(average: 4,23 out of 5)

The authoritative analytical company Economist Intelligence Unit has published a rating best cities in the world to live for 2011. Two Russian cities were also included in the rating: St. Petersburg took 68th place, and Moscow - 70th.

The quality of life in 140 cities of different countries was assessed by the company's experts according to 30 parameters, including security, healthcare, social stability, education, infrastructure development, availability of goods and services, the state of the environment and the diversity of cultural life.

By tradition, let's start from the last, 10th place. So…

10th place. Auckland, New Zealand, 95.7 points

In 10th place is Auckland. This largest city in New Zealand with a population of about 1.3 million people, which is a quarter of the total population of the country.

Today Auckland is the economic and cultural center of New Zealand. The city is not rich in historical sights, but Auckland strikes many hearts of those who come here for the first time with its picturesque beauty.

sky tower(Sky Tower) 328 meters high - tallest building in the southern hemisphere:

Auckland is surrounded by three sea bays, within the city there are 48 extinct volcanoes.

Night Auckland:

Panorama of Auckland from the Sky Tower (clickable 2500 x 651 px):

9th place. Adelaide, Australia, 95.9 points

9th place belongs to the capital and largest city of the state of South Australia, fifth largest city in the country with a population of more than 1.1 million people - the city Adelaide.

It is named after the Queen - the wife of the King of Great Britain and Hanover, William IV, who sat on the throne from 1830 to 1837.

The city is located on the ocean. The central part of Adelaide is multi-storey, with a few modern skyscrapers is not large, and the rest of the city is one or two storey in nature. Perfect cleanliness, tidiness and impeccable decoration of buildings are the hallmark of Adelaide.

Victoria Fountain:

Here, in Adelaide, tourists are attracted by Australia's third largest Kangaroo Island - a wildlife sanctuary with a colony of sea lions and a beautiful coastline for fishing.

Kangaroo Island:

The average income per worker in Adelaide does not differ from that in the country, however, the standard of living and the cost of real estate here are much lower than in other major Australian cities.

8th place. Perth, Australia, 95.9 points

Perth is the largest city and capital of Western Australia. with a population of about 1,200,000 people, located on the shores of the Indian Ocean.

The city is considered one of the main economic centers of Australia. Gold, diamonds and nickel are mined here. It is here that the world's largest discovered deposits of gold and nickel are located in the Kalgoorlie region, as well as the world's largest diamond-bearing region, Kimberley, which is the main competitor of South African and Yakutian diamond deposits.

Modern skyscrapers are a characteristic detail of the Perth cityscape:

Perth is called "pearl of australia". Ancient buildings, a convenient pedestrian zone in the center of Perth, beautiful views of the river make Perth very attractive for tourists.

(clickable 1575 x 656 px):

One of the attractions Wolf Creek meteorite crater:

Many are attracted by Perth's mild and even Mediterranean climate, magnificent beaches, restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

7th place. Sydney, Australia, 96.1 points

Australia's largest city on the southeast coast - Sydney. It is twice the size of another giant city - New York, and the main problem for all travelers is how to have time to see as much as possible.

The number of parks and green oases makes Sydney unlike other major cities on the planet: next to the skyscrapers in the City - 34 hectares of territory Royal Botanic Gardens:

In the summer, all life in Sydney moves from the City to the beaches, with over 20 city beaches and a dozen harbours. The most famous Bondi beach is a favorite place for surfers in Sydney.

(clickable 2000 x 792 px):

In the evening, Sydney is incredibly beautiful: on the waterfront, the lights of skyscrapers pierce the water of the harbor. One of Sydney's most recognizable buildings - Sydney Opera House:

Another major attraction in Sydney is the Harbor Bridge. It is the largest bridge in the city and one of the largest steel arch bridges in the world. (clickable 2500 x 911 px):

Aerial view of Sydney, Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera House:

6th place. Helsinki, Finland, 96.2 points

Helsinki is the capital and largest city of Finland with a population of 578 thousand people.

