28. Moscow, Russia

Moscow, Russia’s capital and largest city, is the most populated European city. It served as the political center of the Soviet Union and then remained the capital city under the Russian Federation. The city sits on the Moskva River and has 49 bridges that cross it.

Happiness: 30th

Historical Landmarks: 2nd

Sports: 11th

Schools and Education: 4th

Governmental Stability: 54th

Crime: 32nd

Healthcare: 34th

Affordability: 13th

Food: 54th

Innovation: 10th

Pollution: 33rd

Climate: 50th

Overall Average: 27.25

Happiness: According to the World Happiness Report, Moscow scores in the middle tier of the happiness score.

Historical Landmarks: Moscow has 4 UNESCO World Heritage sites—the Kremlin and Red Square, the Architectural Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad, the Church of the Ascension on the imperial estate of Kolomenskoye, and the Novodevichy Convent.

Sports: Moscow has 5 Russian Premier League teams—PFC CSKA Moscow, FC Spartak Moscow, FC Dynamo Moscow, FC Lokomotiv Moscow, and FC Torpedo Moscow—but Russian clubs have been banned from international competition due to the ongoing war in the Ukraine.

Schools and Education: Moscow is home to 6 universities ranked in the top 1000 worldwide—Lomonosov Moscow State University at 355, the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute at 483, the National Research University Higher School of Economics at 561, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University at 633, Skolkovo Institute of Science & Technology at 702, and Peoples Friendship University of Russia at 930.

Crime: In Moscow, crime is low in most categories, moderate in vandalism and theft but high in corruption and bribery.

Affordability: Moscow has a cost of living index at 46.2, meaning it’s significantly less expensive than other leading European cities.

Food: There are 0 restaurants in Moscow with a Michelin star.

Pollution: A pollution index score of 56.08 means that Moscow has moderate air, water, noise and light pollution.

Climate: Moscow reaches the low to mid 70s (F) in summer months, while in the winter, it can be found in the mid to upper teens in Fahrenheit.