This Is the Worst City in the World for Work-Life Balance — and No, It's Not NYC
A new study broke down the best and worst places in the world for work-life balance — and this Asian city came in last.
By Madeline Garfinkle •
Balancing a career and personal life can be difficult, but certainly not impossible — especially depending on where you live.
To determine the best and worst places for work-life balance, MoneyNerd analyzed 25 cities across the globe and measured factors such as salary, cost of living, job opportunities and job satisfaction. Copenhagen was the No. 1 city for work-life balance in 2023, with Amsterdam at a close second. And despite the pervasiveness of constant hustle culture, New York came in at number three.
As far as the cities with the worst work-life balance, Beijing was No. 1, followed by Lisbon and Budapest. See the full list, here.
Related: Work-Life Balance Is Simple. To Succeed at Work, Get a Life.
Top 5 best cities for work-life balance
1. Copenhagen
Average salary: $44,474
Average number of jobs available across six industries: 306
Cost of living index: 65.5
Work-life balance rating: 8.6
Happiness rating: 7.6
Overall score: 6.2
2. Amsterdam
Average salary: $44,367
Average number of jobs available across six industries: 724
Cost of living index: 59.5
Work-life balance rating: 8.3
Happiness rating: 7.4
Overall score: 6.1
3. New York
Average salary: $71,401
Average number of jobs available across six industries: 7,646
Cost of living index: 100
Work-life balance rating: 5.2
Happiness rating: 7.0
Overall score: 6.1
4. Oslo
Average salary: $46,196
Average number of jobs available across six industries: 92
Cost of living index: 62.3
Work-life balance rating: 8.5
Happiness rating: 7.4
Overall score: 6.0
5. Zurich
Average salary: $82,191
Average number of jobs available across six industries: 338
Cost of living index: 94.8
Work-life balance rating: 7.7
Happiness rating: 7.5
Overall score: 6.0
Top 5 worst cities for work-life balance
1. Beijing
Average salary: $18,366
Average number of jobs available across six industries: 1,530
Cost of living index: 41.6
Work-life balance rating: N/A
Happiness rating: 5.6
Overall score: 2.1
2. Lisbon
Average salary: $13,887
Average number of jobs available across six industries: 194
Cost of living index: 43.7
Work-life balance rating: 6.7
Happiness rating: 6.0
Overall score: 2.3
3. Budapest
Average salary: $12,664
Average number of jobs available across six industries: 209
Cost of living index: 32.9
Work-life balance rating: 7.6
Happiness rating: 6.1
Overall score: 2.3
4. Dubai
Average salary: $50,853
Average number of jobs available across six industries: 415
Cost of living index: 57.2
Work-life balance rating: N/A
Happiness rating: 6.6
Overall score: 2.9
5. Hong Kong
Average salary: $34,271
Average number of jobs available across six industries: 1,100
Cost of living index: 70.6
Work-life balance rating: N/A
Happiness rating: 5.4
Overall score: 3.0
Still, work-life balance isn't a one-size-fits-all measurement when it comes to different industries. Certain cities are better than others for specific careers, the study found. For business professionals, Amsterdam is the best city for work-life balance, followed by Copenhagen and Vienna. For sales professionals, Copenhagen comes in at No. 1, followed by Stockholm and Oslo. For marketing professionals, Amsterdam is the best city, followed by New York and Copenhagen. For lawyers, London, Oslo and Berlin are the best places to work, respectively. Tech professionals are best off in Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Berlin. Finally, for accountants, Copenhagen, followed by Amsterdam and Zurich are the best places for work-life balance.