The streets of the city go around the bays, bridges connect the islands, and ferries connect with the remote islands. Helsinki is saturated with the smell of the sea, and in the ports there is a constant noise from arriving and departing ships.

Helsinki is the center of business, education, culture and science in Finland. There are 8 universities and 6 technology parks in Greater Helsinki.

View of the city center. One of the sights of Helsinki - the Cathedral:

70% of foreign companies operating in Finland are located in this city.

Built on the peninsulas and islands of the Baltic coastline, Helsinki is a maritime city.

5th place. Calgary, Canada, 96.6 points

Calgary is the largest city in the province of Alberta in Canada, in the foothills and prairies, about 80 km east of the watershed of the Canadian Rockies.

The city is one of the sunniest in Canada- The sun shines there on average 2400 hours a year.

Calgary is located in the transition zone between the foothills of the Canadian Rockies and the Canadian Prairies, so its terrain is quite hilly. The height of the center of Calgary above sea level is approximately 1048 m.

Life in Calgary, one way or another, revolves around oil production. Its deposits were discovered at the beginning of the 20th century. Despite this, this city is considered by many organizations one of the cleanest in the world.

Olympic Plaza. In the distance you can see a famous landmark - Calgary Tower (Calgary Tower), 91 m high. It is designed in such a way that, swaying slightly in the wind, even with very strong gusts, maintain its stability:

Downtown Calgary, 2010 (clickable 2000 x 561 px):

4th place. Toronto, Canada, 97.2 points

Toronto is Canada's largest city and the provincial capital of Ontario. The current name of the city was given in 1834.

Toronto is Canada's most diverse city, with about 49% of its residents being immigrants. View of the city from a helicopter, November 2010:

Toronto is also home to longest street in the world- Young Street, listed in the Guinness Book of Records and having a length of 1896 km. Here is located largest zoo in the world. The area of ​​the zoo is 283 hectares. Here, in conditions close to their natural habitat, about 5,000 various animals are kept.

View from a height of Toronto from the other side:

CN tower - world's tallest TV tower built back in 1976. Its height with a spire is 553 meters, and at a height of 446 meters there is a closed observation deck.

Here it is difficult to find a point where the TV tower would not be visible:

The Toronto Islands are a great place to relax and have picnics. Locals and tourists like to get out here. View of the city from the island:

The main attraction in the Toronto area is Niagara Falls. It is located between lakes Ontario and Erie on the border with the United States, 140 km from Toronto:

This is what Toronto looks like in the near future. (clickable, 1700 x 802):

3rd place. Melbourne, Australia, 97.5 points

Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia with a population of about 3.8 million and the capital of the state of Victoria. The city is considered one of the main commercial, industrial and cultural centers of Australia. It is also often referred to as the sports and cultural capital of the country.

Melbourne is rightfully considered the most picturesque city in Australia. There is both exquisite Victorian architecture and wonderful nature.

Connoisseurs of Victorian architecture should take a walk along Swanston Street. It is the main street of the city:

Anyone who wants to see all of Melbourne at once should go up to the observation deck of the Rialto Tower. This is a skyscraper whose height is 253 meters.

View from the Rialto Tower (clickable, 2000 x 548 px):

One of the attractions is the arts center of Victoria:

Yarra River, Melbourne:

2nd place. Vienna, Austria, 97.9 points

Vienna - the capital of Austria located in the eastern part of the country. The population of Vienna, including its suburbs, is about 2.3 million.

This is one of the most charming cities in Europe, spread out on the banks of the Danube.

Vienna is a world-famous center of music, thanks to a long line of famous musicians who lived and worked in this city: Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert.

