Bangalore emerges as the best city for expats

Are you thinking which city in India is safe and provide quality living?? Here is the answer. Bangalore has emerged as the best Indian city among New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai in terms of better quality of living for expatriates, according to a latest worldwide survey of cities by global HR consultancy Mercer.

According to Mercer survey, ‘2009 quality of living global city rankings’ for 215 cities, Bangalore has topped the list among Indian cities, while the country’s financial hub Mumbai has witnessed a drop in rankings this year mainly due to a decline in stability and security conditions.
Unfortunately, Indian cities do not fare well as compared to their global peers as the list is topped by Vienna in Austria followed by Switzerland’s Zurich (2nd), Geneva (3rd), Canadian city Vancouver and New Zealand’s Auckland have been ranked at the 4th place.

Among Indian cities, Bangalore has been ranked at the 142nd place this year, down two notches from last year, while Mumbai has been dropped to the 148th place from 142 position last year, the survey revealed.

However, New Delhi has managed to maintain the same rank this year at the 145th place in the global list, while Chennai has been ranked at the 152nd place, the survey revealed.

Mercer’s worldwide 215-city quality of living survey, is primarily conducted to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments.

Meanwhile, Singapore has emerged as the best Asian city in terms of quality of living, ranked at 26th position in the global list followed by Tokyo at 35. Further, Baghdad is at the bottom of the rankings at the 215th place.

“When you relocate executives from one country to another you need clear and objective information establishing quality of living differences between cities. Some are perceived to be safer, while others provide entertainment activities or more comprehensive medical services,” Mercer’s information product solutions India business leader Gangapriya Chakraverti said.

The Mercer quality of living report aims to provide tangible values for such qualitative perceptions, in order to establish an effective and objective assessment of the quality of living throughout the world, Chakraverti added.

Interestingly, this year’s rankings also identify cities with best infrastructure based on electricity supply, water availability, telephone and mail services, traffic congestion and the range of international flights from local airports.

“As a result of current financial crisis, multinational companies are looking to review their international assignment policies with a view to cutting costs,” Mercer consulting India global mobility leader Rupam Mishra said.