Lenstore Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report 2023

Curiosity and Fun, Lifestyle

We’ve been researching and ranking the world’s healthiest cities to live in since 2019, and with our Lenstore Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report 2023 we’ve expanded our study to 58 cities across 35 countries. This year we’ve gathered data across 13 lifestyle factors — from air quality and hours of sunshine to gym membership costs and happiness scores — to give each city a total score, then ranked them accordingly.

If you’re curious about which cities topped the Lenstore Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report 2023, and which ones came in at the bottom, read on for the full results.

The top 10 cities in the Lenstore Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report 2023

Position City Percentage score
1 Amsterdam 78%
2 Vienna 78%
3 Geneva 72%
4 Helsinki 71%
5 Stockholm 70%
6 Zurich 69%
7 Frankfurt 67%
8 Copenhagen 66%
9 Plymouth 65%
10 Norwich 63%

1. Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam has claimed the top spot in the Lenstore Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report 2023 with a score of 78%, retaining its 2022 title thanks to its high air quality (88.89), water quality (78.38) and happiness score (68.7 out of 100).

With a total of 534 points out of a possible 684, the Dutch capital also has one of the lowest obesity rates of all the cities studied (20.4%) and one of the lowest average working hours per year (1,427).

Hours of sunshine: 1,858

Gym membership cost: £28.17

Happiness score: 6.87 / 10

Average hours worked per year: 1,427

2. Vienna

Vienna

Vienna takes second place in the 2023 Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report with a score of 78%, just behind Amsterdam on total points (533 vs 534). The Austrian capital stands out for its high water quality (87.94), happiness score (68.6 out of 100) and one of the lowest average working hours of all cities studied (1,565).

Hours of sunshine: 1,884

Gym membership cost: £34.61

Happiness score: 6.86 / 10

Average hours worked per year: 1,565

3. Geneva

Geneva

Geneva ranks third in the 2023 Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report. The Swiss city stands out for having the highest water quality of all 58 cities (91.35), along with very high air quality (87.04) and life expectancy (83.45 years). However, Geneva is notably expensive when it comes to gym memberships, which are among the highest in the index at £91.61 per month.

Hours of sunshine: 1,887

Gym membership cost: £91.61

Happiness score: 6.42 / 10

Average hours worked per year: 1,557

4. Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki takes fourth place in the 2023 Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report with a score of 71%, up from 5th place in 2022. The Finnish capital earns this position thanks to its excellent air quality (90 — the highest of all cities in the study), high water quality (86.96), high life expectancy (81.91 years) and a very strong happiness score (73 out of 100).

Hours of sunshine: 1,858

Gym membership cost: £42.98

Happiness score: 7.3 / 10

Average hours worked per year: 1,612

5. Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm claims fifth place in the 2023 Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report with a score of 70%, rising from 6th in 2022. The Swedish capital boasts high air quality (88.5), water quality (85.71), life expectancy (82.97 years) and one of the highest happiness scores in the study (72.3 out of 100).

Hours of sunshine: 1,821

Gym membership cost: £38.68

Happiness score: 7.23 / 10

Average hours worked per year: 1,612

6. Zurich

Zurich

Zurich takes sixth place in the 2023 Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report with a score of 69%, up from 9th in 2022. Like Geneva, the Swiss city is notable for its excellent water quality (87.94), low obesity rate (17.5%) and high life expectancy (83.45 years). As with Geneva, gym memberships in Zurich are among the most expensive in the index (£82.36 per month).

Hours of sunshine: 1,693

Gym membership cost: £82.36

Happiness score: 6.42 / 10

Average hours worked per year: 1,557

7. Frankfurt

Frankfurt

Frankfurt comes in seventh with a score of 67% in the 2023 Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report, moving up from 12th in 2022. The German city scores well for its water quality (81.25), low obesity rate (22.3%), good life expectancy (80.94 years) and relatively affordable gym memberships at £31.92 per month.

Hours of sunshine: 1,634

Gym membership cost: £31.92

Happiness score: 6.19 / 10

Average hours worked per year: 1,349

8. Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen takes eighth place in the 2023 Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report with a score of 66%, down from third in 2022. Despite the slight drop, the Danish capital still scores very well for life expectancy (80.85 years), happiness (75.5 out of 100 — the highest of all cities studied), water quality (83.67) and air quality (83.33).

Hours of sunshine: 1,912

Gym membership cost: £35.53

Happiness score: 4.5 / 10

Average hours worked per year: 1,400

9. Plymouth

Plymouth

https://unsplash.com/photos/MaznKgsc1q0

Plymouth takes the title of the highest-scoring British city in the Lenstore 2023 Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report (65%).

Overall, the city accumulated 442 points out of a possible 684, largely due to its high air quality (73.81), water quality (76.39), strong happiness score (56 out of 100) and the high life expectancy of its residents (81.77 years). The city also boasts the most annual sunshine hours of all the British cities compared in this study (1,732).

Hours of sunshine: 1,732

Gym membership cost: £36.71

Happiness score: 5.6 / 10

Average hours worked per year: 1,670

10. Norwich

https://unsplash.com/photos/hItceTMlMt4

Norwich takes second place as the British city with the second highest percentage score in the Lenstore 2023 Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report (63%).

