These APAC Countries Offer the Best Quality of Life

Deutsche Bank’s Quality of Life Index measures the well-being of residents from countries and cities around the world

By Dipen Pradhan | May 28, 2019
pixabay

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur Asia Pacific, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

It is rightly said that “the quality of life is more important than life itself.” Everyday texts, emails, and news headlines remind us how divided and unequal the world is. And millennials want to live in countries that offers the best of varieties — to lead a healthy, safe and prosperous life.

In a recent survey, Germany’s Deutsche Bank mapped out which countries offer the best quality of life. Itreached the conclusion by aggregating various sub-indices, including consumer purchasing power, crime and safety, quality and availability of healthcare, cost of consumer goods, housing affordability, traffic congestion and commute times, overall pollution, and regional climate likeability.

The eighth edition of thematic research, titled “Mapping the World’s Prices 2019,” has 21 megacities out of 56. Of which, cities in Europe and Australasia offer the highest quality of life in the world, shows Deutsche Bank’s (DB’s) research.

The city of San Francisco in the US topped this year’s DB’s quality of life index, followed by Germany’s Zurich and New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington, in the second and third position, respectively. Here are the top four cities from Asia-Pacific region that made it into the bank’s quality of life index this year.

Melbourne, Australia


Touted as the coffee capital of the world, the city of Melbourne in Australia has secured seventh position in quality of life indices. In terms of consumer purchasing power, the city was ranked in the fifth position after San Francisco, Zurich, Chicago, and Dubai, respectively. It secured seventh position in “after rent disposable income”. However, the survey in its “bad habits” index of cigarettes and beers found Melbourne to be most expensive.

Sydney, Australia

Australia’s emerald city, Sydney, has secured 10th position. The city was in eighth spot in DB’s quality of life index in 2018. Following its counterpart Melbourne, the residents of Sydney has the world’s sixth largest consumer power, according to the survey. It further ranks eighth in DB’s climate index, 14th in pollution index, and 19 in healthcare index, DB says.

Tokyo, Japan

Japan’s capital Tokyo grabbed 14th position in Deutsche Bank’s quality of life index in 2019, moving down one spot from its ranking in 2018. Further, the survey ranks Tokyo in the second spot in terms of both healthcare and safety indices. However, city is one of the costliest places to go out on a date, per se, as it ranks in the 51 spot in DB’s “cost of living” index, followed by San Francisco and New York in the list.

Singapore

Singapore took the 23rd spot in DB’s quality of life index in 2019, moving up three spots from its ranking in 2018. Among Asian cities in the index, it trailed behind Tokyo which ranked 14th. According to the bank’s report, Singapore has the 11th highest salary among indexed cities. The city is the 14th most expensive in the world in terms of luxury weekend getaways.

It is rightly said that “the quality of life is more important than life itself.” Everyday texts, emails, and news headlines remind us how divided and unequal the world is. And millennials want to live in countries that offers the best of varieties — to lead a healthy, safe and prosperous life.

In a recent survey, Germany’s Deutsche Bank mapped out which countries offer the best quality of life. Itreached the conclusion by aggregating various sub-indices, including consumer purchasing power, crime and safety, quality and availability of healthcare, cost of consumer goods, housing affordability, traffic congestion and commute times, overall pollution, and regional climate likeability.

The eighth edition of thematic research, titled “Mapping the World’s Prices 2019,” has 21 megacities out of 56. Of which, cities in Europe and Australasia offer the highest quality of life in the world, shows Deutsche Bank’s (DB’s) research.

Related Content

Business News

Singapore Bets Big on AI in 2026 Budget, Finance Named Key Sector for Transformation

Artificial intelligence (AI) took center stage in Singapore’s 2026 Budget, with the government announcing a comprehensive national strategy to harness AI as a competitive advantage and accelerate transformation across key sectors, including finance. Delivering the Budget statement, Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong unveiled a new set of national “AI Missions” focused on […]
Business News

Binance Co-CEO Richard Teng: “The Smart Money Is Deploying” Amid Market Volatility

Binance Co-CEO Richard Teng expressed confidence in the long-term outlook for digital assets, emphasizing sustained institutional engagement despite recent market volatility, during a fireside chat at Consensus Hong Kong 2026. Since peaking in October 2025, cryptocurrency markets have experienced a significant correction, with approximately $2 trillion in value erased and Bitcoin trading below $70,000 at […]
Business News

Barclays Appoints Werner Schlossmacher as Chief Operating Officer for Barclays Private Bank Asia

Barclays today announced the appointment of Werner Schlossmacher as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Barclays Private Bank Asia. Based in Singapore, he will report to Leo Müller, COO of Barclays Private Bank & Wealth Management. Schlossmacher brings more than 30 years of wealth management experience across Singapore, Hong Kong and Switzerland. He joins Barclays from […]
Business News

SMBC Appoints Salim Zaman as Global Head of Foreign Exchange

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) has appointed Salim Zaman as Global Head of Foreign Exchange, based in Singapore. Zaman will continue in his current role as Co-Head of Global Markets and Treasury for Asia Pacific. In his expanded position, he will oversee SMBC’s global FX strategy and work with regional leadership teams on the management […]
Business News

SFC CEO Says Next-Generation Investors Are Reshaping Finance as Regulator Expands Crypto Framework

Securities and Futures Commission Chief Executive Officer Julia Leung said financial institutions must accelerate their adoption of digital assets and emerging technologies to remain competitive as younger investors increasingly dominate the market. Speaking at Consensus Hong Kong 2026, Leung said second- and third-generation investors, including Generation Z, are changing how financial services are consumed. She […]
Business News

BCG: Tokenization Could Double Hong Kong’s Fund Industry

Hong Kong’s fund industry could expand by adopting token-based finance, according to a white paper published by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Aptos Labs, with contributions from Hang Seng Bank. The report states that Hong Kong could double the size of its fund industry by transitioning from legacy infrastructure to tokenized systems. Findings draw on […]