French Quality of Life is Best in the World

January 18th, 2010

France has been named the best place in the world to live for the fifth year running, according to research by a US magazine.

International Living – which specialises in overseas relocations – ranked 194 countries around the world for its 2010 Quality of Life Index.

It gave France 82 points out of 100, followed by Australia in second place and Switzerland in third. The UK came 25th.

International Living publisher Jackie Flynn said: “I wish quality of life indicators could measure a country’s heart and soul but it’s impossible to enumerate the joy of lingering over dinner and a bottle of wine in a Parisian brasserie.”

“The ‘Quality of Life Index’ isn’t strictly about best value, but about places where the living is, simply, great. To produce the 30th annual Index “International Living” editors considered nine categories,” said publisher Jackie Flynn:

Cost of Living (15% of final ranking)
Culture and Leisure (10%)
Economy (15%)
Environment (10%)
Freedom (10%)
Health (10%)
Infrastructure (15%)
Safety and Risk (10%)
Climate (10%).

“This involves number crunching from official sources, including government websites, the World Health Organization, ‘The Economist,’ etc., and our global editors’ perspectives.”

France nets high scores in most categories, but its bon vivant lifestyle is unique. “I wish quality of life indicators could measure a country’s heart and soul but it’s impossible to enumerate the joy of lingering over dinner and a bottle of wine in a Parisian brasserie,” said “International Living’s” Flynn.

France scores high from healthcare (100) to infrastructure (92) to safety and freedom (100 points). But the main appeal of France is its lifestyle (81 points in Culture and Leisure category).

Surprisingly, France remains an affordable place to live (cost of living score 55).

Provincial French properties are often keenly priced and lifestyles are less expensive than Paris. The Southwestern Midi-Pyrenees region offers good hunting for village homes under $100,000 – and $14 three-course lunches.

Houses cascade with wisteria; outdoor markets abound. Foie gras, pink garlic, Armagnac, and crystallized violets aren’t gourmet fare, just another day’s shopping.

Story from International Living