KEY POINTS:
They're the very things we love to complain about, but public transport, a top-notch health service and attractive rental accommodation make New Zealand's cities among the best places in the world to live.
The Mercer 2008 Quality of Living survey ranked Auckland fifth and Wellington 13th in a list of 215 cities worldwide.
As in 2007, Swiss and German cities took most of the top 10 spots, while Baghdad ranked as the worst place in the world to live.
The study by global consulting firm Mercer checked each city against a list of criteria including personal safety, schools and education, and climate. Factors like political stability and personal freedom were also taken into account. Each city was given a score compared to New York, the benchmark city, with a base score of 100. Auckland had the best quality of living of any city in the Asia Pacific region, followed by Sydney and Wellington.
Auckland and Wellington held on to their 2007 rankings, while Sydney slipped one place to 10th. Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide ranked further down in 17th, 21st and 29th places.
Auckland's "excellent" range of restaurants won a special mention.
Auckland and Wellington both received perfect scores for housing, with surveyors commenting on their attractive rental properties and prestigious residential districts. They tied at 10th in the world for personal safety.
The Mercer survey is designed to help governments and big companies when they place employees in other countries.
Mercer's head of information product solutions, Rob Knox, said the results were great news for New Zealand employers trying to attract overseas workers.
Auckland Mayor John Banks said the results were "very flattering" but he would like to see Auckland at number one. "To be frank, there is much room for progress and even more room for improvement."
The most dangerous cities in Europe and the Americas were Bogota, Colombia, which ranked 207th for personal safety, and Moscow, at 196th. London ranked 69th for personal safety and 38th for quality of living - up one place from 2007.