There are luxurious palaces, majestic squares, picturesque streets and numerous squares. One of the most recognizable buildings in the city is the City Hall:

Hofburg - the winter residence of the Austrian Habsburgs and the main seat of the imperial court in Vienna. It is currently the official residence of the President of Austria. In total, it has 2600 halls and rooms:

Located near the capital viennese wood- a mountain range in Austria. This is a wonderful natural recreation area - a whole forest area with its own towns and hotels, resorts and thermal springs:

1 place. Vancouver, Canada, 98.0 points

So, we got to the 1st place. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, The best city in the world to live in is Vancouver..

Vancouver is located on the west coast of Canada, on the shores of a picturesque bay, at the foot of the Pacific coastline of the North American Cordilleras.

It is the 3rd largest city in Canada with a population of 2,433,000 and the largest city in the province of British Columbia.

Vancouver from a height of 500 meters:

Night Vancouver:

One of the most picturesque cities in the country is surrounded by dense coniferous forests, snowy mountains and fjords.

There are 20 bridges across numerous rivers of the city, 3 of which are drawbridges.

This is one of the most beautiful ocean cities in the world. There are spacious beaches, lush parks, and magnificent architecture of buildings. Tourists from all over the world are attracted here by comfortable hotels, many museums, shops, restaurants and sports facilities.

Vancouver has a mild climate and is part of a unique temperate rainforest ecosystem, so summers are mild and not hot, and winters rarely snow.

Science Center:

When choosing a settlement for further residence, we advise you to look at the rating of cities in Russia.

10 Orenburg

The population living in the city of Orenburg is more than five hundred and sixty thousand people. Included in the top 10 best cities to live in Russia, completing the top ten. In the nomination "quality maintenance of the housing stock" the city took 4th place. Entered the top 10 in the field of health and safety, decided on the 8th position. Also, 10th place was assigned to the city according to the state of the road industry. And only in the field of education, Orenburg occupies the 32nd line of the rating.

9 Novosibirsk

On the ninth position is Novosibirsk with a population of over 1.5 million people. Eighth place out of the top ten is occupied by Novosibirsk for the quality of the education sector. 12th place in the rating is given for the condition and quality of maintenance of the housing stock. 17th position - for the state of the road industry. The quality of the healthcare and security sector occupies only 27th place.

8 Krasnoyarsk

The population of the city, which took the 8th position for living, has exceeded the mark of one million. It did not enter the top ten according to the state of the road industry, but it occupies a strong 22nd place. Not far gone and in the field of maintenance of the housing stock - 28 position. 30th place was given for the quality of the education sector and 32nd - for merits in the field of health and safety.

7 Yekaterinburg

The city with a population of one and a half million took the 7th position. It is also in the top ten for the quality of the education sector - it takes 6th place. 13th place is rightfully given for the good condition and quality of maintenance of the housing stock, 15th - for the state of the road infrastructure. And, not too bad, at number 24, the city provides security and healthcare services.

6 Chelyabinsk

Of the ten largest cities, the city of Chelyabinsk occupies the 6th place in the ranking of the best cities. In almost all "nominations" is in the Top 10. So, for example: silver (2nd place) - education, bronze (3rd place) - road facilities, the top ten (10th place) - housing service. And only in the field of health and security it occupies the 20th position.

5 St. Petersburg

Opens the top five cities in Russia to live in a city with more than five million people (leaving Moscow and London ahead) - St. Petersburg. 4th place is shared by the spheres of education and healthcare and security. 6th place out of ten was given for the condition and quality of the housing stock, the thirteenth place, which has not gone far, was awarded to the road industry.

4 Krasnodar

The city, bordering the Kuban River, firmly holds the fourth position in the ranking of the best, entering, by definition, into the top five. It ranks in the top ten in the health and safety rankings at number three and the housing sector at number five. Further, almost a dozen of the best - 11th position - for the state of the road economy and 13th place went to the niche of high-quality education.

