SINGAPORE: Singapore is one of the least exciting among 32 cities from around the world, according to Time Out’s City Life Index 2018 which was published on Tuesday (Jan 30).



Singapore came in at 31 in the anonymous survey of 15,000 urbanites across the 32 cities which takes into account criteria such as culture, food, drink, friendliness, liveability, affordability and happiness.





Time Out pronounced Singapore as “the worst rated city” for culture, and the worst for drinking apart from Dubai. However, Singapore's final score of 98.7 points was bolstered by its good ratings for safety and public transport and its “much buzzier restaurant scene” compared to other cities towards the bottom of the ranking.

Singapore came ahead of last-placed city, Istanbul, which chalked up 87.1 points. The index reported that Istanbulites think their city is “a rip-off” and that it is unsafe, adding that that they also do not “feel proud or enjoy living there”.

The honour of “greatest city in the world” went to Chicago, with Chicagoans lauding the city’s bar scene, live music and culture. The Windy City, which racked up 138.2 points, was also deemed “one of the happiest and proudest cities” worldwide.

Coming in at a close second was Porto, described as “the best place in the world for making friends, finding love and feeling free to be yourself”. The Portuguese city was also deemed the most affordable for a night out.



Third place went to New York which scored well for culture, nightlife and dining despite being one of the “most stressed cities”. Those who live in the Big Apple also said they felt “free to be themselves” and that they would still live in the city if money were no object.

Other cities that made the top 10 were Melbourne, London, Madrid, Manchester, Lisbon, Philadelphia and Barcelona.

Time Out’s City Life Index 2018