Everybody wants a job with great work-life balance. But are these jobs hard to come by. Well, maybe where you live, has something to do with it. In this post, we'll take a look at the top 10 cities in the world with the best work life balance.
After all, all work and no play, makes Tulani, one tired chick. So in an attempt to not let it get that bad, let's found out where people are living the good life.
The Top 10 Best Cities for Work Life Balance
Without further ado, here is a list of the top 10 cities with great work life balance.
- Oslo, Norway
- Bern, Switzerland
- Helsinki, Finland
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Ottawa, Canada
- Sydney, Australia
- Stuttgart, Germany
- Munich, Germany
What Criteria was Used to Determine the Ranking?
This ranking comes from data sourced from getkisi.com.
To determine which cities had the best work life balance, the researchers in this study broke the study down into these 3 main categories: Work Intensity, Society and Institutions, and City Livability.
Work Intensity
This category is pretty self explanatory as it is focused on your work, its intensity, or lack thereof.
So, for this category researchers took into account various factors such as the amount of population that worked overtime, the number of vacation days taken, the percentage of remote work available, as well as paid parental leave. Just to name a few.
Society and Institutions
As this category is focused more on society, the researchers studied healthcare, access to mental healthcare, inclusivity and tolerance, and the impact of the recent pandemic.
City Livability
For this category, researchers looked at affordability, safety, happiness, wellness and fitness, culture and leisure, air quality, and the number and accessibility of outdoor spaces.
How livable is your city? Check out the AARP's livability index for US cities!
Deep Dive into the Best Work Life Balance Cities
Okay, let's take a look at each of these cities a little closer. What is it that helped them rank as one of the best cities for work life balance?
Oslo, Norway
Oslo is the capital city of Norway and it's most populous. Despite it claiming top spots for being the most expensive city to live in back in the day, it is now the number one place for work-life balance. Though it is still a bit pricey.
A look at the stats show that Oslo has one of the highest amounts of vacation days offered to their employees. With 25 days being the minimum.
Oslo also has lots of outdoorsy things to do, a low unemployment rate, and access to great healthcare. Plus, employees in Oslo can get a whopping 707 days of paid parental leave!
It's not hard to see why this city snagged the top spot!
Oslo Quick Stats:
- Overworked Population: 11.2%
- Minimum # of Vacation Days: 25
- Paid Parental Leave: 707
- Affordability Score: 59.4
- Happiness, Culture, & Leisure Score: 88.8
Bern, Switzerland
Coming in at number 2 on the list is Bern, which apparently is the capital of Switzerland. Who knew?! And as it is considered one of the safest cities in the world, I can see why it ranks so high.
Bern's unemployment rate is very low as is the inflation rate (1.8%). They also give employees a good amount of vacation days with the minimum being 20.
The paid parental leave is only 98 days which can leave much to be desired considering what the number one spot has to offer. But hey, I'd take it over the usual 2 weeks given in America any day.
They have also been given the highest score of 100 for Air quality as well as for Happiness, Culture, and Leisure.
Bern Quick Stats:
- Overworked Population: 11.4%
- Minimum # of Vacation Days: 20
- Paid Parental Leave: 98
- Affordability Score: 69.9
- Happiness, Culture, & Leisure Score: 100
Helsinki, Finland
Coming in to claim the number 3 spot is Helsinki. Founded in 1550, Helsinki is located on the gulf of Finland and is surrounded by beautiful harbors. It is also Finland's capital.
Not only do they have great healthcare and a good amount of vacation days but they also offer employees 1, 190 days of paid parental leave. That is practically unheard of! I think I need to move to Helsinki!
Helsinki Quick Stats:
- Overworked Population: 12.7%
- Minimum # of Vacation Days: 25
- Paid Parental Leave: 1,190
- Affordability Score: 65
- Happiness, Culture, & Leisure Score: 96.3
Zurich, Switzerland
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and its financial capital. It is the most expensive city in the world though, famous for its luxurious lifestyle and high end shopping.
Surprisingly, the inflation rate is quite low in Zurich at 1.8%. Also, they offer their employees a minimum of 20 vacation days and 98 days of paid parental leave. Not bad.
Zurich Quick Stats:
- Overworked Population: 11.9%
- Minimum # of Vacation Days: 20
- Paid Parental Leave: 98
- Affordability Score: 71.6
- Happiness, Culture, & Leisure Score: 91.5
Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen comes in at the number 5 spot. It is a beautiful city and also, Denmark's capital.
Compared to other countries on the list, it has one of the lowest percentages of employees being overworked. And although the minimum vacation days is 25 people, the amount taken on average was 28.
They also have a low unemployment rate, a good healthcare system, and a safety score of 95.7.
Copenhagen Quick Stats:
- Overworked Population: 10.5%
- Minimum # of Vacation Days: 25
- Paid Parental Leave: 364
- Affordability Score: 65.3
- Happiness, Culture, & Leisure Score: 92.5
Helsinki offers 1,190 paid parental leave! Talk about a good work life balance!
