2018 Millennial City Ranking

Berlin, Germany, is the best city for millennials, with a thriving startup scene, open attitude towards the LGBT community, and a world-renowned nightlife scene.

Canada was revealed as a top country for millennials, with three cities in the top 10: Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver.

In January 2018, furnished apartment search engine, Nestpick, released a study revealing the top 110 cities for millennials, based on factors such as startup ecosystem, housing affordability, immigration tolerance, and quality of nightlife. With years of experience helping individuals of all ages find accommodations, the company has witnessed firsthand that young professionals display clear migrational patterns. Nestpick conducted this study for the second year in a row in order to pinpoint which cities are successfully attracting this generation, and, therefore, a core future workforce.

Building on last year’s study, Nestpick researched a wider scope of criteria and sources for the 2018 ranking, including an analysis of top universities and personal freedoms. In addition, the main categories were weighted to reflect the concerns and mindsets of the generation. For example, while housing affordability is a major concern for most, it is even more so for young professionals at the start of their careers. With these interests in mind, 110 cities were analysed, taking into consideration four main areas of concern: the business ecosystem, the essentials (housing, food etc.), openness, and recreation.

“Millennials grew up in a shrinking world, where the internet opened doors their parents never could have dreamed of, and budget airlines made those avenues real possibilities. It’s now possible to live and work anywhere in the world, and these opportunities are shaping how our planet will look to future generations,” says Ömer Kücükdere, Managing Director of Nestpick. “We must learn to adapt to the needs of younger people in order to have a thriving economy, and we believe that this ranking offers valuable insights to those cities looking for regeneration from a younger demographic.”

These final results reveal the best overall cities for millennials, based on all four factors, but by looking at the top ten cities for each individual category, the results indicate which location would be best for a young person based on their strongest concerns.

For example, those millennials looking for an adventure or experience abroad should focus on the Essentials Top 10, which looks at factors such as housing, food, internet, and transport, which are all important for short-term movers, while employment or openness might not be such a primary concern. Likewise, young professionals looking for work opportunities should focus instead on the Business Ecosystem Top 10.

Check out the ranking on Nestpick here