Adelaide ranked among world’s best cities for families, according to new survey

A new global index has confirmed what many of us already know, that Adelaide is the best Australian city to raise a family.

• It’s time for South Australia be bold
• South Aussie pollies aren’t listening to the people
• Just not enough jobs to go around in SA

Adelaide is the best Australian city for raising children, according to a new index that ranks the state’s capital among the top 25 cities globally for families.

The Best Cities for Families 2020 study ranked Adelaide 22 out of 150 cities based on a liveability matrix. (Scroll down to see the top 50)

The study scored the cities out of 100 in categories such as neighbourhood safety, education, job prospects, living costs, air quality, education and housing affordability.

Perth was the next best Australian city at 32, Sydney ranked 47 and Melbourne rounded out the top 50.

Adelaide’s highest category score of 95 was for cost of living, followed by housing affordability (92.9) and family friendliness (90) – the latter putting it alongside Tokyo in Japan and Calgary in Canada.

But Adelaide scored just 55.6 for public transport options and was middle of the field for children’s activities.

The international study, by German company Movinga, also asked parents for their perception of public safety and if they would let their children walk alone to a corner shop. Adelaide scored 87 on safety, lower than all other Australian capital cities, with Melbourne coming out on top with 92.

Jaime and Andy Will with their children Alby, 10, Harry, 7, and Maggie, 6, at Tusmore Park.

Tusmore resident Jaime Will, 40, and her husband Andy, 37, have lived in Adelaide all their lives and would not live anywhere else.

“It provides really simple living,” Ms Will said.

“Everything is so accessible, travelling from one side of the city to the other, from the Hills to the beach, is a 20-minute drive.

“The population is small, you’ve got space, good local parks and good schools on offer.”

Ms Will is a teacher at Burnside Primary School and is able to walk to school with her children Alby, 10, Harry, 7, and Maggie, 6.

“One of the best things is you can take your kids anywhere, let them ride their bikes down the street to local parks and you know they are safe,” she said.

On the employment front, she said some of her friends have had to move interstate to pursue better job prospects.

The Movinga study found Finland’s capital Helsinki was the best city for families, followed by Quebec in Canada and Oslo in Norway.

Scandinavian and Canadian cities dominated the top 10 rankings.

The study calculated rankings using data from multiple sources, such as the ABS, OECD, the World Bank, Australian Council for Educational Research, World Health Organisation and local transport authorities.

Various global liveability indexes, including The Economist Intelligence Unit, have consistently ranked Adelaide among the best places to live.