Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city and the country’s financial and economic center. Located between two harbours, there are beaches, hiking trails, and islands within a short distance of this popular destination in Oceania. But how is Auckland performing in terms of reputation and influence, business attractiveness and sustainability?
Let’s take a closer look at:
- Auckland’s reputation and performance as a city brand;
- Its global influence;
- How attractive for digital nomads?
- How Auckland fares in environmental sustainability;
- Auckland’s appeal as a hub for creativity and innovation.
With thanks to our friends and knowledge partners Bloom Consulting, 2thinknow and Resonance Consulting for supporting our city profiles by contributing latest research insights and benchmarking data.
Auckland’s reputation and influence
Ranked 17th on the Ipsos Top Cities Index (2017), Auckland’s comparatively high position is mostly due to its popularity as a place to live in, ahead of its appeal as a place to visit, or work. The ranking also offers details on the evaluations given by different generations, and Auckland scores 9th both for the Baby Boomers (born between 1945-65) and Generation X (1966-1979).
In Resonance Consultancy’s 2020 World’s Best Cities report, Auckland ranked 98th overall among 100 cities. The city scores 89 in Programming and its performance is considerably worse in the categories Prosperity (125), Promotion (118), Place (96), and Product (94).
Economic performance of Auckland
Although among the most expensive cities in the world, Auckland is also among the most liveable ones. The city ranks 3rd in the 2019 Mercer Quality of Living Ranking, thanks to its attractiveness as a place to do business, while it ranks 89th on the 2019 Mercer Cost of Living Ranking. In other words, it is considered expensive, even for international expats.
On the other hand, comparatively high incomes and purchasing power seem to compensate for this. The UBS Prices and Earnings 2018 Index ranks Auckland 13th out of 77 cities for Price, all in all still among the more affordable cities worldwide.
Auckland’s urban sustainability
Ranked 35th on the World’s Healthiest Cities Index, Auckland is one of only two New Zealand cities that found their place in the ranking. Its position is mainly thanks to high scores for green spaces, life expectancy, as well as air and water quality.
How attractive for digital nomads?
Auckland is an expensive city to live in, including for digital nomads. This is emphasized by both the Nomad List and the Digital Nomad Index. Both the positions for the average rental cost of a one-bedroom apartment and for the cost of a beer are ranked in the second half of the scoreboard of the aforementioned index.
In addition, the list considers the cold weather a relevant factor whether or not to live in Auckland. Similarly, both the list and the index regard the startup score as low.
Overall, the city is ranked 11th. Interestingly, whereas the index and list praise the high-speed Internet access in Auckland, New Zealand’s high-speed home Internet access is the only category the country scores badly in (35th) according to The Digital Life Abroad report. That said, the report praises the digital life in New Zealand and even ranks it 5th out of 68 countries.
Innovation in Auckland
Auckland ranks 110th in the Global 2019 Innovation Cities™ Index, a fall in 14 places since the last year.
Last updated in January 2020.
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