New York City ranked world's best city in 2026 index

New York City has been named the world's best city for the third consecutive year according to the 2026 Oxford Economics Global Cities Index. The city secured the top position driven by a $2.6 trillion economic scale and a perfect score in the economics category.

While the city leads in economic dominance, the report notes that this scale contributes to a local housing affordability crisis and environmental vulnerabilities. The index, which evaluates 1,000 urban economies, scored New York City 89.5 in human capital and 80.8 in quality of life.

Other cities in the global top 10 include London, Paris, Seattle, San Francisco, Dublin, Boston, San Jose, Tokyo, and Zurich. Additionally, four other New York cities appeared in the top 300: Albany (#215), Buffalo (#244), Rochester (#259), and Syracuse (#298).