The world's best cities named for 2026

Resonance Consultancy has revealed its annual list of the top 100 cities on Earth, reports Time Out.

What do you love best about your city? Maybe the people are super friendly, or you're never short on brilliant places to eat. Sometimes it's just a general good vibe. There's so much that goes into making a place great - approximately 34 different factors, according to Resonance Consultancy.

Resonance has been creating an annual list of the world's 100 best cities for several years now, based on a 'unique fusion of data-driven analysis and real-life perception'. In non-jargon terms, they take the results of a huge resident survey and combine them with statistics like how many places you can fly to from local airports, how many top universities there are unemployment rates and more.

The 2025 report has just come out, and the same three cities-London, Paris and New York as last year have triumphed once again. In fact, the top spot has gone to the same city for the past 11 years in a row. Clearly, it's doing something right.

London is officially the best city in the world, once again. Described as the 'Capital of Capitals', the Big Smoke came first overall for prosperity, second for livability, and third for liveability. It also topped the list for airports, and for the number of big companies looking to invest in it.

Resonance said that London has a 'magnetic appeal' which 'continues to draw a global audience, from students and entrepreneurs to tourists and corporate titans'. It also praised the city's ever-changing skyline, acknowledging a host of new skyscrapers in the works for the city and noting that 'London's architecture is poised to change forever'.

In second place was New York, 'the perpetual heartbeat of America', standing firm as first runner-up after taking the title from Paris last year. The city, which came first for 'Google Trends', meaning it garnered more interest on Google than anywhere else, and second for investment from large businesses, is about to have a pretty interesting year after electing a brand-new mayor - Zohran Mamdami - last week. 'Whatever your politics', Resonance notes, 'New Yorkers will feel the effects in permitting timelines, budget priorities and where the next big projects break ground'.

Paris retained its position as third-best, coming second in Google Trends and third in museums. According to Resonance, part of the French capital's appeal is its versatility; 'from entrepreneurs to tastemakers to bucket-listers, Paris blows minds'.

The most popular cities to visit in 2026 are as follows in a summarized way: London, New York, Paris, Tokyo, Madrid, Singapore, Rome, Dubai, Berlin and Barcelona.

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