New York is known for its “busy and grinding culture” – but it could be one of the best cities for work-life balance.
That’s according to a new report from MoneyNerd, which ranked 25 of the world’s largest cities on factors including cost of living, average salary, number of job opportunities, and more .
The personal finance site used data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Happiness Report, Glassdoor, LinkedIn and more to find out which cities have the happiest residents and will maximize access to high-paying job opportunities.
Copenhagen was rated as the No. 1 capital in the world for a good work-life balance and competitive salary. The Danish capital had an average gross salary of $44,474 with a high work-life balance rating of 8.6 out of 10 points.
Amsterdam and New York trailed in second and third place, respectively.
Here are the top five cities in the world for work-life balance and pay, according to MoneyNerd:
1. Copenhagen
Average Salary: $44,474
Level of work-life balance: 8.6 out of 10
Happiness level: 7.6 out of 10
2. Amsterdam
Average Salary: $44,367
Level of work-life balance: 8.3 out of 10
Happiness level: 7.4 out of 10
3. New York
Average Salary: $71,401
Level of work-life balance: 5.2 out of 10
Happiness level: 7 out of 10
4. Oslo
Average Salary: $46,196
Level of work-life balance: 8.5 out of 10
Happiness level: 7.4 out of 10
5. Zurich
Average Salary: $82,191
Level of work-life balance: 7.7 out of 10
Happiness level: 7.5 out of 10
Oslo and Copenhagen have consistently been ranked as some of the best cities for work-life balance in other reports, praised for being safe, affordable cities that offer attractive benefits for employees, including plenty of remote, flexible jobs and generous parental leave policies.
Despite being one of the most expensive places to live, New York had a higher work-life balance score than other global cities, such as Hong Kong and Dubai, to especially since New Yorkers earn more.
Even though New York and Zurich have similar costs of living and happiness, New York ranked higher than Switzerland’s largest city because it has more job openings across a variety of industries.
Meanwhile, Beijing, Lisbon and Budapest are some of the worst cities for work-life balance, according to MoneyNerd. Those three cities had lower average annual salaries than other locations as well as fewer jobs available, according to the MoneyNerd study.
Check it out:
Austin is the No. 1 fastest growing city in the US for millionaires – see where else it made the list
Workers report 4-day work week improves health, finances and relationships: It ‘just makes you happy’
Want to work from anywhere? These are the top 10 cities in the US for digital nomads
Register now: Get smarter about your money and career with our weekly newsletter
