A new ranking of quiet cities by Compare the Market has seen Zurich take one of the podium places. The study praised the Swiss metropolis for its low levels of crime and picturesque land and cityscape.

Quiet City Ranking by Compare the Market

To create the ranking, Compare the Market analysed 50 cities around the world by whether they offer their residents a peaceful and idyllic life. This was done through a number of categories including rates of crime, number of walking trails, yoga studious, the political peace of the city, population, traffic congestions, clubs and bars, and public gardens.

Every city was then given a score of between 0 and 1 in each of the eight categories - where no data was found, a city was given a score of 0. These were then combined to create an overall score out of eight.

With all factors considered, the Austrian city of Graz was rated as the best place to live for a peaceful life. The study praised the city for its Tuscan-like architecture and abundance of historical sites. The Australian capital Canberra took second place.

Zurich named one of the three most tranquil cities on Earth

In the study, Zurich was rated as the third-best city in the world for those who crave peace and serenity in their daily lives. The city took third largely thanks to having the best crime score of any of the cities analysed, and the seventh-best political peace score.

The city was also given high praise for its public parks and outdoor activities. “Start at Lake Zurich, where you can enjoy a slow stroll or cycle around the promenade, and in the summer, you can even go swimming”, the report wrote. Along with ways to relax, the city was also deemed an ideal base for great hikes, such as along the local sort-of-mountain Uetliberg.

The ranking adds yet another accolade to Zurich’s crown, with the city also recently named as having one of the highest quality of life scores in Europe by an EU study. However, as any resident of the Swiss metropolis will know, this high quality of life also comes with some of the highest living costs in the world.

10 best cities for quiet living

Overall, these were the 10 best cities for quiet living, according to Compare the Market:

1. Graz
2. Canberra
3. Zurich
4. Sydney 
5. Helsinki
6. Vienna
7. Brno
8. Munich
9. Copenhagen 
10. Stockholm

For more information about the study, check out the Compare the Market website.