Living in constant stress This European city shocks in the global stress ranking
A new study shows the extent to which commuting times, housing costs and the pace of everyday life drive stress in cities, and why a supposedly popular city suddenly appears at the top of the stress rankings.
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- A European capital with an actually good image is surprisingly high up in a new stress ranking.
- The high cost of living and long commutes play a bigger role than crime.
- New York is in second place, followed by Mexico City with safety and traffic problems.
- Basel takes the top spot in terms of cost of living.
Green, friendly, musical. This European capital actually enjoys a pleasant image. This makes a new international evaluation all the more surprising: A city that many people associate with a laid-back attitude and joie de vivre comes top of the global stress rankings - Dublin.
Over 170 major cities worldwide were examined for the stress study. The money transfer service Remitly evaluated five factors that can put a measurable strain on everyday life: Commute times, cost of living, healthcare, crime and air pollution. This results in a stress index of 0 to 10, with the higher the value, the greater the pressure.
At the top of the ranking is New York City with a stress score of 7.56. High prices, heavy traffic, constant acceleration. This is hardly surprising. The city is known for demanding a lot. Directly behind it in second place is Dublin.
Dublin's high housing costs cause stress
With a stress score of 7.55, the capital of Ireland is practically on a par with the American megacity. A value that leaves even many much larger metropolitan areas behind.
Stress in Dublin has no single cause, but is the result of a combination of several factors. At over 30 minutes for ten kilometers, commuting times are among the longest in Europe. At the same time, housing costs have risen sharply in recent years and the ratio between income and property prices is well above the long-term average.
Unlike in Latin American cities, crime and security play a lesser role here. However, the pressure comes from scarcity, competition and costs. Those who live, commute and work feel it every day.
Mexico City follows in third place in the ranking with a stress score of 7.38. The main stress factors there are safety issues, extreme traffic jams and the size of the metropolitan region. More than 22 million people share space, time and infrastructure.
Relaxed living in Eindhoven in the Netherlands
What the ranking clearly shows is that stress is not a uniform global phenomenon. In North America and Europe, financial pressure tends to dominate, while in parts of Latin America it is the security situation.
Other cities in Latin America, such as São Paulo in Brazil, show similar stress patterns: traffic, high crime rates and security concerns characterize people's everyday lives, while in North America the high cost of housing and living in particular causes stress.
At the other end of the scale is Eindhoven. The Dutch city with just under 250,000 inhabitants has a stress score of just 2.34 and is considered the most relaxed city in the world. Short distances, low crime rates and very accessible healthcare make all the difference. According to the World Index of Healthcare Innovation 2024, Holland is ranked 4th in the world - Switzerland is ranked 1st.
Australia's capital scores with good air
Four of the ten least stressful cities are in the Netherlands. Utrecht, Groningen and Rotterdam also score very well.
But Europe is not the only place that can be calm and relaxed. Canberra ranks third among the most relaxed cities with a stress score of 2.80. The Australian capital scores well with clean air, predictable commute times and plenty of space. Air pollution is at a top level in a global comparison - which is meant positively here. Only the higher crime rates than in the Dutch cities prevent a better position in the rankings.
A look at the individual factors reveals some extremes: in the Indian city of Kolkatta (formerly Calcutta), for example, commuters need an average of over 34 minutes to travel ten kilometers, longer than in any other city. San Antonio in the USA covers the same distance in just over ten minutes.
Healthcare as a decisive stress factor
Healthcare also shows how strongly structures influence stress. Cities with good access to medical care perform better overall. The capital of Taiwan, Taipei, is at the top of the list, achieving the highest score in the ranking with 99 percent coverage thanks to its almost nationwide healthcare system.
People who know that medical help is available quickly and affordably apparently sleep more relaxed. At the other end of the scale is Cairo in Egypt: although there are public and private services there, the widely accessible system is considered weak due to underfunding and a lack of staff, which noticeably increases the pressure of everyday life.
The differences in security are similarly clear. With a crime index of 81.9, the South African city of Pretoria has the highest value in the comparison. The subjective feeling of safety is low, both during the day and at night. The opposite can be found in the Gulf: Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has an index of just 11.0, making it one of the safest cities in the world.
Basel with stressfully high costs
In terms of costs, Switzerland has a top ranking - but not one to be envied. With a cost of living index of 119.6, Basel is the most expensive city in the entire ranking. At the other end of the scale is Jaipur in India, where life may be particularly cheap, but the air quality suffers massively: Particulate matter pollution there is almost ten times higher than the WHO guideline values.
Remitly emphasizes that stress is experienced individually. The study depicts structural framework conditions, not personal lifestyles. Nevertheless, a pattern emerges: where distances are short, costs are controllable and the air is clean, the pressure decreases.
In other words, some cities demand significantly more from their residents than others.
