Australian cities take liveability crown

Australian cities have punched well above their weight in the 2012 Global Liveability Survey, with four capitals making the top 10.

Of 140 cities surveyed worldwide, Melbourne has bested the bunch, claiming the title of World's Most Liveable City 2012.

The Victorian capital scored 97.5 per cent; a close to perfect ranking.

Adelaide placed fifth, ahead of Sydney in seventh spot.

The move has surprised some, but the City of Churches was in the Top 10 of The Economist's World's Most Liveable Cities index in 2010, and was christened most liveable city in Australia by the Property Council of Australia in 2011.

Perth rounded out Australian cities in the top 10, at number nine, with Brisbane capturing number 20 slot.

The survey considers five aspects of a city when judging: stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. 

Canadian cities also performed well, placing third, fourth and fifth. Vancouver took that country's top honours, coming in third after Melbourne and Vienna.

  

Melbourne's culture, transport, facilities, environment and infrastructure are winning fans worldwide.

 "Australian cities continue to thrive in terms of liveability,' said Economist Intelligence Unit survey editor Jon Copestake.

"Not only do they benefit from the natural advantages of low population density, but they have continued to improve with some high profile infrastructure investments."

You can learn more about these cities, including most popular, most afforable suburbs, in our Suburb Profiles section. Dive in to undertand how the market is performing in each of those areas, how recent sales performed, even what type of people prefer to live there.

The world's top 10 most liveable cities:

1. Melbourne, Australia.

2. Vienna, Austria.

3. Vancouver, Canada.

4. Toronto, Canada.

5. Calgary, Canada.

5. (equal) Adelaide, Australia.

7. Sydney, Australia.

8. Helsinki, Finland.

9. Perth, Australia.

10. Auckland, New Zealand.

20. Brisbane, Australia.

Visit The Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Survey for more.