10 best cities in the world to live with children in 2024
Compare the Market evaluated thirty-eight cities from various countries to identify the best family-friendly locations worldwide. The index considered metrics such as safety, child-friendly activities, green spaces, and walkability.
After reviewing the ratings, we have highlighted the most child-friendly cities for families in 2024.
Author •Alevtina Kalmuk
Author and editor of articles about investment citizenship and residency
10 best cities in the world to live with children in 2024
Compare the Market, a service for insurance products, conducted elaborate research on the best places from different countries to live with kids. The independent index was titled The Best Cities to Raise a Family.
What methodology was used for the index? The Market gathered 12 data points from each city and gave each point a 0—10 score; e.g., the higher the safety, walkability, or GDP portion spent on welfare, the higher the score, while the higher the cost of living, the lower the score.
Each score was based on information from open sources, such as the United Nations, World Bank, Numbeo, and World Happiness Report. Then, each city was given a total score.
The data points used for each city:
Safety: Crime reports and safety polls;
Happiness: Polling data on life satisfaction;
Things to Do: Number of kid-friendly activities;
Cost of Living: Average monthly expenses;
Walkability: Progress towards walkability goals;
Family Benefits: GDP percentage spent on family welfare;
Parental Leave: Total weeks of parental leave;
Green Spaces: Parks per 100,000 residents;
Child Vaccination: Average vaccination rates;
Education Spending: GDP percentage on education;
Average Income: Monthly after-tax income;
Healthcare Costs: Out-of-pocket healthcare costs.
According to Compare the Market, such elaborate and diverse data points will help parents with different views on what is more important when it comes to raising children. Therefore, a city that didn’t reach the Top 10 is not necessarily "worse" and may have strengths that some families seek.
Top 10 best cities to raise a family in the world 
Rank
1
Index score
6.57
City
Stockholm
Country
SwedenRank
2
Index score
6.55
City
Paris
Country
FranceRank
3
Index score
6.41
City
Tokyo
Country
JapanRank
4
Index score
6.19
City
Sydney
Country
AustraliaRank
5
Index score
6.15
City
Helsinki
Country
FinlandRank
6
Index score
5.97
City
Auckland
Country
New ZealandRank
7
Index score
5.90
City
Brussels
Country
BelgiumRank
8
Index score
5.81
City
Amsterdam
Country
NetherlandsRank
9
Index score
5.78
City
Vienna
Country
AustriaRank
10
Index score
5.76
City
Santiago
Country
ChileStockholm received the highest average score. The city spends a generous portion of its GDP on education and seems to be safe, green, and happy.
Paris came second, showing impressive activities for children, good walkability, and an extended statutory parental leave.
Tokyo took third place. The city has high safety levels, lots of green spaces and family-friendly activities, and high vaccination rates.
How to get residency in a family-friendly country
Several countries from the index offer foreigners temporary residence permits by investment. That way, families can live, study, and do business in these countries.
Countries from the ranking that have residency programs
Vienna has one of the highest safety scores in the index, as well as high happiness and walkability scores.
Austria offers a residence permit to financially independent persons. Investors receive a residence permit by investment according to quotas. The government allocates a limited number of quotas, usually 450.
The minimum investment is €100,000. Processing takes at least 3 months. Investors need to have a stable income outside of Austria, be able to buy or rent a house in the country, have health insurance, and know German at a basic level.
Madrid and Barcelona have decent scores in safety, family-friendly activities, and walkability. Both cities have one of the lowest monthly living costs per family compared to other EU countries from the index. Both provide long statutory parental leave.
Spain has a residency program that requires a minimum investment of €500,000. Investors and their children can move to the country and get access to private and public education, healthcare, entertainment, and more.
Processing of Spain Golden Visa applications takes 5 or more months. Applicants are not required to demonstrate proficiency in Spanish or take Spanish history tests. They become eligible for citizenship in 10 years.
Istanbul is a safe city with many activities for children, great walkability, and lower-than-average monthly spending per family. Thanks to universal public health insurance, families rarely pay for healthcare services out of pocket. The vaccination score is also high.
Turkey offers citizenship by investment with a minimum threshold of $400,000. Investors obtain citizenship for the entire family in 8 months, and dual citizenship is allowed. No language or history tests are required.
Rome and Milan may have lower average scores, but they score decently when it comes to safety and walkability. While Milan has an average number of family-friendly activities, Rome has the highest score in the index in that regard.
Italy provides residence in exchange for investing €250,000 or more. The investment program allows the principal applicant to add the family. The family can live and study in Italy, and tuition fees in local universities will be lower for the investors’ children.
Residence permits are usually issued in 4 months. In 10 years, the entire family can become citizens of Italy.
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