3 Kazan

The prize - bronze - was awarded to the city of Kazan with a population of approximately 1.2 million people. So, the city on the Volga occupies an honorable third position in the ranking of the best places to live in great Russia. If it were not for the healthcare niche, which ranked 16th, the city would be in the Top 10 in all respects. The state of the road industry is ranked 6th, the 7th place is awarded for merits in the education niche, and the estimated merits of the condition and quality of the housing stock are in the eighth place.

2 Moscow

The capital's "silver" life of Russia settled in second place, but gold rightfully belongs to the capital in terms of population. Bypassing all the cities not only in Russia, but also in Europe, the number varies around the figure of 12 million people. Although, independent sociological surveys of citizens give Moscow the first place in the ranking of the best cities for living, considering it the most convenient city for living. Third place in Moscow deserves the condition and quality of maintenance of the housing stock, skipping Naberezhnye Chelny and Tyumen ahead. The state of the road industry is estimated at 8 positions, the health and safety sector is entrenched at 14 positions. Not such a joyful situation affected the education sector, occupying the last position in the ranking. Perhaps due to the fierce competition for a place in prestigious educational institutions, and public education is not valued so highly.

To answer the question “Which places have the best climate in the world?” First we need to clarify what we mean by "better climate" because most people would probably give different answers. Some prefer warmer weather, others cooler climates.

In essence, the best one should be the one that is easier to tolerate from the body in a year and does not need any major adaptation to extreme temperatures. The best climate should not be too humid or too cold or warm.

Places must be unaffected by extreme weather events like regular floods, hurricanes, heatwaves, snowstorms and others. We must also be completely objective. The places that travel magazines advertise as pieces of paradise are indeed fabulously beautiful, but very often the climate there is too hot or humid.

We tried to choose places in such a way that their climate was the most healthy. Very often, when it comes to a better climate, everyone first of all remembers the Caribbean. Yes, the weather is really wonderful there, but the summer half of the year is too rainy and the region often becomes a victim of hurricanes.

During the summer months, Caribbean holidays can be hit hard by rain and tropical storms. In general, the most popular tourist destinations do not always have the best weather conditions. You will probably notice that most of these places are either extremely densely populated or are popular tourist destinations.

And it cannot be otherwise - after all, the weather is of paramount importance. You may also notice that almost all the places that claim to have the most pleasant climate are close to a large body of water (sea or ocean). This is no coincidence. Around large water basins, the weather is usually the mildest and most pleasant.

1. Canary Islands. They are located near the coast of Africa, the Canary Islands are a Spanish possession. They enjoy probably the best climate you can imagine. Here is eternal summer or rather eternal spring. Usually the places that are located south of the 30th parallel have a very hot tropical climate, but these islands are no exception.

The cold Canary Current cools the islands as the ocean temperature is in the range of 19-25 degrees throughout the year and this prevents the air temperature from getting too high or too low. In summer the daily temperature is about 26°C, and in winter about 21°C. The weather is very easily tolerated even by the most pretentious people.

Most places don't get rainy in general, so any time of the year if you go it's unlikely that rain will spoil your holiday. The exception is the northern part of the island of Tenerife, which endures quite heavy rains, and sometimes rainy days reach up to 15 per month.

There are no hurricanes, because they form in too warm water basins, and here the ocean water is temperate. The annual temperature amplitudes are quite small, and the islands know neither cold nor heat. And in addition, it is good to know that the Canary Islands are among the places with the cleanest air and low dust on the planet.

2. Located near the equator, the second largest city in Kenya and neighboring resorts enjoy magnificent weather throughout the year. Here from January to December it is always around 25-30°C. No more, no less.

It is almost always partly cloudy here, which reminds you that you are at the equator and should always be ready for a little rain.

Light cloudiness makes the weather feel a bit cooler - around 24-26°C all year round, as we know it's the sun that makes the heat hard to bear. In addition, near the equator, the weather is usually almost never windy. In general, the conditions are ideal for tourism and recreation throughout the year.

3. Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii is the sunniest and warmest American state, but without extreme high temperatures in the summer. There is no rainy season, no hurricanes and generally no adverse weather conditions. The dustiness in Hawaii is very low, similar to the Canary Islands.

