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The rest of the Top Ten are Munich, Vancouver, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Copenhagen and Sydney, according to the ranking of 230 cities compiled by Mercer, a human-resources consultancy.

The survey, designed as a tool to help international organizations determine salary levels for expatriate employees, is based on 39 criteria.

They include housing, political stability, crime, leisure, air pollution, infrastructure, the health system, education and the economy.

The top slots in the 2015 survey are dominated by cities in Western Europe.

Despite concerns about economic growth, the cities of Western Europe continue to offer a stable environment for employees and employers. Vienna (1) is followed by Zurich (2), Munich (4), Düsseldorf (6), and Frankfurt (7). With Geneva and Copenhagen in 8^th and 9^th places, respectively, Western European cities take seven places in the top 10. The lowest-ranking cities in Western Europe are Belfast (63) and Athens (85).

Cities in Central and Eastern Europe have a wider range of quality-of-living standards. The highest-ranking cities are Prague (68), Budapest, and Ljubljana (both ranked 75^th). Emerging city Wroclaw (100), Poland, has a thriving cultural and social environment and good availability of consumer goods. The region’s lower-ranking cities are Kiev (176), Tirana (180), and Minsk (189), with Kiev experiencing a considerable drop in the rankings following political instability and violence in Ukraine overall.

In the UK, London (40) is the highest-ranking city, followed by Birmingham (52), Glasgow (55), Aberdeen (57), and Belfast (63). “UK cities overall enjoy high standards of quality of living and remain stable and attractive locations for businesses,” said Ellyn Karetnick, Principal at Mercer. “Security has been tightened in many major European cities following the attacks in Paris and Copenhagen, and Mercer is closely monitoring any potential impact on the living standard for expatriates and their families in these locations.”

The highest-ranked Asian city was Singapore, at 26th.

Tokyo was placed at 44th, Hong Kong at 70th, Seoul at 72nd and Taipei at 83rd, while Shanghai was listed at 101st and Beijing at 118th.

The top Middle Eastern city was Dubai, at 74th, followed by Abu Dhabi at 77th.

The least-fancied city was Baghdad, at 230th, preceded by Bangui (Central African Republic), Port-au-Prince (Haiti), Khartoum (Sudan) and N'Djamena, the capital of Chad.