Toronto may be known for its high housing costs and rising cost of living, but a new global report suggests the city still offers something many families value: a great place to raise kids.
A recent study ranked the best cities in the world for family life, evaluating everything from safety and education to green space and parental benefits. Despite its expensive reputation, Toronto landed in 29th place globally, making it one of the top 50 family-friendly cities worldwide. Montreal was the only other Canadian city on the list, placing just behind Toronto at 31st.
What Makes a City Family-Friendly?
To create the ranking, researchers evaluated cities across nine key factors:
Safety
Overall happiness levels
Child-friendly activities
Cost of living
Family benefits provided by the country
Parental leave policies
Access to green spaces
Child vaccination rates
National spending on education
Toronto performed strongly across several of these categories, particularly in the number of activities available for children and its safety score.
How Toronto Scored
Here’s a breakdown of Toronto’s results:
Safety score: 81
World happiness score: 6.803
Things to do with kids: 160
Monthly cost of living: $4,130.30
National family benefits spending: 1.567
Combined parental leave weeks: 17
Green spaces per capita: 8.70
Child vaccination rates: 84.67
Education spending: 4.9
Overall index score: 3.794
While affordability remains a challenge, the city’s wide range of parks, museums, cultural institutions, and family-oriented activities helped push Toronto into the global rankings.
The Cities That Came Out on Top
The report ultimately named Brisbane, Australia as the best city in the world to raise a family. Its high safety score, generous parental leave policies, and large amount of green space helped it take the top spot.
In fact, Australian cities dominated the rankings due largely to their relative affordability and strong family support systems.
Top 10 Cities for Families Worldwide
Brisbane, Australia
London, England
Auckland, New Zealand
Helsinki, Finland
Sydney, Australia
Perth, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
Stockholm, Sweden
Berlin, Germany
Seoul, South Korea
Toronto Still Holds Strong Appeal
Even with rising living costs, Toronto continues to stand out as a city where families can thrive. Its mix of education opportunities, cultural attractions, green spaces, and safety contributes to a quality of life that remains competitive on a global stage.
For many families, it’s proof that while Toronto may not always be the cheapest place to live, it can still be one of the most rewarding.
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