For a mild climate contribute mainly to the location of the islands in the very center of the Pacific Ocean. This justifies the glory of Hawaii as one of the best tourist destinations. Temperatures here range from 26 to 30°C throughout the year. In winter, the amount of precipitation increases slightly, but is generally normal throughout the year.

4. Costa Rica. Similar to Kenya, Costa Rica also has a very pleasant warm subequatorial climate. Temperatures are constant year-round between 24 and 26°C, making the country exceptionally popular for people looking for a tropical paradise to buy property.

The climate is humid, but precipitation is usually short. There are hardly any days when there is no sun. You will feel comfortable without feeling the weather too warm or cold.

5. Located near the equator in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, the Galapagos Islands enjoy a great equatorial climate. The temperature varies from 21 to 28°C. Usually the weather is relatively dry. The first 6 months of the year are warmer and slightly wetter.

Excellent climatic conditions are one of the reasons why an exceptional flora and fauna flourish here. The climate of the Galapagos is very well tolerated by tourists, since there are no extreme prices here. In addition, there are no hurricanes here, and the water of the Pacific Ocean has very pleasant moderate temperatures.

6. Bermuda. Bermuda is one of the places in the world with the best climate. They are located quite north in the subtropics, but have a mild and not very hot tropical climate. The reason is the warm current of the Gulf Stream, which brings warm waters far into Europe.

The temperature here varies from 21°C in January to 30°C in August. The ocean acts as a natural air conditioner and the degrees are at a pleasant level.

7. The capital of Mexico has a cool tropical mountain climate. The high altitude saves the city from the unbearable heat typical of the tropics. Temperatures here range from 21 to no more than 27°C with heavy rainfall during the summer months.

The warmest weather is in May and the coldest in December. The mild climate is one of the reasons for the huge population of the Mexican capital.

8. Sao Paulo. The largest Brazilian city is located in the tropics of South America. It is located on a high plateau, not far from the shores of the ocean. Although Rio de Janeiro is located at almost the same geographical latitude, Sao Paulo has a much cooler and milder climate.

The temperature here varies from 22 to 27°C throughout the year. Both Mexico City and São Paulo have such a large population, to some extent due to its mild climate.

9. Costa del Sol. Spain's southernmost coast is a popular winter destination for millions of Europeans, as well as people coming from colder countries around the world.

The Mediterranean coast of Andalusia is the warmest and sunniest place in Europe. Unlike the Caribbean, there is a short winter here, but in fact, 2-3 months with daytime temperatures around 17-18 degrees are easier to bear than 6 months of the rainy season.

The Mediterranean Sea has a strong influence, maintaining pleasant and healthy temperatures throughout the year. Even according to some scientists, along the very coast on the Costa del Sol there is a tropical microclimate, the temperatures of which are abnormally high for Europe. Summers are very warm with temperatures around 29°C. The climate is generally quite dry and the sun is plentiful 12 months of the year.

10. San Diego. The southernmost of all the Pacific cities in the United States - San Diego, has a wonderful climate, formed under the influence of the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. The cold streams that pass near California make the summers pleasant without much heat. At the same time, constant ocean temperatures keep winter values ​​relatively high.

Temperatures in the city range from 19 to 25°C and the weather is sunny and dry throughout the year. The local climate bears a striking resemblance to that of the southern Spanish province of Andalusia.

The pleasant climate in San Diego is repeatedly mentioned in many Hollywood productions and is the reason that many wealthy Americans live here.

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Continuing the description of good places to live, it's time to turn your eyes to the Motherland. So, Russia

A good country in general, I think there are many places on Earth where life is much worse, and, at first, I worked out options for living in Russia.
The advantages of our country are clear and obvious.

