Tokyo, Porto and Melbourne named the best cities for Gen Z

The world’s best cities for Gen Z have just been named by Time Out – and half of those in the top 20 are in Europe.

Having surveyed 4,000 local residents aged between 18 and 29 across 150 cities worldwide, Tokyo came out as the number one spot for those born between 1997 and 2012.

Residents were asked to rate their overall happiness and joy in everyday experiences, the quality and affordability of restaurants, nightlife and entertainment, walkability, sense of community, and the ease of making new friends.

The Japanese capital claimed the highest ranking thanks to its standout scores for happiness and the quality of its nightlife, although only a third of those polled consider a night out affordable.

Porto came in second place for a number of reasons, including its strong sense of community, and its affordability for eating out, going for drinks and accessing art and culture.

Every Gen Z polled also described Portugal’s second city as beautiful.

For young Melburnians, the culture scene is what earned the Australian city third place, with 97% of respondents praising the fact that you can find independent theatre, live music, comedy and improv shows almost every night of the week.

The restaurant and dining out scene in Melbourne was also rated positively by those polled, although the city itself certainly isn’t considered affordable.

In fourth place, Edinburgh beat out London to be the UK’s highest-rated city thanks to its abundance of green spaces, nightlife and cultural programmes, particularly the Edinburgh International Festival, which has discounted tickets for under 30s.

In fact, 90% of those polled said they were happier living in Edinburgh than anywhere else they had lived.

Rounding out the top five is Shanghai, where 76% of Gen Z respondents said it was easy to meet new people and make friends.

Time Out praised the Chinese city as a “sociable and comparatively affordable city where young people can access nightlife, culture and a growing range of third spaces”.

Other European cities to feature in the top 20 include Copenhagen, Berlin, Valencia, Naples, Kraków, Paris, Athens, and Vienna.

The world’s best cities for Gen Z in 2026

1. Tokyo, Japan
2. Porto, Portugal
3. Melbourne, Australia
4. Edinburgh, UK
5. Shanghai, China
6. New York City, US
7. Copenhagen, Denmark
8. Berlin, Germany
9. Valencia, Spain
10. Bangkok, Thailand
11. Naples, Italy
12. Cape Town, South Africa
13. Kraków, Poland
14. Seoul, South Korea
15. Paris, France
16. Athens, Greece
17. Mexico City, Mexico
18. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
19. Vancouver, Canada
20. Vienna, Austria