The lowest-rated cities in our index

Caracas33

Dhaka38

Addis Ababa42

Karachi42

Lagos42

Affordability

68

72

70

72

73

Safety

14

53

38

36

28

Healthcare

24

33

29

39

31

Career

20

40

48

55

67

Culture & food

44

42

72

60

69

Public life & spaces

30

11

22

11

11

Overall

33

38

42

42

42

Objective 0–100 scores from source-backed CrossBorders data. Green marks the category leader; gold is the overall leader.

Which city is the most affordable?

Addis Ababa has the lowest open-market one-bedroom rent on a new lease in this group, at about $166 per month; Caracas has the highest, at about $281. Against one typical employee's mean net pay, Caracas, Dhaka, Addis Ababa, Karachi, and Lagos share the same burden at the 120% ceiling, which is the beyond local pay band; the underlying burden may be higher.

Which city is the safest?

Dhaka leads this cohort on safety, followed by Addis Ababa, Karachi, Lagos, and Caracas. This compares only Caracas, Dhaka, Addis Ababa, Karachi, and Lagos across the current safety measures.

Which city has the best healthcare?

Karachi leads this cohort on healthcare, followed by Dhaka, Lagos, Addis Ababa, and Caracas. This compares only Caracas, Dhaka, Addis Ababa, Karachi, and Lagos across the current healthcare measures.

Which city is best for your career?

Lagos leads this cohort on career, followed by Karachi, Addis Ababa, Dhaka, and Caracas. This compares only Caracas, Dhaka, Addis Ababa, Karachi, and Lagos across the current career measures.

Which city has the best food and culture?

Addis Ababa leads this cohort on culture and food, followed by Lagos, Karachi, Caracas, and Dhaka. This compares only Caracas, Dhaka, Addis Ababa, Karachi, and Lagos across the current culture and food measures.

Which city has the best public life?

Caracas leads this cohort on public life and spaces, followed by Addis Ababa, Dhaka, Karachi, and Lagos. This compares only Caracas, Dhaka, Addis Ababa, Karachi, and Lagos across the current public life and spaces measures.