Looking at 450 cities across the world, Mercer, one of the world's largest HR consultancy firms, takes into account the following metrics to judge which cities made the list of those offering the best quality of life:
Political and social environment (political stability, crime, law enforcement).
Economic environment (currency-exchange regulations, banking services).
Socio-cultural environment (media availability and censorship, limitations on personal freedom).
Medical and health considerations (medical supplies and services, infectious diseases, sewage, waste disposal, air pollution).
Schools and education (standards and availability of international schools).
Public services and transportation (electricity, water, public transportation, traffic congestion).
Recreation (restaurants, theatres, cinemas, sports and leisure).
Consumer goods (availability of food/daily consumption items, cars).
Housing (rental housing, household appliances, furniture, maintenance services).
Natural environment (climate, record of natural disasters).
The list makes for interesting reading, although it does not appear to consider aspects such as the cost of living, and what one can get per unit of the local currency - both of these are significant contributors to our relatively high standard of living in SA.