2. Madrid, Spain
Madrid, the capital of Spain, is home to a wide range of notable attractions for residents and tourists alike, including the famous Plaza Mayor, the Mercado San Miguel, Prado National Museum, the Royal Palace of Madrid, and the Parque del Retiro. With a reputation for parties, food, and art, Madrid is one of the most highly recognized cities in all of Europe, and there is good reason for why it finishes number 2 in the best cities to live in.
Happiness: 31st
Historical Landmarks: 2nd
Sports: 2nd
Schools and Education: 3rd
Governmental Stability: 25th
Crime: 22nd
Healthcare: 4th
Affordability: 29th
Food: 3rd
Innovation: 6th
Pollution: 28th
Climate: 10th
Overall Average: 13.75
Happiness: Madrid ranks in the bottom half in terms of the happiness of its citizens according to the World Happiness Report, which is essentially the main factor keeping the city from the #1 spot as surrounding cities on the ranking have a much better score in this category.
Historical Landmarks: Madrid has amongst the most UNESCO World Heritage sites immediately surrounding the city, which includes the Paseo del Prado, Alcala de Heneres, Aranjuez, Avila, and more.
Sports: With 4 teams in one of the top football leagues in the world, Madrid is a true capital of football. They host powerhouses Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, along with Getafe and Rayo Vallecano, meaning they are the 2nd best city in terms of sports in all of Europe.
Schools and Education: Madrid has 5 of their universities in the global top 1000, and even more just outside of that ranking. The top schools include the Autonomous University of Madrid, Complutense University of Madrid, and Universidad Politecnica de Madrid.
Crime: In Madrid, crime is considered quite low, especially that of violence, though there is a decent amount of bribery that lowers its ranking in this section.
Affordability: Madrid’s cost of living index is 52.65, meaning it’s about average for the cities on this list to slightly more expensive, though it’s quite well-priced compared to the other headline European cities.
Food: With 24 restaurants that have at least 1 Michelin star, Madrid is near the top of Europe when it comes to high standards of dining, ranking 3rd in this metric.
Pollution: Madrid has a score of 51.20 on the pollution index according to Numbeo, which is slightly below average for European cities on this list, at 28th.
Climate: Being in one of the hotter countries in Europe, Madrid receives high summer temperatures in the mid 80s in Fahrenheit, and high winter temperatures of low 50s in Fahrenheit, meaning it places 10th for this metric.
