South African cities continue to dominate the top five rankings for African cities, much like in the previous year.
- Business Insider Africa presents the top 5 African cities with the best quality of life index at the start of 2025
- The list is courtesy of Numbeo.
- South African cities continue to dominate the top five rankings for African cities, much like in the previous year.
Quality of life is more than just a checklist of conveniences, it is about the experiences that shape our daily lives.
It is the joy of getting around without spending hours stuck in traffic, the peace of feeling safe in your neighbourhood, the ease of being able to see a doctor when you need to, and the balance of living in an environment that feels healthy and inviting.
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For many, it’s these everyday realities that determine whether a city feels like home or just a place to endure.
Numbeo, a data and research powerhouse, recently spotlighted African cities boasting the best quality of life at the start of 2025.
The platform employed an aggregate score, considering factors such as purchasing power index, safety index, healthcare index, cost of living index, property price to income ratio, traffic commute time, pollution index, and climate index.
A higher score on the index signifies a better quality of life, offering a comparative tool to evaluate and contrast the living standards in different regions of the world.
According to the latest Quality of Life Index by Numbeo, South African cities continue to dominate the top five rankings for African cities, much like in the previous year. Four cities from South Africa have maintained their position on the list, highlighting the country’s relative stability in urban living standards, despite its socio-economic challenges.
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However, a notable change in this year’s ranking is the exclusion of Nairobi, Kenya. Previously listed with a score of 97.4, Nairobi has fallen off the rankings this year. Meanwhile, Morocco has made a remarkable entry into the top five, with Casablanca scoring 95.2.
Below are the top 5 African cities with the best quality of life index at the start of 2025:
| Rank | City | Country | Quality of Life Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | South Africa | 160.2 |
| 2 | Pretoria | South Africa | 157.9 |
| 3 | Durban | South Africa | 149.0 |
| 4 | Johannesburg | South Africa | 141.8 |
| 5 | Morocco | Casablanca | 95.2 |
