FIND
YOUR CITY.
Not someone else's “best city.” Yours. Compare places across housing, jobs, safety, wellness, climate, mobility, outdoor life, culture and the things that actually shape everyday life.
THERE ISN'T ONE
“BEST” CITY.
The city that works beautifully for a 24-year-old building a career may be completely wrong for a family with three kids, a remote worker, an outdoor athlete or someone planning retirement.
Best Cities looks beyond the usual list of home prices and job numbers. We evaluate the financial reality of a place — but also how easy, healthy, connected and enjoyable everyday life can actually be.
dimensions
classes
that fits you
WHAT MATTERS
TO YOU?
Rankings change depending on what you value. Start with the part of life you want your next city to improve.
Affordability
Housing, income, taxes, insurance and recurring costs.
→ 02Jobs & Economy
Wages, opportunity, employer depth and resilience.
→ 03Families
Safety, schools, housing, stability and everyday ease.
→ 04Outdoor Living
Trails, water, mountains, parks and year-round access.
→ 05Safety & Stability
Personal safety, road risk and long-term stability.
→ 06Health & Wellness
Healthcare access and the conditions that support health.
→ 07Ease of Living
Commutes, errands, services and daily friction.
→ 08Culture & Social Life
Food, events, arts, third places and community.
→
WHICH CITY
ACTUALLY FITS
YOU BETTER?
Put two cities side by side across housing, safety, jobs, mobility, wellness, climate, beauty, nature, culture and the full 2027 MNM Livability Index.
Compare Any Two Cities →Boston
MassachusettsSan Diego
California
FIND YOUR
VERSION OF BEST.
Explore national rankings built around different priorities, lifestyles and stages of life.
Best Overall
The strongest balance across the full Modern Livability Index.
View ranking → 02Families
Safety, housing, wellness, recreation and family life.
View ranking → 03Affordability
Where income, housing and everyday expenses work together.
View ranking → 04Jobs & Economy
Employment depth, wages, opportunity and economic resilience.
View ranking → 05Outdoor Living
Where access to nature can become part of everyday life.
View ranking → 20+Explore Every Ranking
Students, retirees, homebuyers, renters, climate, health and more.
See all rankings →
COMPARE CITIES
WITH REAL PEERS.
A city of 70,000 shouldn't have to compete with New York City. Best Cities separates places into population classes so comparisons make sense.
Small
Smaller footprint. Big quality-of-life potential.
→ SIZE 02Medium
City amenities without full big-city scale.
→ SIZE 03Large
Major employment, culture and regional influence.
→ SIZE 04Mega
America's largest urban centers compared head to head.
→
DIFFERENT LIFE.
DIFFERENT WINNER.
Start with the kind of life you're trying to build, then see which cities rise.
FIND THE CITY
YOU HAVEN'T
THOUGHT OF YET.
Everyone already knows New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Austin. But some of America's strongest places to live may never make your original shortlist.
DATA FIRST.
REAL LIFE ALWAYS.
The MNM Livability Index combines measurable city data with structured scoring for the qualities traditional rankings often underweight — everyday friction, beauty, belonging, access to nature and quality of place.
FIND A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE.
Best Cities by Movers Near Me helps people research and compare cities across the United States using housing, cost of living, jobs and earnings, safety, health, climate, mobility, outdoor recreation, culture, community and quality-of-life data.
Browse cities by state, compare two cities side by side or explore rankings based on the things that matter most to your life. Whether you're relocating for work, raising a family, retiring, working remotely or simply wondering where life could work better, your search can start here.
Browse Best Cities →Start with a state.
DON'T FIND
THE BEST CITY.
FIND YOURS.
Explore the 2027 Best Cities rankings, compare places side by side and discover where your next chapter could work better.