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| Den Haag |
To say a few more words about the Netherlands, it has already been mentioned on the blog that the Netherlands was ranked Best Quality of Life 2026. In my opinion, the recognition is well deserved.
The Quality of Life Index by City 2026 is also dominated by Dutch cities. My favorite, The Hague, holds first place, followed by Eindhoven in second, Rotterdam in third, and Utrecht in fourth. Groningen also appears in the top ten, ranking seventh.
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| Frauenkirche, Nuremberg |
And it is not only Numbeo where these Dutch cities rank so highly. Similar conclusions can also be found in other sources, including Eurostat, the OECD Better Life Index, the European Commission’s Quality of Life in European Cities survey, Mercer Quality of Living, and others.
Beyond what I consider the obvious strength of the Dutch cities, the top ten also includes two German cities. Nuremberg ranks ninth.
I like Nuremberg and often make a stop there while traveling. I was therefore not surprised to see it receive such a high rating from Numbeo.
Nuremberg also has a great deal to offer from both an architectural and historical perspective. Although the city was heavily bombed during the Second World War and much of its historic fabric had to be reconstructed, it has retained a remarkable character.
Sometimes I think that Prague’s historic center itself is somewhat overrated when compared with German cities such as Nuremberg. (Prague is one hundred and fifteenth in the ranking of Numbeo.) At the same time, this also works in Nuremberg’s favor: it is generally less crowded with tourists, feels calmer, and is noticeably cleaner—cleanliness being one of the factors considered in Numbeo’s rankings. It is also less sprawling, another aspect reflected in the index, and its historic center is well integrated with the nice and strong modern parts of the city.