Cons, in general, too, but still I will list the main ones (from my point of view):

• most of the territory is polluted from the point of view of ecology, and where everything is in order with the environment, everything is often sad with the economy, respectively, an adequate population often leaves from there.
• a low level of culture and a high level of aggression of a significant part of the population, as a result - low personal security and many places where garbage lies right on the streets.
• high levels of alcoholism and drug addiction
• huge corruption
• a clear division into boyars and serfs, while if a person falls into the category of boyars, then he can spit on all the laws (as long as he is in this category).

Now let's move on to the cities. There are many cities in our country, I will describe here only those that I myself considered for moving. If the city you live in is located in Russia, and at the same time it is clean, beautiful, well-groomed, with a good climate, excellent ecology, developed infrastructure and a low crime rate and is not included in this list, write about it to me, and I think not just me wondering

Belgorod

I didn’t intend to go, because ... more on that below.
Studied the city on the materials of the Internet.
Such a clean, beautiful, well-groomed small town looms, with a good climate, excellent ecology and the lowest crime rate in the country.
It would seem, live and rejoice.
There is only one, but BIG, minus that prevented me from considering this city as a potential place to live:

The church in the Belgorod region is not separated from the state. This is such a region of VICTORIOUS ORTHODOXY, in which there is no place for pluralism. Accordingly, the law of God has been introduced in schools without fail, curfews have been imposed on the streets at night for teenagers under ... years old, vigilantes walk around, rock concerts are canceled, the celebration of St. Valentine's Day is prohibited, as "corrupting our youth", etc.

That is, if you are an Orthodox person who is calm about restricting your freedoms in exchange for cleanliness and order, then welcome to Belgorod. Something I think, among the readers of my blog there are few such

Well, the second, already a small minus - no work / no good salaries. Thanks to this, everything is quite inexpensive - real estate, utilities, food .... It will be expensive - the population simply won’t pull it off, with such incomes ... So, maybe it’s even the other way around, not a minus, but a plus

UPD: Kharkov is 60 km away, where everything is cheaper and there are more entertainment...

Kaliningrad

Perhaps the most interesting city in terms of permanent residence in our country. Many Kaliningraders have not been to Russia and see no reason to go there, there are embassies of most European countries, the closest city to Europe is convenient to travel. From what I was especially pleased with - in fact, there is no industry = excellent ecology (not counting pollution from cars), COMPARATIVELY inexpensive Czech, German, Lithuanian beer (before, it was much cheaper), delicious cider, a lot of greenery - parks, fountains, helpful people - we asked for directions many times - everyone tried to help.

What surprised me was that the prices for windbreakers at the Central Market turned out to be more expensive than at a sale in a branded boutique of one of the shopping centers. I have long developed a habit - the cheapest things on the market, here it is not so ...

Kaliningrad has the World Ocean Museum and the Amber Museum. It's a cool idea to make most of the exhibit directly on the ships in the Ocean Museum. It's great to crawl on a submarine and a research vessel that has sailed almost the whole world many times and collected a rich collection - it's great.

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Amber Museum - I think one of the most interesting museums in our country, bizarre pieces of amber of different colors and shapes, some even with insects frozen in them + exquisite jewelry - definitely worth a look. Amber is also sold in the museum itself, and a whole amber market is organized next to the museum! In general, amber, pressed amber and amber fakes are sold EVERYWHERE - in Kaliningrad, Svetlogorsk, Zelenogradsk ... there are many, many sellers of amber.

Now about what I didn’t like in Kaliningrad - in the morning it’s impossible to buy almost anything if the smallest bill you have is 500 rubles. - almost no one has change; (As I understand it, I, as a buyer, should be the least worried about where the seller will take the change - but no - with pockets full of money, it’s quite possible to fly over and not get what you want - from museum tickets to hot -dog or ice cream... Sad :(

Another big disadvantage is that the narrow German roads of the city cannot cope with the flow of cars (considering that cars there are cheaper than in Russia, sometimes looking at this traffic flow one gets the feeling that the majority of the population has cars), and money for a radical expansion of the road parts - as in the entire Russian province ... In general, it is felt that with good cash injections from the city it would be possible to make a complete "sweetie", but for now they are equipped "in a European way", only separate sections, however, against the background of the vast majority of Russian cities and already enjoy it.

