World Cities Day: Montréal 2nd Best City In The World For Millennials

• Berlin, Germany is the best city for millennials, with a thriving startup scene, open attitude towards the LGBT community and a world-renowned nightlife scene
• Canada revealed as a top country for millennials, with three cities in the top 10; Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver

BERLIN, Germany – On the occasion of the today’s World Cities Day, furnished apartment search engine, Nestpick, has released a study revealing the top 110 cities for millennials, based on factors such as startup ecosystem, housing affordability, immigration tolerance and quality of nightlife.

With years of experience helping individuals of all ages find accommodation, the company have witnessed first-hand that young professionals display clear migrational patterns. Nestpick conducted this study, for the second year in a row, in order to pinpoint which cities are successfully attracting this generation, and therefore a core future workforce.

Building on last year’s study, Nestpick researched a wider scope of criteria and sources for the 2018 ranking, including an analysis of top universities and personal freedoms. In addition, the main categories were weighted to reflect the concerns and mindsets of the generation. For example, while housing affordability is a major concern for most, it is even more so for young professionals at the start of their careers. With these interests in mind, 110 cities were analysed taking into consideration four main areas of concern; the business ecosystem, the essentials (housing, food etc.), openness, and recreation.

“Millennials grew up in a shrinking world, where the internet opened doors their parents never could have dreamed of, and budget airlines made those avenues real possibilities. It’s now possible to live and work anywhere in the world, and these opportunities are shaping how our planet will look to future generations.” says Ömer Kücükdere, Managing Director of Nestpick. “We must learn to adapt to the needs of younger people in order to have a thriving economy, and we believe that this ranking offers valuable insights to those cities looking for regeneration from a younger demographic.”

The top 20 best millennial cities are revealed below. Scores are from 1 to 10, with 10 indicating the highest possible score. The results for each 17 criteria have been combined into four main categories for clarity, but the full results can be seen here:

These final results reveal the best overall cities for millennials, based on all four factors, but by looking at the top ten cities for each individual category, the results indicate which location would be best for a young person based on their strongest concerns.

For example, those millennials looking for an adventure or experience abroad should focus on the Essentials Top 10, which looks at factors such as housing, food, internet, and transport, which are all important for short-term movers, while employment or openness might not be such a primary concern. Likewise, young professionals looking for work opportunities should focus instead on the Business Ecosystem Top 10.

The tables below reveal the top 10 cities for millennials based on each larger category:

One of the most exciting outcomes of this study are the top cities based on Essentials, which takes into account factors such as affordable housing, high speed internet and accessible food.” says Ömer Kücükdere, Managing Director of Nestpick. “Seoul, Brno, Beijing, Monterrey—these are some of the most up-and-coming cities in the world and millennials are already flocking to these urban playgrounds in their droves. However, while these places are attracting this demographic for the short-term, these cities should consider improving elements such as employability and openness if they wish to keep the economic and social benefits of their millennial influx.”

“The hackneyed idea that millennials are all entitled snowflakes is tired, and needs to be put to rest. How this generation differs from their predecessors is that they have more choice, and with these increased options has come a sense that they won’t settle for second-best.” says Ömer Kücükdere, Managing Director of Nestpick. “This offers an exciting opportunity for cities to rise to the challenge and become a magnet for millennials, because while this young demographic is demanding more, they are also giving back more in terms of entrepeneurialship, economy and equality than ever before.”

Further findings:

Beijing, China ranks highest for Employment, followed by American cities San Francisco and Austin.
New York City, USA has the highest score for their Startup ecosystem, followed by San Francisco, USA and London, UK.

Hong Kong, China ranks highest for Tourism, followed by Bangkok, Thailand and London, UK.
Guadalajara, Mexico has the highest score for Housing, followed by fellow Mexican city Monterrey and Medellín, Colombia.

Bangkok, Thailand ranks highest for Food, followed by Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Lima, Peru.

Oslo, Norway has the highest score for Transport, followed by Washington D.C., USA and Paris, France.

Japanese cities Tokyo and Osaka rank joint highest for Health, followed by Singapore, Singapore.

Seoul, South Korea has the highest score for Internet Speed, followed by Bergen, Norway and Denver, USA.

London, UK ranks highest for Universities, followed by Paris, France and Seoul, South Korea.

China and Hong Kong rank highest for Access to Contraception, followed by the UK.

Norway ranks highest for Gender Equality, followed by Finland and Sweden.

New Zealand ranks highest for Immigration Tolerance, followed by Canada and Norway.

Amsterdam, Netherlands has the highest score for Personal Freedom and Choice, followed by Oslo, Norway and Helsinki, Finland.

Madrid, Spain ranks highest for LGBT Friendliness, followed by Amsterdam, Netherlands and Toronto, Canada.

Berlin, Germany has the highest score for Nightlife, followed by Paris, France and Melbourne, Australia.

Beijing, China ranks highest for Beer prices, followed by Colombian cities Medellín and Bogotá.

Miami, USA has the highest score for Festivals, followed by fellow American city Washington D.C. and Paris, France.