"Factors such as improved transport and communications infrastructure ... have played a part in slowly bringing these [eastern European] cities into line with the west", said the survey, "despite the clear difference in living standards between eastern and western Europe."
Indeed, in the survey of 126 cities Budapest ranked just 57th, while Prague, Bratislava and Warsaw took 59th, 62nd and 67th places, respectively, placing them on par with the likes of Milan, Rome, Athens, Taipei and Buenos Aires. The rankings are based on 40 factors weighted across the categories of stability, healthcare, culture/environment, education and infrastructure.
Budapest's liveability ranking of 14% - the lower the score the more attractive the destination - indicates a widespread availability of goods and services and compares with 16% for Prague, 19% for Bratislava, and 22% for Warsaw. A score of 0-19% means "few, if any liveability issues," while a score of 20-29% indicates that although "day-to-day living is fine, some problems will be encountered."