We visited the Curonian Spit. The first 6 km at the entrance to the spit, we were accompanied by a boiled smell of blooming algae and rotting fish, as it turned out, algae bloom here for two weeks a year and the smell is VERY sad.

In general, Spit is an interesting place - a dancing forest with curved, forked, strange trees, the dunes on which they filmed "Long Road in the Dunes" and individual episodes of "White Sun of the Desert" and which I really wanted to walk through, but unfortunately low ... White-white sandy beach, with perfect sand and easy access to the sea...

We went to the Kaliningrad water park. It is located in the Olympic Hotel on Moskovsky Prospekt. The cost on weekdays is 500 rubles - for adults / 450 rubles - for children - for 3 hours. There is also a sauna complex (for a fee) and the possibility to take subscriptions for a month. The water park has 3 slides, a jacuzzi, a river, a sauna, a children's pool, a large pool, hydromassage. In general, the water park is small, but a huge plus, firstly, that there is a water park in the city at all, secondly, there are few people on weekdays, and thirdly, the prices are basically affordable.
Kaliningrad has a great zoo! I have been to many zoos both in Russia and abroad, and so - in terms of the composition of animals - Kaliningrad is one of the best. There is not enough gloss and grooming of the territory of the zoo itself, some enclosures should be made different - the polar bear was obviously VERY HOT in the summer, and there is nowhere for large birds to fly properly. But despite this, you can safely be proud of the zoo! And of course improve

One of the specialties of the local cuisine is smoked eel.

First we tried it in a restaurant (in order to have a standard), and then we bought smoked eel in the market. The fish is quite expensive - 850 rubles / kg, but ... it's worth it - one of the most delicious fish in my life, yum-yum ... I highly recommend it.

The general impression is - if you have never been to Europe, Kaliningrad will seem like an ideal place to live, if you have been to Europe but live in any other city in Russia - you will notice disadvantages, but still want to move if you already live in one from European cities, Köning is unlikely to charm you. In general, it is no longer Russia, not yet Europe ...

Utility bills, prices for many local and imported products from Russia are more expensive than in Russia. True, people get out - they bring tasty and inexpensive products from Poland and sell them directly from cars ...

Moreover, since the city is located “abroad”, it is constantly in direct dependence on the current relations of Russia with border states ...
Summing up, despite some shortcomings, for me, Kaliningrad is definitely the best place to live in Russia.

Moscow

The city, which is, in fact, ANOTHER country, it is so different from the rest of Russia.

From the pros:

• the best specialists of the country in all fields gathered there,
• no matter what you are fond of - you can always find friends of interest,
• all transport hubs, all cargo flows go through Moscow, respectively, you can get almost EVERYTHING that is produced on Earth, and if you look, it is often cheaper than in other cities, since they are already being transported there from Moscow ...
• a lot of people and entire organizations work clearly and efficiently, favorably differing from residents of other Russian cities. It's real, it's just nice to work with Muscovites, you feel a different level of attitude to the matter. Although, I won’t generalize, Moscow is a big city, maybe it’s just that I was so lucky.

Of the minuses:

• overcrowded city, with huge distances, traffic jams and bad ecology.
• many "guests" from the Caucasus and other equally "pleasant" places.
• very expensive: real estate, recreation, health, decent catering ...

Bottom line: For a person who earns remotely, this is probably not the best choice. You have to compete for a place in the sun with people who receive 5 - 10 - 20 K or more of NON-DISPERSION income ...

middle lane

(cities located near Moscow, but not in the Moscow region)
Somehow poor / unkempt / sad. A significant part of the adequate population left for Moscow, and this is clearly felt ...

