New York and London Top List of 100 Best Cities in the World

New York City and London may look dystopian on social media, but it’s safe to say the algorithms aren’t giving you the full picture. These two cities rank as the world’s best, according to a newly released index based on empirical data and surveys of real people.

Research firm Resonance paired up with Ipsos, one of the world’s top polling companies, to produce the 2025 World’s Best Cities rankings.

The results show that seeing is believing. New York City and London are top cities to live and work in — and visit.

A Data-Driven Look

The World’s Best Cities index blends hard data with public opinion. It integrates a broad range of metrics like educational attainment, health care quality, and green spaces with user-generated data from websites like Google and Instagram, along with a survey of over 22,000 people from across 30 countries.

The data set was grouped into three categories: livability, lovability, and prosperity.

London: An Old City Unafraid of Change

Resonance ranks London as the world’s best city in 2025 because it’s a premier destination for investors, students, and tourists alike.

The city’s leadership under Mayor Sadiq Khan has invested heavily in infrastructure, including the expansion of the new Elizabeth train line. The London metro area has also benefitted from the $305 million upgrade to Gatwick Airport.

London is attracting investment from companies like Salesforce, which has selected the city for its first artificial intelligence center — part of a planned $4 billion investment in the United Kingdom.

New, world-class hotels are also opening in London, including the art’otel Battersea and the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair.

New York Is Back

Naturally, New York comes in second after its older sibling.

Over 62 million tourists visited the Big Apple in 2023 — roughly doubling from the post-COVID low.

New York City is not just the land of the pizza rat. Rich with history, great museums, and a vibrant nightlife, New York has it all. Great food — both five-star restaurants and mom-and-pop shops, reflecting the diverse origins of its peoples.

Some of the world’s best sports franchises — excluding its woeful NFL teams — also call New York their home. The New York Knicks and New York Yankees help make this a destination city.

Getting to and from the city has also become easier — thanks to the extraordinary transformations to LaGuardia Airport and upgrades at John F. Kennedy and Newark airports.

New York is also a national and global cultural hub. Its latest offerings include the new Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens — one of the most diverse places on earth.

But New York is also a place to live, not just visit. Like London, New York has that perfect mix of a dynamic business ecosystem, the presence of the world’s top companies, and some of the world’s best universities.

San Francisco and Seattle: Innovation and Entrepreneurship

European cities make up half of the top ten, including Paris (3), Rome (6), Madrid (7), and Barcelona (8). They don’t quite have the hustle and bustle of New York and London, but they make up for it in quality of life and rich culture.

U.S. cities largely fill out the second tier of the top 25, led by San Francisco (12), Los Angeles (14), Chicago (17), Seattle (19), Boston (21) and Miami (23).

The metro areas of Boston and San Francisco stand out for their combination of world-class universities — like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT — and innovation hubs. The San Francisco metro area, home to Silicon Valley, remains the world’s premier tech innovation hub.

Seattle thrives as a home to Fortune 500 companies Amazon, Boeing, Microsoft, and Starbucks.

Ranked: The World’s Best Cities

1. London
2. New York
3. Paris
4. Tokyo
5. Singapore
6. Rome
7. Madrid
8. Barcelona
9. Berlin
10. Sydney
11. Amsterdam
12. San Francisco
13. Dubai
14. Los Angeles
15. Toronto
16. Seoul
17. Chicago
18. Vienna
19. Seattle
20. Milan
21. Boston
22. Vancouver
23. Miami
24. Stockholm
25. Melbourne

Explore the full list here.