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Best Cities in the Americas to Live

The Americas offer everything from Toronto's career opportunities to Medellin's affordability and San Jose's quality of life. We rank cities across North, Central, and South America using institutional data from 7 indices — cost, safety, healthcare, education, climate, career, and transport — so you can make a data-driven choice.

Last updated: February 2026

Cities Ranked

$2,025

Avg. Monthly Cost

$1,100

Lowest Monthly Cost

Personalize Rankings for Americas

Top 20 Cities in Americas

Ranked using a balanced average across 7 city-level indices. Higher scores indicate better overall quality.

🇨🇦

Toronto

Canada

/100

~$3,050/mo

🇨🇦

Vancouver

Canada

/100

~$2,950/mo

🇺🇸

New York

United States

/100

~$3,200/mo

🇨🇦

Montreal

Canada

/100

~$2,750/mo

🇺🇸

San Francisco

United States

/100

~$3,050/mo

🇨🇦

Calgary

Canada

/100

~$2,650/mo

🇺🇸

Austin

United States

/100

~$2,900/mo

🇺🇸

Denver

United States

/100

~$2,800/mo

🇺🇾

Montevideo

Uruguay

/100

~$2,600/mo

🇨🇱

Santiago

Chile

/100

~$2,450/mo

🇺🇾

Punta del Este

Uruguay

/100

~$2,450/mo

🇨🇱

Valparaiso

Chile

/100

~$2,300/mo

🇺🇾

Salto

Uruguay

/100

~$2,250/mo

🇨🇱

Concepcion

Chile

/100

~$2,100/mo

🇨🇷

Escazu

Costa Rica

/100

~$2,100/mo

🇺🇾

Maldonado

Uruguay

/100

~$2,150/mo

🇨🇱

La Serena

Chile

/100

~$2,000/mo

🇨🇷

Heredia

Costa Rica

/100

~$1,950/mo

🇵🇦

Panama City

Panama

/100

~$2,500/mo

🇨🇷

Alajuela

Costa Rica

/100

~$1,850/mo

Plus 44 more cities ranked in Americas

View All Cities

#1 City in Americas

🇨🇦

Toronto

Canada

82/100

Quality Score

$3,050

Est. Monthly Cost

View Full City Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Which cities in the Americas are best for retirees?

Cities in Costa Rica (San Jose), Mexico (Merida, Puerto Vallarta), Panama (Panama City), and Uruguay (Montevideo) combine low costs with decent healthcare. Each city page shows detailed cost breakdowns and healthcare scores.

How do North and South American cities compare on safety?

Canadian cities (Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal) and Chilean cities (Santiago, Valparaiso) consistently lead on safety. Montevideo and San Jose also score well. Our safety index combines Global Peace Index, homicide rates, and stability indicators.

Are there affordable cities with good infrastructure?

Mexico City, Medellin, and Buenos Aires offer strong transport and career indices at significantly lower costs than US or Canadian cities. Each city page shows the transport score alongside estimated monthly costs.

Explore Other Regions

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