Islamabad Beats London, Paris, New York in Quality of Life Index

Pakistan's capital has scored higher than London, Paris and New York in a well known global ranking of city life. In the Numbeo Quality of Life Index for mid 2026, released in July, Islamabad received 140.7 points. Paris got 138.8, New York 137.3 and London 135.8.

Islamabad also finished ahead of Kuala Lumpur, Budapest and Johannesburg. It was the highest scoring city in Pakistan by a wide margin. Lahore came second with 98.4 points, while Karachi scored 76.1.

The result does not put Islamabad among the world's best cities. It shows that, on the things Numbeo measures, people rate daily life in Islamabad a little better than in some of the world's most famous cities. The top of the list is still far away.

A Big Jump in Six Months

Islamabad was not ahead of these cities a few months ago. In Numbeo's previous list, released in January 2026, the capital had 133.1 points. At that time London had 143.4, Paris 143.6 and New York 134.4, so all three were ahead of Islamabad.

In six months, Islamabad gained 7.6 points. In the same period London lost 7.6 points and Paris lost 4.8 points, while New York gained 2.9 points. So the new position comes partly from Islamabad's own progress and partly from London and Paris falling.

Some of Islamabad's separate scores also moved. Its Purchasing Power Index rose from 37.8 in January to 43.7, and its Safety Index went up slightly from 68.6 to 69.2. Its Cost of Living Index rose from 22.8 to 25.3, which means prices in the city went up compared with New York.

Over a longer period, the change is also visible. Numbeo's mid 2024 list gave Islamabad 133.6 points and placed it 121st in the world. The new score is the highest of these three readings.

Where Islamabad Is Strong and Where It Is Weak

Safety is one of Islamabad's biggest strengths. Its Safety Index of 69.2 is far above the big Western cities. In Numbeo's January list, London's safety score was 44.4, Paris was 42.0 and New York was 48.9.

Numbeo's separate Crime Index for mid 2026 also named Islamabad the safest of Pakistan's major cities. The capital had a crime score of 30.8, compared with 36.2 for Lahore and 57.6 for Karachi. In this index, a lower number means less crime.

Low prices are the other strength. Numbeo compares the cost of living in every city with New York, which is fixed at 100. Islamabad scored 25.3, while London scored 88.2 and Paris 78.6. This means everyday things like groceries, eating out and transport cost roughly a quarter of New York prices, not counting rent.

The capital scored 63.7 for health care and 76.9 for climate. Its pollution score was 41.5, and here too a lower number is better. Lahore and Karachi do much worse on pollution. In January, Lahore's pollution score was 78.9 and Karachi's was 89.6.

The weak point is income. Islamabad's Purchasing Power Index is only 43.7, which shows that local salaries buy far less than salaries in rich countries. Cheap prices help, but they do not fully make up for low pay. Housing is also costly for local families: in the January list, an apartment in Islamabad cost about 19 times a family's yearly income, a higher ratio than in London, Paris or New York.

How Numbeo Builds the Index

Numbeo is an online database that started in 2009. It collects information from ordinary users who fill in surveys about prices, crime, health care, traffic and pollution in their own cities. It does not use official government statistics, so its scores show how residents and visitors see a city.

The Quality of Life Index combines eight areas. These are purchasing power, safety, health care, cost of living, house prices compared with income, time spent in traffic, pollution and climate. Strong purchasing power, safety, health care and good weather add points, while high prices, costly housing, long travel times and pollution take points away.

Numbeo publishes these city lists twice a year. One comes out at the start of the year and the other in the middle of the year.

Still Far Behind the Leaders

Islamabad is a long way from the top. The Hague in the Netherlands led the new list with 221.5 points, followed by Eindhoven with 210.7. The Hague has been first in Numbeo's yearly city ranking every year since 2023. Seattle in the United States scored 182.5, about 42 points more than Islamabad.

Other global rankings tell a different story. In Mercer's 2023 Quality of Living ranking, Islamabad was placed 206th. In July 2026, the Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Index placed Karachi 170th out of 173 cities. These surveys use different methods, so their results often do not match.

For Pakistan, the new list is good news for the capital, but it also shows a wide gap at home. Islamabad scored 64.6 points more than Karachi, the country's largest city and main business centre. Numbeo's next full list is expected in early 2027, and it will show whether Islamabad can stay ahead of London, Paris and New York.