Ufa/Kazan

I have been to Ufa several times, I have not been to Kazan, but almost everyone says that “Kazan is like Ufa, only cooler and richer”. So, I decided to combine these two cities.

What can I say - the residents of the capitals of the national republics, whose budget is formed from oil refining, and to whom Moscow leaves money for development, so as not to exacerbate the national question, in my opinion, they are lucky. Quite interesting places to live, from the minuses it can be noted that they are territorially far from Europe, well, the republics are still national ... As long as there is money, everything is fine, but how it will be there, for the Russian population - who knows ... What else - you can’t make a career without having a titular nationality, the head of any state and semi-state office will definitely be a Bashkir / Tatar. The clan system is strong, important issues are resolved exclusively through connections. This is of course a lot where it is, but in these places - especially. But, at least before the crisis, housing and roads were actively built according to state programs, everything was developing and getting better. I hope even now that the crisis has not affected these good tendencies. In general, the impression remains that these cities do not look like an ordinary Russian province.

South of Russia (Rostov region, Krasnodar region, etc.)

Personally, the climate does not suit me. According to eyewitnesses, it was quietly captured by representatives of the Caucasian republics, and the Russian population is now actively leaving there, because living in such an environment is not particularly comfortable.

UPD: Only a few villages have been captured. Large cities remain Russian and it is quite comfortable to be there (if you like a hot climate).

Yaroslavl

A beautiful old merchant city, on the banks of the Volga, from the main disadvantages, in addition to those systemic ones that I described at the beginning of the post - a lot of dirty industries = a bad environmental situation.

I want to apologize for the small number of photos, I inserted only those that I managed to copy to my computer in advance. The wife has already packed the portable hard drive, where ALL the photos are, in a suitcase (barely closed :)) and it is not possible to get it out of there. Accordingly, the continuation of posts about choosing good places to live will follow AFTER our move. I hope to connect to the Internet in a new place quickly enough.

The Economist Intelligence Unit has released its annual Global Liveability Report 2017, which ranks the world's cities in terms of quality of life. Here it must be understood that many parameters were taken into account: the level of the crime situation, the threat of terrorism and military conflicts, the availability of healthcare, education, infrastructure, the existing cultural environment, ecology, etc.

I hasten to disappoint you, Moscow was only in 80th place. Our Ukrainian neighbors are also in for an unpleasant surprise.

And it also turned out that I was in more places from the last ten of the ranking than from the first. So enjoy photos and posts from those cities where you hardly ever want to go! ;)

Beautiful city, I celebrated the New Year here! Melbourne has a cool tram, great wine, delicious steaks and koalas. What else is needed for happiness?

3. Vancouver (Canada) But I never got to Vancouver (I only saw him from the window of the plane.

I was, I saw, I walked, I confirm: everything is fine here!

5. Calgary (Canada) Didn't get it right!

6. Adelaide (Australia). I haven’t been either (It’s a shame! I’ll definitely visit in December!

7. Perth (Australia) Scheduled for December! By the way, Perth is a city of miners with all the ensuing consequences: miners love to have fun;) And a city of ordinary Australian men, bogans! We'll sit on the courts, beat someone and drink beer.

A lot of people like Auckland, but it's so boring for me. Yes, safe, clean, but BORING!

Oh, I recently wrote a lot about this;) Did you like it?))))

Hamburg is not only about the protests that I recently covered, but also a livable city!

Oops, we're in the middle.

Oh, and Kyiv is in the ass. Literally, in the top ten worst cities. All the fault of the Maidan and its consequences. Or maybe the ecology from tires has worsened?

I don't really remember the city...

133. Harare I was not here, but in general I was in Zimbabwe and I can say that there is an ASS!

134-135. But they turned on Karachi in vain. Cool city! I like it. Islamabad and Lahore are a big dump.

Here I don’t understand at all: a cool, safe and green city! I enjoyed spending 3 days there.

136. Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) Plans for next year.