Transport Minister Phil Twyford says by 2030, Aucklanders will "absolutely" be able to take a train from the CBD to the airport.

"In 10 years' time, our kids won't have to own a car to live and work in this city - that's not science fiction," Twyford told The AM Show on Wednesday morning.

His comments come after Auckland was ranked just 94th in the world as a place to raise a family.

The ranking was given by Movinga, a German-based relocation company, which scored 145 cities around the world based on housing, education, employment, transport and safety.

Auckland's poor rating was due mostly to poor transport and high housing costs.

Christchurch came in at 52nd while Wellington was ranked 38. The top-ranked city was Helsinki, in Finland.

"It's a very real problem that this report highlights," Twyford told The AM Show on Wednesday.

"Housing and transport costs have taken $10,000 out of the discretionary income of the average household. At a time of sustained economic growth, we've gone backwards, and that's because of housing and transport."