Best cities for Millennials

The top 10 cities for Millennials

Europe certainly dominated the top end of the table, with Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Lisbon, Antwerp, Barcelona, Lyon, Cologne and Paris taking the top nine positions. Vancouver rounds out the top ten, with Canada generally being a historically popular destination for expats

However, this overall score doesn't mean that these cities don't have their shortcomings. Barcelona, for example, has some decent scores across the board, however it has very high unemployment and uncertain career development. Lisbon also appears at the lower end of the table when ranked by employment availability. Top ranked Amsterdam scores poorly when it comes to the availability of affordable housing, as does Munich. The German cities also ranked quite low when it came to the accessibility of contraception. The French cities fared badly when measured by the availability of affordable food (though Lyon had a high Apple store count, if you're the kind of person who would prefer to fix your iPhone screen than have dinner).

Taking care of business

Following the economic downturn (of which some countries are still feeling the effects), Millennials have increasingly had to think about job opportunities. More young people are moving abroad due to high unemployment rates in their home country. The Millennial rankings considered employment opportunities, the environment for start-ups, and the tourism industry in each city.

Bangkok scored top marks for both tourism and employment opportunities. Thailand is a popular destination for young travellers, so perhaps should be a destination Millennials could consider for a longer stay. A stalwart on the list of best international cities, London is at the top end for both tourism and start-ups. However, it is unsurprisingly preceded on the start-up side by the US cities of San Francisco and Boston. For something different, Tel Aviv is open to young entrepreneurs' ideas and supports small businesses with a potential to make a difference. Another top choice for the young employees is Singapore, which scored highly for employment and tourism. Singapore is a city built on business that attracts the biggest international conglomerates as well as nurtures smaller start-ups with its latest policy developments.

The bare necessities

Things once considered a luxury, such as the internet, now feature as an essential for the newest generation as the Internet of Things has led to an increasingly interconnected world. Food and housing, however, have become even greater concerns – the cost of healthy, fresh food has risen in many parts of the world, while housing prices in a number of popular cities have skyrocketed. While the number of Apple stores per capita may be the kind of thing that would make older generations sneer with disdain, it was used to measure the overall use of technology by a city's residents.

When it comes to internet speeds, the US cities of Denver and Austin featured highly (with Austin topping the list), however, Bruges, Geneva and Marseille also ranked highly. The French cities also ranked the highest when their access to technology was assessed, as did Geneva.

Housing is a growing problem in cities, as an increasing number of young adults find themselves being priced out renting in city centres by more wealthy residents and foreign investors. The most affordable cities for Millennials are in South America - Guadalajara, Monterrey and Medellin. Athens and Bucharest also offer affordable accommodation, with the latter also having the benefit being the fifth best for employment, though Athens was the second worst.

Transport was another factor considered (e.g. the size of the metro network, existence of a shared bike scheme, etc.), and here Oslo and San Francisco are at the top, followed by Lyon and Paris in France. However, San Francisco is at the bottom of the table for affordable food.

France's universal healthcare system sees the French cities all take top marks for access to healthcare, followed by the Italian cities.

Social equality

Millennials are, in general, known to be keen on social betterment and social justice. There is a greater acceptance of differences in terms of sexuality, race and ability than ever before. Social constructs around gender have been broken down and there is more acceptance of those from different cultures than older generations. Though this is certainly not universal, Millennials who are looking to experience life in another culture will likely be more accepting of differences on the whole.

A bit misleadingly, Chinese cities are the best performers for access to contraception, thanks to the government's former one-child policy and continued support for smaller families. Next up are the UK cities (London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow and Edinburgh), where there is free access to contraceptives and family planning advice.

However, the Chinese cities are near the bottom when it comes to gender equality while the Scandinavian cities scored the highest. For the most progressive LGBT policies, Millennials should look to Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, San Francisco and the Hague.

Millennials wanna have fun

Ultimately, Millennials are young and looking to have fun. Things like nightlife and the price of beer certainly affect how much of a social life you will be able to enjoy as a young adult in a new city. No one wants to move abroad and find themselves unable to head out to bar because of the extraordinary costs.

In terms of nightlife, the cities with the most clubs and bars are Berlin and Paris, which take top marks, followed by Cologne, London and Prague. However, the top cities for an affordable beer are Beijing, Bogota and Medellin in Colombia, and Brno in the Czech Republic.

Finally, the festivals ranking (indicating the cities with the most music festivals per capita) puts Bruges, Cork and Zurich in the top spots, however this doesn't necessarily reflect where some of the world's best known music festivals take place, such as Glastonbury in the UK, Coachella in the US, Tomorrowland in Belgium, and Benacassim in Spain.