ranking: 142)
8. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Score: 62.0, World Ranking: 150)
9. Hanoi, Vietnam (Score: 60.1, World Ranking: 157) and
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10. Vientiane, Laos (Score: 55.0, World Ranking: 169)
The scores and ranking say so much about the quality of life in our Southeast Asia cities vis-a-vis their counterparts in the world. I hope 2008 will be a more promising year for our region. Happy New Year to All!
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