Edinburgh among the ‘best places in the world for 20-somethings to live’, says Gen Z
These are the world’s best cities for Gen Z in 2025, according to Time Out
Time Out has revealed the world's best cities for young people to live in 2025 – and one Scottish city has made the cut.
The travel magazine surveyed 18,500 locals from across the globe and consulted a panel of experts to determine which cities are best based on nightlife, food and culture, as well as factors like happiness, access to green space and walkability.
Bangkok in Thailand topped the list “thanks to its stand-out scores in happiness (84 per cent of Gen Z say they’re happy living there) and affordability (71 per cent say it’s a budget-friendly city to live in)”.
Time Out said the Thai capital was also “a great place to meet new people: Gen Z urbanites in Bangkok are the most likely bunch to say it’s easy to make friends in their city”.
In second spot was Melbourne, with 77 per cent of Gen Z describing the Australian city as as “diverse and inclusive” and 96 per cent scoring the city’s art and culture scene. An impressive 91 per cent of 20-somethings said quality of life in Melbourne was “good” or “amazing”.
Cape Town, in South Africa placed third, with 82 per cent of Gen Z inhabitants saying they were happy living there. The city scored highly for beauty, its cheap nightlife, and for being an exciting place to live, with 62 per cent describing it as such.
The top city in the UK for 20-somethings is Edinburgh. Ranked in seventh spot, Scotland's picture-postcard capital topped several categories in the survey, and clocked the highest score for green spaces and access to nature. Auld Reekie's walkability received an 89 per cent approval rate.
The full top 20 is listed below:
The world’s best cities for Gen Z in 2025
1 - Bangkok, Thailand
2- Melbourne, Australia
3- Cape Town, South Africa
4- New York City, United States
5- Copenhagen, Denmark
6 - Barcelona, Spain
7- Edinburgh, Scotland
8 - Mexico City, Mexico
9 - London, United Kingdom
10 - Shanghai, China
11 - Sydney, Australia
12 - Beijing, China
13 - Paris, France
14- Tokyo, Japan
15- Berlin, Germany
16- Seville, Spain
17- Chicago, United States
18 - Chiang Mai, Thailand
19 - Prague, Czech Republic
20- Lisbon, Portugal
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