Two Canadian cities rank among best in the world to raise a family
Families looking to settle down may want to take note — two cities in Canada have just been ranked among the world’s best cities to raise a family.
Canada is home to two of the top 50 cities in the world to raise a family, according to a new global ranking by Compare the Market, a price comparison website for insurance, personal finance, utilities, and more.
“Parents — or those wanting to be parents — want the best for their children. When thinking of where to raise children, there are a lot of factors to consider,” reads the report. “Some cities will have more advantages than others — better schools, more parks, higher safety and security.”
Families have different priorities, but some factors could make one city far more of a draw than others. Compare the Market scored each city based on several criteria: safety, happiness levels, things to do with kids, monthly cost of living, national family benefits spending, parental leave, green spaces, child vaccination rates, and government education spending.
“The difference between scores for the top cities is quite small, showing that all cities have their own unique strengths and qualities when it comes to raising kids,” said Stephen Zeller, general manager of money at Compare the Market.
The top five cities with the highest scores include Brisbane, London, Auckland, Helsinki, and Sydney. These are the two Canadian cities that made the list and how they scored:
Toronto
omarhabibzai/Shutterstock
Ranking: 29
Safety score: 81
World happiness score: 6.803
Things to do with kids: 160
Monthly cost of living (per family of four): US$4,130.30 (C$5,604)
National Family Benefits Spending (percentage of GDP): 1.567
National statutory parental leave combined (weeks): 17
Green spaces per capita: 8.70
National child vaccination rates (per cent): 84.67
National education spending (percentage of GDP): 4.9
Index score: 3.794
Montreal
MarinaDa/Shutterstock
Ranking: 31
Safety score: 81
World happiness score: 6.803
Things to do with kids: 105
Monthly cost of living (per family of four): US$3,596.60 (C$4,880)
National Family Benefits Spending (percentage of GDP): 1.567
National statutory parental leave combined (weeks): 17
Green spaces per capita: 6.25
National child vaccination rates (per cent): 84.67
National education spending (percentage of GDP): 4.9
Index score: 3.762
Check out the full ranking on Compare Market’s website.