Cape Town named #3 best city globally for Gen Z to live, work and flourish
What is Gen Z?
Gen Z, short for Generation Z, includes those born between 1995 and 2012, making them 13 to 28 years old this year. They've come of age in a fully connected world, with smartphones in hand and social media at their fingertips.
How did the survey work?
Each year, Time Out publishes its highly anticipated ranking of the world's greatest cities. In 2025, Cape Town came out on top as the best city on Earth overall, scoring high across factors like food, nightlife, culture, and public spaces.
But Time Out didn't stop there; they dug deeper to ask: what makes a city truly great for Gen Z? Using the same data, they highlighted what today's young adults actually value in a place to live.
So, what matters most to Gen Z?
An accessible cultural scene
Walkability
Affordability
Great nightlife
Ease of meeting new people
The findings
Cape Town ranked third in the world for Gen Z, with an impressive 82% of local Gen Z residents saying they're happy living here. The city also earned top marks for its looks (71% describe it as beautiful), budget-friendly social life (76% say nights out are affordable), and general vibe – 62% say it's just an exciting place to be.
Only Bangkok and Melbourne ranked higher, making Cape Town the highest-rated Gen Z city in Africa.
The World's Best Cities for Gen Z in 2025:
Bangkok, Thailand
Melbourne, Australia
Cape Town, South Africa
New York City, USA
Copenhagen, Denmark
Barcelona, Spain
Edinburgh, UK
Mexico City, Mexico
London, UK
Shanghai, China
Sydney, Australia
Beijing, China
Paris, France
Tokyo, Japan
Berlin, Germany
Seville, Spain
Chicago, USA
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Prague, Czech Republic
Lisbon, Portugal
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
4 hours ago
- Time Out
Gen Z has named two Australian cities among the world's best to live in
Some cities just get Gen Z. Whether it's buzzing nightlife, creative culture or affordable fun, they know how to help young adults (aged 13-28 in 2025) live their best lives. So Time Out quizzed thousands of Gen Zs around the world to figure out which cities are as good to live in as a 3am kebab after a big night out. This data comes from Time Out's annual ranking of the world's best cities, which is based on a survey of 18,500 locals who share their opinions on everything from food and culture to nightlife and green spaces. But what makes a city great means something different to each generation, and that's why we dug a little deeper into the data from the under-30s to find out what they actually value, including affordability, great nightlife, an accessible cultural scene, walkability and ease of meeting new people. Australia's cultural capital, Melbourne, has landed in second place (slay!), beating out zoomer hot spots like Barcelona, Edinburgh and Mexico City. According to the data, 77 per cent of Gen Z described Melbourne as diverse and inclusive, with a whopping 96 per cent giving high ratings to the city's art and culture scene. Our beloved city also scored highly for quality of life, with an impressive 91 per cent of twenty-somethings saying the quality of life in Melbourne is 'good' or 'amazing'. We reached out to our Gen Z audience via Instagram to discover exactly what they love most about Melbourne – and yep, the responses well and truly confirmed the global findings. The most common answer was just how multicultural our city is, with Melbourne's café culture also getting plenty of mentions (given how twenty-somethings are gravitating towards 'third spaces' that offer a matcha-fuelled antidote to nightlife fatigue, we're not surprised in the slightest). Street art, sport, the electronic music scene, theatre and how safe the city is were also specified. Sydney just missed out on a top ten spot, ranking as the 11th-best city for Gen Z to live in worldwide. Its housing market is more unaffordable than Melbourne's, and Sydneysiders have a reputation for going to bed earlier than most – but on the whole, it's a fabulous place to live and work in your twenties. So, which city snagged the top spot for Gen Zs? It was none other than Bangkok. The Thai capital took the crown thanks to its stand-out scores in happiness (84 per cent of Gen Z say they're happy living there) and affordability (71 per cent say it's a budget-friendly city to live in). Rounding out the top five behind Melbourne were Cape Town, New York City and Copenhagen. These are the 20 best cities for 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 Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Australia newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. 😱 Four Aussie cities ranked among the 50 best in the world for 2025 🍰 The history of Australia can be told entirely in cake – how many have you tried? ⭐️
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Nearly half of new bingo customers are Gen Z and millennials
New data reveals that nearly half of new bingo customers are Gen Z and millennials, with 44 percent of first-time visitors being under 35. This growing interest among younger demographics is largely attributed to a desire for more affordable social activities and a reduction in alcohol consumption. A survey indicated that 33 percent of young adults find traditional nights out focused on drinking too expensive, with many also deeming them 'overrated' or 'repetitive'. Younger people are increasingly seeking alcohol-free and activity-based social experiences, with 79 percent interested in non-drinking plans and 82 percent wanting more active nights out. Bingo appeals to this demographic due to its low cost, high entertainment value, social atmosphere, and the chance to win prizes, offering a refreshing alternative to typical evenings out.
Time Out
5 hours ago
- Time Out
Melbourne is officially the second best city in the world for Gen Z to live in
Move over, Melbourne millennials – Gen Z (you know, those born between 1997 and 2012) have well and truly stepped into the spotlight, and they've got thoughts on the best cities for young people right now. Every year, Time Out releases its annual ranking of the world's greatest cities (ICYMI, Melbourne was named the world's fourth best). This comprehensive survey quizzes more than 18,500 locals on everything from their city's nightlife, food and culture, as well as important lifestyle factors like happiness, access to green space and walkability. These insights were then filtered to include only responses from those aged 30 and under, revealing which city is best for Gen Z in 2025. And, drum roll please... Melbourne has landed in second place (slay!), beating out zoomer hot spots like Barcelona, Edinburgh and Mexico City. According to the data, 77 per cent of Gen Z described Melbourne as diverse and inclusive, with a whopping 96 per cent giving high ratings to the city's art and culture scene. Our beloved city also scored highly for quality of life, with an impressive 91 per cent of twenty-somethings saying the quality of life in Melbourne is 'good' or 'amazing'. To dive a bit deeper, we reached out to our Gen Z audience via Instagram to discover exactly what they love most about Melbourne – and yep, the responses well and truly confirmed the global findings. The most common answer was just how multicultural our city is, with Melbourne's café culture also getting plenty of mentions (given how twenty-somethings are gravitating towards 'third spaces ' that offer a matcha-fuelled antidote to nightlife fatigue, we're not surprised in the slightest). Street art, sport, the electronic music scene, theatre and how safe the city is were also specified. So, which city beat out Melbourne to snag the top spot for Gen Zs? It was none other than Bangkok. The Thai capital took the crown thanks to its stand-out scores in happiness (84 per cent of Gen Z say they're happy living there) and affordability (71 per cent say it's a budget-friendly city to live in). Rounding out the top five behind Melbourne were Cape Town, New York City and Copenhagen. The only other Aussie city to make the global top 20 list was Sydney, coming in at 11th. These are the world's best cities for Gen Z in 2025 1. Bangkok, Thailand 2. Melbourne, Australia 3. Cape Town, South Africa 4. New York City, United States 5. Copenhagen, Denmark 6. Barcelona, Spain 7. Edinburgh, United Kingdom 8. Mexico City, Mexico 9. London, United Kingdom 10. Shanghai, China 11. Sydney, Australia 12. Beijing, China 13. Paris, France 14. Tokyo, Japan 15. Berlin, Germany 16. Seville, Spain 17. Chicago, United States 18. Chiang Mai, Thailand 19. Prague, Czech Republic 20. Lisbon, Portugal Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. These are the best nightclubs in Melbourne for a big night out
