The Best Cities for Working Less... and Earning More!

We power the world’s most productive economy, but are US workers some of the weariest? A fifth of private employers still don’t offer their employees paid vacation time, and we’re the only developed nation with no legal entitlement to it.

And, while wage growth is flat, we’re apparently busier than ever. 62% of American office workers now say they usually eat their lunch in the same spot they work all day. If that sounds like you, do yourself a favor and don’t read the next part (especially if you’re eating) – scoffing down lunch at your desk can expose you to more bad bacteria than a toilet seat.

There has to be a better way for millennial workers to make a living. Aren’t the French known for taking long lunch breaks and lots of time off? Could moving abroad be the key to earning more while working less?

Inspired by this hunch (and a generous helping of population and wage data, courtesy of Deutsche Bank and UBS), we researched the cities that offer young workers great pay, amazing hours and ample annual leave.

You might be surprised by who came out on top!

Luxembourg to London: The Top Ten

Nestled snugly between Belgium, Germany, and France, land-locked Luxembourg's workers are in jobs as cushy as its country's location. With big salaries and and almost five weeks of paid vacation, Luxembourgers have it good.

Capital cities are known for being for hubs of industry, and our data suggests there's little to buck that trend. With the capitals of Germany, France, Finland, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, Norway, and the UK all well-represented in our list, it's no surprise that it's where our best talent is always headed.

It's also worth pointing out that Europe overall did well in our list – not a single city from outside the continent got a sniff.

Over-worked Americans – time to relocate?

RANK	City	2017 Monthly Net Salary (USD)	Working Hours Per Year	Paid Vacation Days Per Year
1	Luxembourg	4292	1,703	32
2	Munich	3180	1,721	29
3	Paris	2583	1,604	29
4	Helsinki	2620	1,659	29
5	Lyon	2269	1,631	29
6	Copenhagen	2958	1,697	25
7	Rome	1791	1,736	32
8	Dublin	2603	1,770	31
9	Oslo	3154	1,744	25
10	London	2776	1,740	25

Beijing to Bangkok: The Bottom Ten

Actually, our data suggests that the worst country for working less and earning more is Indonesia – specifically its capital, Jakarta.

Indonesia's core hub of industry ranks bottom overall, and fourth from bottom for salary, with an average monthly wage of just $548. 12 days paid vacation isn’t the worst by any stretch – that distinction goes to the three days paid leave in Sao Paolo – but it’s not outstanding.

Young adults across Asia have little to be happy about in general, with five of the bottom ten cities ranking poorly for pay, holiday time and hours worked.

Oh, and we hate to break it to you heliophiles, but the culture-rich, sun-soaked cities of Latin America aren't exactly places to go if you want lots of money… or long vacations. Cities from Colombia, Chile, Mexico, and Argentina are all to be found in the lower echelons of our list – although the mid-table statuses of Brazil's Rio de Janeiro and Peru's Lima do something to buck the trend.

But hey, at least the empanadas are amazing!

RANK	City	2017 Monthly Net Salary (USD)	Working Hours Per Year	Paid Vacation Days Per Year
60	Beijing	1322	1,963	10
61	Santiago de Chile	833	2,082	17
62	Mumbai	788	2,277	21
63	Istanbul	683	2,043	18
64	Shanghai	1336	2,051	7
65	Nairobi	340	2,184	22
66	Mexico City	685	2,261	17
67	Bogotá	430	2,096	15
68	Bangkok	812	2,191	9
69	Jakarta	548	2,102	12

An American Perspective

We don't feature in the top ten or the bottom ten… so just how did US cities fare when it comes to that holy grail of work-life balance?

Unsurprisingly, the Big Apple is the country's top contender, ranking at 13th overall with a whopping average salary of $4,304 – the third largest on the list, after Swiss powerhouses Zurich and Geneva.

Miami and Los Angeles jostle for similar mid-table rankings, while Chicago is the lowest ranking American city, at place 41.

Canadian cities probably deserve some credit here, too – Montreal (33) and Toronto (44) both hold their own with modest working hour quotas, and decent pay.

Work-Life Balance: Our Complete Rankings

Check out the full list of cities below to see if yours made the cut. And the next time you find yourself in the office at 9pm with a lap full of spreadsheets and sandwich crumbs, remember that you can always ditch the rat race…

…and buy a one way ticket to Luxembourg!

RANK	City	2017 Monthly Net Salary (USD)	Working Hours Per Year	Paid Vacation Days Per Year
1	Luxembourg	4292	1,703	32
2	Munich	3180	1,721	29
3	Paris	2583	1,604	29
4	Helsinki	2620	1,659	29
5	Lyon	2269	1,631	29
6	Copenhagen	2958	1,697	25
7	Rome	1791	1,736	32
8	Dublin	2603	1,770	31
9	Oslo	3154	1,744	25
10	London	2776	1,740	25
11	Vienna	2045	1,678	27
12	Frankfurt	2626	1,757	28
13	New York City	4304	1,847	27
14	Moscow	999	1,647	31
15	Geneva	5817	1,859	27
16	Milan	1737	1,691	26
17	Barcelona	1709	1,731	28
18	Berlin	2216	1,769	29
19	Stockholm	2622	1,770	25
20	Tallinn	1224	1,738	30
21	Sydney	3451	1,829	24
22	Vilnius	877	1,716	30
23	Zurich	5876	1,912	24
24	Madrid	1588	1,731	26
25	Dubai	3526	2,186	30
26	Prague	1033	1,753	28
27	Brussels	2140	1,717	18
28	Warsaw	975	1,757	26
29	Lima	1599	1,957	31
30	Rio de Janeiro	639	1,745	30
31	Doha	3518	2,082	24
32	Sao Paulo	722	1,818	31
33	Montreal	2240	1,783	18
34	Lisbon	964	1,748	23
35	Ljubljana	1348	1,853	25
35	Bratislava	1164	1,845	26
36	Miami	2571	1,854	19
37	Manama	1203	2,076	34
38	Los Angeles	3237	1,928	14
39	Nicosia	1486	1,855	22
40	Johannesburg	1650	1,847	19
41	Chicago	3622	2,030	14
42	Athens	776	1,800	23
43	Seoul	2698	1,934	15
44	Toronto	2560	1,985	19
45	Auckland	2762	1,992	16
46	Bucharest	721	1,807	23
47	Tokyo	2897	2,055	17
48	Budapest	812	1,910	26
49	Kiev	359	1,817	26
50	Riga	816	1,823	20
51	Sofia	718	1,821	22
52	Tel Aviv	2545	2,038	17
53	Hong Kong	2715	2,606	17
54	Buenos Aires	838	1,899	16
55	Kuala Lumpur	987	1,935	15
56	Manila	555	1,951	21
57	Taipei	2050	2,141	13
58	New Delhi	654	2,214	26
59	Cairo	178	2,082	25
60	Beijing	1322	1,963	10
61	Santiago de Chile	833	2,082	17
62	Mumbai	788	2,277	21
63	Istanbul	683	2,043	18
64	Shanghai	1336	2,051	7
65	Nairobi	340	2,184	22
66	Mexico City	685	2,261	17
67	Bogotá	430	2,096	15
68	Bangkok	812	2,191	9
69	Jakarta	548	2,102	12

As always, thanks for reading!

And, now you've fallen into our intricate rabbit hole of fun, city-related content, why not dive even deeper? You can explore the best and worst cities for commuting (the US is certainly well-represented in the latter – we're looking at you, Miami!), as well as the world's top tech cities.