Best of
Cities with the best air quality
Catalog ranked by air-quality index. Becomes a hard filter for relocators with respiratory conditions or families with young kids.
Why this list matters
Long-term exposure to elevated PM2.5 measurably reduces life expectancy and raises cardiovascular and respiratory risk. For relocators with asthma, kids, or chronic conditions, air quality is often the hardest filter on the list.
Scores below 50 should be a serious concern; below 35 is comparable to passive smoking effects over a decade. Cities at 70+ are considered clean by WHO standards.
Ranked descending by air-quality index (0–100). Composite of measured pollution levels and seasonal variation.
| # | City | Air quality | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  WellingtonNew Zealand | 88/100 | New Zealand |
| 2 |  OsloNorway | 82/100 | Norway |
| 3 | AucklandNew Zealand | 82/100 | New Zealand |
| 4 |  TallinnEstonia | 80/100 | Estonia |
| 5 |  ZurichSwitzerland | 80/100 | Switzerland |
| 6 |  StockholmSweden | 80/100 | Sweden |
| 7 |  MelbourneAustralia | 80/100 | Australia |
| 8 | BrisbaneAustralia | 80/100 | Australia |
| 9 |  SalzburgAustria | 80/100 | Austria |
| 10 | SydneyAustralia | 78/100 | Australia |
| 11 |  CopenhagenDenmark | 78/100 | Denmark |
| 12 |  VancouverCanada | 78/100 | Canada |
| 13 |  Cape TownSouth Africa | 78/100 | South Africa |
| 14 | GenevaSwitzerland | 78/100 | Switzerland |
| 15 |  MunichGermany | 75/100 | Germany |
| 16 | ViennaAustria | 75/100 | Austria |
| 17 |  AustinUnited States | 75/100 | United States |
| 18 | SeattleUnited States | 75/100 | United States |
| 19 |  EdinburghUnited Kingdom | 75/100 | United Kingdom |
| 20 |  CorkIreland | 75/100 | Ireland |
| 21 | GothenburgSweden | 74/100 | Sweden |
| 22 | DublinIreland | 72/100 | Ireland |
| 23 | MontrealCanada | 72/100 | Canada |
| 24 |  PortoPortugal | 70/100 | Portugal |
| 25 | BerlinGermany | 70/100 | Germany |
| 26 |  AmsterdamNetherlands | 70/100 | Netherlands |
| 27 |  TokyoJapan | 70/100 | Japan |
| 28 | TorontoCanada | 70/100 | Canada |
| 29 | MiamiUnited States | 70/100 | United States |
| 30 | FrankfurtGermany | 70/100 | Germany |
| 31 | RotterdamNetherlands | 70/100 | Netherlands |
| 32 |  BaliIndonesia | 70/100 | Indonesia |
| 33 |  CordobaArgentina | 70/100 | Argentina |
| 34 |  PragueCzech Republic | 68/100 | Czech Republic |
| 35 | San FranciscoUnited States | 68/100 | United States |
| 36 | HamburgGermany | 68/100 | Germany |
| 37 |  ValparaisoChile | 68/100 | Chile |
| 38 | BrnoCzech Republic | 68/100 | Czech Republic |
| 39 | LisbonPortugal | 65/100 | Portugal |
| 40 |  SingaporeSingapore | 65/100 | Singapore |
| 41 |  ValenciaSpain | 65/100 | Spain |
| 42 | ChicagoUnited States | 65/100 | United States |
| 43 | ManchesterUnited Kingdom | 65/100 | United Kingdom |
| 44 |  LyonFrance | 65/100 | France |
| 45 |  TaipeiTaiwan | 65/100 | Taiwan |
| 46 |  ArequipaPeru | 65/100 | Peru |
| 47 |  PenangMalaysia | 65/100 | Malaysia |
