Ranked: The 20 friendliest cities in the world
- Preply, which connects language learners to resources, ranked cities based on friendliness.
- Its "community-spirit index" used six variables, including visitor return rates and safety.
If you're planning to visit a new place this summer, one thing you might want to consider is whether or not it's friendly to out-of-towners.
Preply, a service that connects people with resources for learning a new language, created a "community-spirit index," which ranks cities based on how welcoming they are when it comes to non-locals.
"A strong sense of community can make newcomers feel right at home, helping them navigate the challenges of adjusting to a new environment, make new connections, and build meaningful relationships," Preply's report said.
Preply developed a ranking of the 20 most friendly cities in the world by analyzing six factors: visitor return rates, safety, friendliness of hospitality staff, LGBTQ+ equality, overall happiness, and English-speaking proficiency. On the last factor, Preply explained, "English is the most commonly spoken language in the world, so we looked at each city's English-speaking proficiency score to determine the ease of communication there."
Here's the top 20, ranked.
20. Tel Aviv, Israel
Tel Aviv was named the 20th most friendly city in the world in part because of its impressive overall happiness rating, which is determined by its residents, of 7.46 out of 10 — the second-highest happiness score among the top 20 cities.
19. Barcelona, Spain
This Spanish city ranked high for LGBTQ+ equality, according to Preply's report.
18. Madrid, Spain
With a high LGBTQ+ equality score and 13% of accommodation reviews surveyed by Preply mentioning the word "friendly," Madrid is considered one of the friendliest cities in the world.
17. Prague, Czech Republic
Prague had a high safety rating of 75.41 out of 100, as well as a strong overall happiness score.
16. Singapore
Singapore has a safety score of 66.57 and a happiness score of 6.49 out of 10, but it scored low on LGBTQ+ equality, with just 50 out of 100.
15. Berlin, Germany
In addition to the fact that 15 percent of reviews of Berlin mention the word "friendly," it has a high LGBTQ+ equality score of 84 out of 100 and a 7.03 out of 10 happiness rating.
14. Paris, France
Despite a low safety rating of 42.91 out of 100, Paris was ranked the 14th friendliest cities in part due to its LGBTQ+ equality score of 78 and overall happiness score of 6.64.
13. Lisbon, Portugal
Although Lisbon's happiness score is just 5.66 out of 10, its high safety rating of 70.43 and the fact that 15% of reviews of the city mentioned the word "friendly" are two reasons it's on the list.
12. Auckland, New Zealand
While its safety score is only 51.57, Auckland's LGBTQ+ equality score of 78 and happiness score of 7.23 make it one of the world's friendliest cities, according to Preply.
11. Amsterdam, Netherlands
The numbers that stand out when it comes to Amsterdam are its LGBTQ+ equality and happiness ratings of 85 out of 100 and 7.41 out of 10, respectively.
10. Copenhagen, Denmark
With a 73.55 safety score, an 86 when it comes to LGBTQ+ equality, and a happiness rating of 7.53 out of 10, Preply considers Copenhagen the 10th friendliest city in the world.
9. Dublin, Ireland
Dublin's happiness score is 7.1, and it's relatively LGBTQ+ friendly, with an equality score of 73.
8. San Francisco, USA
Not only does the West Coast city have a visitor return rate of 15%, it's known for being LGBTQ+ friendly and has an equality score of 82 to prove it.
7. Melbourne, Australia
The world's 7th friendliest city has a LGBTQ+ equality rating of 84 and a happiness rating of 7.30 on Preply's report.
6. Montreal, Canada
Montreal's visitor return rate is 15 percent. Its rating of 68.39 out of 100 when it comes to safety, as well as its score of 90 in terms of LGBTQ+ equality makes it one of the friendliest cities in the world.
5. New York City, USA
With 15% of reviews mentioning the word "friendly" and a happiness rating of 6.96, and an LGBTQ+ equality score of 82, New York City was ranked as the 5th friendliest city.
4. Manchester, UK
While Manchester's safety index is 45.09, its score for LGBTQ+ equality is an impressive 88 out of 100.
Close to 15 percent of the city's reviews mentioned the word "friendly," and its visitor return rate is 12 percent.
3. Edinburgh, Scotland
With a high friendliness score of 7.78 and a safety-index score of 68.92, Edinburgh ranks No. 3 on Preply's list.
1. Sydney, Australia
Sydney was tied for the friendliest city in the world. When it comes to safety, Sydney had a high score of 65.87 out of 100.
Plus, members of the LGBTQ+ community are likely to feel welcome in Sydney, as the city earned itself an 84 out of 100 in LGBTQ+ equality.
It also scored 7.13 out of 10 for happiness and has a 16 percent visitor return rate.
1. Toronto, Canada
With a visitor return rate of 15%, Toronto has proven to be a hit with non-locals.
The city's happiness score was a 7.03 out of 10, and its LGBTQ+ equality score was 90 out of 100, making it not only a popular place, but an inclusive one too.
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