New York, Paris and London might dominate when it comes to fashion, nightlife and entertainment.

But it is a more low-key city that has been crowned the best place in the world to live.

The Austrian capital of Vienna beat 229 other cities to take the title in the 18th Mercer Quality of Life survey.

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First place: Vienna, Austria beat out 229 other cities to take the title in the 18th Mercer Quality of Life survey

Second place: Despite its high cost of living, Zurich, Switzerland, has once again performed well in the survey

Third place: The city of Auckland, New Zealand, offers residents stable infrastructure and plenty of housing

It was followed by Zurich, Switzerland in second place and the New Zealand city of Auckland in third.

Access to healthcare, quality of education, housing and environmental factors are all taken into consideration by the team at Mercer, one of the world's largest HR consultancy firms.

The results of the study, the most comprehensive of its kind, are used by international corporations to assess how safe it is to send their employees to a given city.

Seven of the top 10 places with the best quality of life were in Europe, and nearly half of them were in Germany. Munich, Dusseldorf and Frankfurt ranked at four, six and seven respectively.

The Danish capital of Copenhagen, which was recently named one of the happiest places in the world to live, came in ninth place.

Despite its high cost of living, Geneva, also made the list, coming in at number eight. Residents of the Swiss city, among the richest in the world, enjoy high standards of education and low crime rates.

Fourth place: The German city of Munich maintains a sense of history while offering modern amenities

Fifth place: Vancouver, Canada, is the best place to live in North America, offering a high quality of healthcare

Sixth place: Divided by the majestic Rhine, Dusseldorf, in Germany is well-known its fashion and art scene

Sydney, Australia, was named the 10th most desirable place to live. Its stunning natural environment, beautiful weather and thriving cultural scene all work in its favour.

Vancouver, Canada, one of the countries most diverse cities, was came in fifth place.

But British cities have failed to make an impact on the list this year, with London the highest place at 39. The only other English city to make the cut is Birmingham at number 53.

Scotland fares slightly better with three cities - Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen - ranked at 46, 55 and 59, respectively. Belfast was ranked in 64th place.

Seventh Place: Frankfurt, Germany's financial capital, provides excellent hospitals and stunning architecture

Eight place: Despite its high cost of living, Geneva is one of the most desirable places to live in Switzerland

One place where safety has become a more pressing issue over the last year is Paris, where a string of high-profile terror strikes causing the French capital to fall 10 places to 37th.

Crime and personal safety are also factors that keep many US cities out of the top spots, with none of them managing to break the top 20.

San Francisco is the highest ranking at 28, followed by Boston at 34 and the Hawaiian city of Honolulu at 35. Chicago and New York City come in at 43 and 44 respectively.

Ninth place: The Danish capital of Copenhagen offers its residents an excellent quality of life

Tenth place: With one of the world's most distinctive harboursides, Sydney, Australia, rounds out the top 10