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In partnership with Tapestry Research, Time Out asked almost 34,000 anonymous urbanites from across the globe a series of questions about their cities, encompassing food, drink, culture, nightlife, community, neighbourhoods, and overall happiness.
Participants were also asked to rate the affordability, beauty, and convenience of their hometowns.
As well as asking the thousands of locals for their opinions, Time Out's global network of editors and travel experts were also consulted to help create the ranking of 48 cities.
We've pulled together the top 19, ranked in ascending order:
The Portugese capital was praised for its mix of good food, good weather, and good laughs, as well as being friendly, beautiful, and safe.
18. Buenos Aires, Argentina
The nightlife in Buenos Aires emerged as sixth best in the world, according to the survey.
17. Barcelona, Spain
Despite the fact that most Barcelona residents think their city isn't as great as it was a few years ago, they still recognise the wealth of cultural and gastronomical offerings on their doorstep.
16. Philadelphia, US
It may not be the most popular amongst tourists, but Philly's thriving restaurant scene makes it a great home for foodies.
15. Manchester, UK
The northern English city scored highly for nightlife and drinking, but they pay the price — Mancunians have more hangovers than anywhere else on the list.
14. Mexico City, Mexico
Although it's not considered to be the safest place in the ranking, Mexico City residents rate their home highly for its culinary and cultural scene.
13. Las Vegas, US
Not just for bachelor parties and spontaneous nuptials, Vegas' off-strip scene has seen the party city celebrated for its dining options and hipster bars.
12. Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town may be a destination for safaris in the eyes of many travellers, but the city's residents know it has much more to offer, with 90% agreeing that it's beautiful.
11. Madrid, Spain
The Spanish capital emerged as the world leader when it comes to clubs, bars, and beer drinking. What's more, Madrileños are the least stressed. Perhaps it's all the partying.
Tokyo was crowned the best city in Asia and it's also the city most people around the world want to visit in 2019.
9. Paris, France
It appears Parisians are living up to their reputation — they have more sex than anyone else and also go to museums and galleries the most.
8. Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow may be small and rainy, but its residents love it — Glaswegians rated their home highly for affordability and friendliness, as well as its music, clubbing, and food scenes.
7. Berlin, Germany
An impressive 84% of Berliners consider the city's party scene to be amazing, and it also scored highly for inclusivity, creativity, and affordability.
6. Montreal, Canada
Diversity, dynamism, and creativity all emerged as the best things about Montreal, and it's also the second most affordable city on the list, with the second shortest working hours to match.
5. Los Angeles, US
It may come as little surprise to hear that Angelenos were found to be big fans of mindfulness and largely happy as a result. They dine out more than residents of any other US city, too.
4. London, UK
Only 6% of Londoners said they'd felt unsafe in the last 24 hours, and almost 80% said they'd felt happy. The study revealed London to be one of the most dynamic, diverse, and creative cities in the world.
3. Chicago, US
The Midwestern city took the top spot for food and drink, and more residents reported genuine happiness than anywhere else.
2. Melbourne, Australia
With more live music venues per resident than anywhere else, Melbourne's gig scene is thriving: 25% of residents said they went to a concert in the last week. Melburnians are also the second happiest people on the list, and the city is the second most creative.
1. New York, US
The overall winner was the one and only New York, New York. Number one for culture, two for eating, and three for drinking, New Yorkers also voted their city the most diverse in the world.
