5. Barcelona, Spain

Written By Jackie King

The proudly Catalan city on the Mediterranean coastline of Spain is famous for much more than just their beaches, and it also happens to be a great place to live. Besides the iconic Sagrada Familia, Barcelona also has many sites with Gaudi architecture (such as the Park Guell), along with the Gothic Quarter, Mercat de la Boqueria, Picasso Museum, and the Palace of Catalan Music. Barcelona has plenty of unique history, and is certainly a place to consider living.

Happiness: 34th

Historical Landmarks: 2nd

Sports: 7th

Schools and Education: 6th

Governmental Stability: 24th

Crime: 42nd

Healthcare: 6th

Affordability: 31st

Food: 6th

Innovation: 4th

Pollution: 42nd

Climate: 8th

Overall Average: 17.67

Happiness: The World Happiness Report deems that Barcelona is only 34th among cities on this list in terms of citizen happiness, placing it below average.

Historical Landmarks: Barcelona has 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites within its own city limits, namely the works of Antoni Gaudi and the Palace of Catalan Music, with other sites the Poblet Monastery and Tarraco nearby.

Sports: Barcelona is the home of one of the most recognizable sporting teams in the world, that being FC Barcelona, as well as having one other team—Espanyol—in the prestigious top division of Spanish football.

Schools and Education: Barcelona has 5 universities in the global top 1000, with the University of Barcelona, Autonomous University of Barcelona, and Pompeu Fabra University all within the top 200.

Crime: Barcelona has relatively high crime compared to other European cities, especially in the categories of property crimes, drug dealing, and robbery.

Affordability: With a rating of 56.14 on the cost of living index, Barcelona is on the slightly more expensive side, but is more reasonable than similar cities.

Food: Barcelona has 24 restaurants with 1 Michelin star or more, meaning it’s near the top when it comes to high quality food options.

Pollution: A score of 65.35 on the pollution index means Barcelona is one of the cities with the highest air pollution in Europe.

Climate: With highs in the low 80s (F) during the summer, and the high 50s around winter time, Barcelona has one of the warmest and most pleasant climates in the continent.

Jackie King