| 48 |  AntwerpBelgium | 64/100 | Belgium |
| 49 |  DebrecenHungary | 64/100 | Hungary |
| 50 | BrusselsBelgium | 62/100 | Belgium |
| 51 |  FlorenceItaly | 62/100 | Italy |
| 52 | MadridSpain | 60/100 | Spain |
| 53 | New YorkUnited States | 60/100 | United States |
| 54 | OsakaJapan | 60/100 | Japan |
| 55 | BudapestHungary | 60/100 | Hungary |
| 56 |  Cluj-NapocaRomania | 60/100 | Romania |
| 57 |  MarrakechMorocco | 60/100 | Morocco |
| 58 |  Tel AvivIsrael | 58/100 | Israel |
| 59 | BarcelonaSpain | 55/100 | Spain |
| 60 | LondonUnited Kingdom | 55/100 | United Kingdom |
| 61 |  SeoulSouth Korea | 55/100 | South Korea |
| 62 |  AthensGreece | 55/100 | Greece |
| 63 |  São PauloBrazil | 55/100 | Brazil |
| 64 |  Hong KongHong Kong | 55/100 | Hong Kong |
| 65 |  WarsawPoland | 55/100 | Poland |
| 66 |  CebuPhilippines | 55/100 | Philippines |
| 67 | Rio de JaneiroBrazil | 55/100 | Brazil |
| 68 | BusanSouth Korea | 55/100 | South Korea |
| 69 | RomeItaly | 52/100 | Italy |
| 70 | Buenos AiresArgentina | 52/100 | Argentina |
| 71 | Kuala LumpurMalaysia | 52/100 | Malaysia |
| 72 | JohannesburgSouth Africa | 52/100 | South Africa |
| 73 |  ShanghaiChina | 52/100 | China |
| 74 |  GuadalajaraMexico | 52/100 | Mexico |
| 75 | ThessalonikiGreece | 52/100 | Greece |
| 76 |  DubaiUnited Arab Emirates | 50/100 | United Arab Emirates |
| 77 | ParisFrance | 50/100 | France |
| 78 |  BangaloreIndia | 50/100 | India |
| 79 | MilanItaly | 50/100 | Italy |
| 80 |  MedellinColombia | 50/100 | Colombia |
| 81 | KrakowPoland | 50/100 | Poland |
| 82 |  Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam | 48/100 | Vietnam |
| 83 |  AnkaraTurkey | 48/100 | Turkey |
| 84 | CasablancaMorocco | 48/100 | Morocco |
| 85 |  JeddahSaudi Arabia | 48/100 | Saudi Arabia |
| 86 | Abu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates | 48/100 | United Arab Emirates |
| 87 | IstanbulTurkey | 45/100 | Turkey |
| 88 | Los AngelesUnited States | 45/100 | United States |
| 89 | BeijingChina | 44/100 | China |
| 90 | Mexico CityMexico | 42/100 | Mexico |
| 91 |  BangkokThailand | 42/100 | Thailand |
| 92 | BucharestRomania | 42/100 | Romania |
| 93 | BogotaColombia | 42/100 | Colombia |
| 94 | LimaPeru | 40/100 | Peru |
| 95 |  AlexandriaEgypt | 40/100 | Egypt |
| 96 | ManilaPhilippines | 40/100 | Philippines |
| 97 | SantiagoChile | 35/100 | Chile |
| 98 | RiyadhSaudi Arabia | 35/100 | Saudi Arabia |
| 99 | Chiang MaiThailand | 35/100 | Thailand |
| 100 | MumbaiIndia | 30/100 | India |
| 101 | HanoiVietnam | 28/100 | Vietnam |
| 102 | CairoEgypt | 25/100 | Egypt |
| 103 | JakartaIndonesia | 25/100 | Indonesia |
| 104 | DelhiIndia | 15/100 | India |
Annual averages mask seasonal swings — Beijing winters or Mexico City inversions can push daily readings well below the annual mean. If a city is borderline, check seasonal patterns and consider neighborhood (riverside / park-adjacent neighborhoods often score 10-20 points better than city center).
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