Geneva, Switzerland
Wow, Switzerland has been on here a lot. In 2nd, 4th, and now 6th place on the list of cities with the best work-life balance!
Geneva is a very international city with over 40% of its population coming from different countries. And for those who love the outdoors, Geneva provides good access to the Swiss Alps.
It is a relatively safe city too with low inflation (1.8%), low unemployment, and a good amount of vacation days (25) and paid parental leave (98). It also scored the highest in the Happiness, Culture, and Leisure category.
Geneva Quick Stats:
- Overworked Population: 11.9%
- Minimum # of Vacation Days: 20
- Paid Parental Leave: 98
- Affordability Score: 70.7
- Happiness, Culture, & Leisure Score: 100
Ottawa, Canada
Founded in 1826, Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. And, apparently, it boasts the most educated population among Canadian cities.
They are ranked 7th in this study possibly in large part due to the generous amount of paid parental leave they can take (364 days) as the minimum vacation days offered employees is a bit lacking (10 days).
However, they do have a great healthcare system with access to good mental healthcare. Plus, they have great outdoor spaces and some of the best air quality around.
Ottawa Quick Stats:
- Overworked Population: 10.1%
- Minimum # of Vacation Days: 10
- Paid Parental Leave: 364
- Affordability Score: 70.7
- Happiness, Culture, & Leisure Score: 81.4
Sydney, Australia
Home to the famous Sydney Opera House, Sydney is one of the largest cities in Australia. It also boasts the city with the second lowest amount of people working overtime, according to this study.
Furthermore, they offer a good number of vacation days to start (20 days) and a good amount of paid parental leave (140 days).
Sydney Quick Stats:
- Overworked Population: 9.7%
- Minimum # of Vacation Days: 20
- Paid Parental Leave: 140
- Affordability Score: 73.3
- Happiness, Culture, & Leisure Score: 87.7
Stuttgart, Germany
Coming in at 9th, Stuttgart, Germany is the 6th largest city in Germany. Although it is known as a manufacturing hub, there are lots of parks and botanical gardens. They are even home to the largest zoo in Europe.
With great access to healthcare, such a large amount of greenery and outdoor spaces, and great air quality, I can see why Stuttgart makes the list. Oh and did I mention they offer 466.9 days for paid parental leave?!
Stuttgart Quick Stats:
- Overworked Population: 11.7%
- Minimum # of Vacation Days: 20
- Paid Parental Leave: 466.9
- Affordability Score: 79.3
- Happiness, Culture, & Leisure Score: 85.5
Munich, Germany
Squeaking into the top ten in the final slot is Munich. Known for its annual celebration of Oktoberfest, it has the lowest unemployment rate of all the cities in Germany.
And despite its large population, it is relatively safe with access to good healthcare. Like Stuttgart, it also offers a good amount of vacation days (20 days) and excellent paid parental leave (466.9 days).
Munich Quick Stats:
- Overworked Population: 11.9%
- Minimum # of Vacation Days: 20
- Paid Parental Leave: 466.9
- Affordability Score: 71.1
- Happiness, Culture, & Leisure Score: 87
US Cities with the Best Work Life Balance
Well, that wraps up the top ten list of best cities for work life balance but if you are like me, you want to know more! And more specifically where were the US cities??
Below is the top 10 of the US Cities with the Best Work Life Balance:
- Seattle, WA
- Portland, OR
- Minneapolis, MN
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Boston, MA
- San Francisco, CA
- Washington, DC
- Omaha, NE
- San Diego, CA
- Denver, CO
A Word About the Study
The data used in this post was taken from Kisi. They gathered data from a number of sources including international organizations, public surveys, and NGOs. Only 100 cities determined to be economic hubs were shortlisted for this study.
Of course, this leaves out a number of cities that might have great work life balance but are not at a certain economic level. So I am sure some great places have been left off the list.
For more information on how the study was conducted and a copy of the data set, check out their page here.
And for my fellow expats living in Tokyo, Japan, can you guess where Tokyo turned up in this list of 100 cities?
... 14 ...14! Can you believe it?! Absolute lies! Lol.
I have been living in Japan way too long to agree with that one. They are the absolute worst when it comes to doing overtime and pressuring employees to come in early and stay late. So it is definitely not a city with good work life balance.
Finding the best city is always about finding a perfect balance of livability, accessibility, and a good job market.
All in All
If you are trying to figure out where the best place to live is, you'll have to start with determining what it is you are looking for in a city. Is it work life balance? Is it access to nature? Or more free time?
Once you have your answer, then you can narrow down your options. Of course, never take someone else's word for how great a city is. You must go check it out for yourself! Only then will you know if it is right for you!
*DISCLAIMER: The Information provided in this post is simply the opinions of the blogger and is given in the spirit of educational fun. It is not investment advice. Please do your own research and decide what is right for you before investing in any asset. If necessary, seek the help of a certified professional in discussing your options.