Overall, the city accumulates a total of 430 points out of a possible 684, just 12 points behind Plymouth. The city owes this notable runner-up position to the long life expectancy of its residents (81.77 years), high air quality (73.81), water quality (76.39) and a good happiness score (56 out of 100).

Hours of sunshine: 1,611

Gym membership cost: £36.38

Happiness score: 5.6 / 10

Average hours worked per year: 1,670

Which cities scored worst in 2023?

https://unsplash.com/photos/3TBuSLluZ8w

With a total of 181.5 points out of 684, Mexico City was one of the lowest-scoring cities in the 2023 Healthy Lifestyle index, dropping four places compared to 2022.

The Mexican capital also has a low average life expectancy (75.41 years), as well as poor air quality (18.72) and water quality (32.42). On average, its residents face the highest number of working hours per year of all 58 cities compared in this study (2,255). The cost of a gym membership for an adult is also high (£40.95), while the number of parks and green spaces per capita is low (0.003 per 10,000 residents), as is the number of outdoor activities on offer (0.02 per 10,000 residents).

The 10 lowest-scoring cities in the Lenstore 2023 Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report

Position City Percentage score
1 (58th place) Mexico City 27%
2 (57th place) New York 30%
3 (56th place) Shanghai 31%
4 (55th place) Chicago 32%
5 (54th place) Los Angeles 36%
6 (53rd place) Istanbul 36%
7 (52nd place) Johannesburg 37%
8 (51st place) Hong Kong 38%
9 (50th place) Beijing 39%
10 (49th place) Taipei 40%

Despite its low score, Mexico City can boast a high number of annual sunshine hours (2,555) and a notably positive happiness score (54.3 out of 100).

Other cities that also scored poorly include New York in the United States (30%/57th), Shanghai in China (31%/56th), Chicago in the United States (32%/55th) and Los Angeles, also in the United States (36%/54th). Of the six US cities featured in this Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report, three occupy the lowest positions in the ranking, and none appear in the top 20.

Lenstore 2023 Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report — Full index

Position City Percentage score
1 Amsterdam 78%
2 Vienna 78%
3 Geneva 72%
4 Helsinki 71%
5 Stockholm 70%
6 Zurich 69%
7 Frankfurt 67%
8 Copenhagen 66%
9 Plymouth 65%
10 Norwich 63%
11 Sheffield 63%
12 Cardiff 62%
13 Berlin 62%
14 Madrid 61%
15 Belfast 60%
16 Hull 59%
17 Liverpool 59%
18 Buenos Aires 58%
19 Sydney 57%
20 Glasgow 57%
21 Fukuoka 57%
22 Paris 57%
23 Melbourne 56%
24 Barcelona 56%
24 Newcastle 56%
26 Vancouver 55%
26 Dublin 55%
28 Milan 55%
29 Bristol 54%
30 Southampton 54%
31 Brussels 52%
32 Edinburgh 51%
33 Tel Aviv 50%
34 Tokyo 49%
35 Cairo 47%
36 London 46%
37 Seoul 45%
38 Toronto 44%
39 Mumbai 44%
40 Boston 44%
41 San Francisco 44%
42 Birmingham 43%
43 Manchester 42%
44 Moscow 42%
45 Jakarta 41%
46 Washington DC 41%
47 Sao Paulo 41%
48 Bangkok 41%
49 Taipei 40%
50 Beijing 39%
51 Hong Kong 38%
52 Johannesburg 37%
53 Istanbul 36%
54 Los Angeles 36%
55 Chicago 32%
56 Shanghai 31%
57 New York 30%
58 Mexico City 27%
Healthy lifestyle factor Average across all cities in the study Highest total by category Lowest total by category
Obesity rates (by country in 2023 / 18+) 23.99% 44% 3.9%
Average life expectancy (by country) 80.62 85.29 64.88
Hours of sunshine (annual) 2,041.75 3,541.8 1,277
Air quality (1 = low / 100 = high) 54.21 90 15.97
Water quality (1 = low / 100 = high) 58.21 91.35 13.28
Number of “nature & parks” per 10,000 residents 0.04 0.22 0.004
Number of “outdoor activities” per 10,000 residents 0.25 2.21 0.017
Happiness score (by country — 1 = low / 100 = high) 48.3 60.1 34.9
Average hours worked per year (by country) 1,746 2,255 1,430
Average working week (hours / by country) 37 44 30
Cost of a 1.5L bottle of water (GBP) £0.97 £2.03 £0.18
Cost of a monthly gym membership (GBP) £40.01 £91.61 £16.46

Conclusion

While at Lenstore our primary focus is eye health, we understand the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle overall and the impact it can have on our physical health — and crucially, our mental health too.

Naturally, many factors determine a person’s overall health and wellbeing, and while some things are beyond our immediate control, there are undoubtedly choices we can make every day to live a happier, healthier life.

Methodology

We gathered data across 13 parameters for 58 cities around the world (see parameters below). We assigned each one a weighted score to give each city a total out of 100. This score was then used to rank all 58 cities and determine which were the best for healthy living.

Sources