These are officially the best cities for Gen Z in Asia
At Time Out, we wanted to understand how Gen Zs are experiencing their cities. What do they love about its culture and nightlife? Do they find their cities affordable? Where are they going for a good time?
To suss out their opinions, we turned to our annual survey of over 18,500 locals and filtered for responses from those under 30 – producing a definitive list of the world's best cities for Gen Z to live in, according to the youth themselves.
And guess what? Five Asian cities made it to the global top 20, with Bangkok, Thailand flying high at No. 1 worldwide. A whopping 84 percent of Gen Z say they're happy living in the Thai capital, perhaps thanks to great affordability (71 percent say it's budget-friendly to live there) and community (Gen Z's here are most likely to say it's easy to make friends in their city). We'll throw in fantastic food and a thriving art and culture scene – this is the place we'd want to be in our 20s and 30s, too. Find out more about why Bangkok came out tops here.
Slotting in at No. 10 worldwide is Shanghai, China. Gen Z here are just as happy as their counterparts in Bangkok, with 84 percent saying they're happy living in the global financial hub. All the modern frills aside (Shanghai is known for being ridiculously convenient to live in – think digital payments and 24-hour availability of all sorts of goods and services), 96 percent of youngsters here gave Shanghai's public transport top marks.
Other Asian cities that made it to the top 20 list are Beijing (No. 12), Tokyo (No. 14), and Chiang Mai (No.18). If you're Gen Z, which of these cities are you packing your bags for?
The world's best cities for Gen Z to live in, according to Gen Z:
Bangkok, Thailand
Melbourne, Australia
Cape Town, South Africa
New York City, United States
Copenhagen, Denmark
Barcelona, Spain
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Mexico City, Mexico
London, United Kingdom
Shanghai, China
Sydney, Australia
Beijing, China
Paris, France
Tokyo, Japan
Berlin, Germany
Seville, Spain
Chicago, United States
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Prague, Czech Republic
Lisbon, Portugal
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