If you live in Hong Kong, here’s another reason to feel chuffed about being in the good old 852! The territory has found a place on the first Asia-Pacific’s Best Cities Report, which includes urban centres in Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. The SAR took the No. 4 position, surpassed only by Singapore, Tokyo, and Seoul. More than 30 cities in Mainland China found a place on the list, as did 26 places in India, and nine in Japan. The survey, which was conducted by Resonance Consultancy, assessed factors like liveability, lovability, and prosperity.
Best Cities in APAC in 2025
Singapore bagged the top spot for being “a global powerhouse excelling in infrastructure, GDP per capita, and innovation,” while Tokyo emerged second thanks to its “perfect blend of culture, commerce, and connectivity [as well as] attractions, museums, and nightlife”. Seoul took the No. 3 position for its combination of futuristic infrastructure and historic charm. Resilient financial hub and historically rich Hong Kong came in at No. 4, and Beijing rounded out the Top 5.
While the Top 5 comprises only Asian cities, the bottom half of the Top 10 includes Australian hubs like Sydney and Melbourne. The 100-city list also includes the Instagram-famous Chinese city of Chongqing, the southern Japanese hub of Kitakyushu, and Indian tourism hotspot Jaipur.
How the Survey was Conducted
Resonance — a global advisor on tourism, real estate, and economic development — polled 7,006 people to ask them where they would most like to live and visit and could find the best job opportunities based on three criteria. The first was liveability, which included metrics like sights and landmarks, price-to-income ratio, rent, and the prevalence of nature and parks, among others. Lovability took into consideration factors like nightlife, shopping, and a city’s presence on Facebook, Tripadvisor reviews and Google Trends. It also assessed a city’s prosperity in terms of the number of companies it has in the Fortune Global 500 list, airport connectivity, and GDP per capita.
Image credits: Koma Tang via Canva
