The world’s rich cities people are leaving
Major urban areas residents are moving away from
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New York
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One of just two Alpha++ urban areas in the world, the city that never sleeps is famed for its fast-paced lifestyle and boundless employment, cultural and entertainment opportunities. Nevertheless, living in the Big Apple can be especially challenging and a recent report by Bloomberg found that as many as 277 residents are leaving each day, more than any other US city.
New York
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Between July 2017 and July 2018 New York lost 180,306 inhabitants but gained only 131,746, according to the US Census Bureau. Experts have cited a number of reasons for the exodus. They include the city's punishing living expenses, high tax rates and dilapidated infrastructure, not to mention the poor public schools, shocking rates of homelessness and fiercely competitive work culture that can easily lead to burnout.
London
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London
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Paris
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Paris
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Toronto
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Toronto
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The age groups most likely to leave are adults in their 30s and children under five, meaning that the city is losing young families. The culprit? Like so many places featured in this round-up, rising housing costs, which squeeze families with relatively low incomes but larger space requirements, are to blame.
Sydney
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During the most recent quarter of this year more than 21,000 Sydney residents waved goodbye and moved out of New South Wales, according to data from real estate company Domain. Although the vibrant Australian city has long been regarded as one of the most liveable urban areas in the world, many long-term inhabitants are contemplating a move elsewhere.
Sydney
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Yet again it all boils down to housing costs. Though house prices and rents have fallen over the past year, they remain unsustainably high for many people, and property prices are beginning to rise again. The median house price in the city was a whopping AU$875,000 (US$598,770/£466,375) in June, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, while median weekly rent came in at AU$525 (US$359/£280), says Domain.
Hong Kong
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Hong Kong
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Los Angeles
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Back to America, the same Bloomberg study which found that 277 people are leaving New York on a daily basis revealed that Los Angeles is losing 201 residents each day. The figure is backed up by US Census Bureau data which shows that more people are quitting the City of Angels and Orange County than are moving in.
Los Angeles
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Auckland
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New Zealand's most populous city scores the highest out of any urban area in our round-up when it comes to quality of life, bagging joint third place in Mercer's 2019 Quality of Living Ranking. Despite this impressive rating, a recent report by top economist Benje Patterson found that Auckland lost 30,000 residents between June 2013 and June 2017.
Auckland
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San Francisco
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San Francisco
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Like Auckland, outrageously expensive housing costs and traffic congestion are turning people off the area. Data from the US Census Bureau shows that, between 2013 and 2017, 35,400 residents moved to other more affordable and less traffic-congested locations, notably Portland, Oregon, parts of Texas and even across the border into Canada.
New Delhi
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Delhi has hit the headlines of late due to its atrocious air quality, which has left residents reeling. The thick smog that frequently descends on the city, which has been ranked the world's most polluted metropolis, makes day-to-day life almost unbearable for many residents and is directly responsible for thousands of premature deaths each year.
New Delhi
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A survey conducted earlier this month by Indian website LocalCircles revealed that 40% of Delhiites want to move away from the city, and many people, mainly wealthier denizens who have the means to start a new life elsewhere, have done so already. Dubbed 'pollution refugees' by The Washington Post, they have headed to places like Goa and Bangalore, and have even ventured overseas to escape Delhi's poisonous air.
Take a look at the cities where prosperity and poverty are neighbours
Madrid
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Madrid
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Istanbul
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Interestingly, the opposite is true of Istanbul. The Turkish city's high rate of unemployment and soaring living costs are pushing out young hipster professionals. More people are now leaving Turkey's largest urban areas than moving in. Between 2017 and 2018, 595,000 residents departed from Istanbul, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.
Istanbul
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Chicago
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A wind of demographic change is sweeping through the Windy City as a large number of residents up sticks and move away. According to Bloomberg, as many as 161 folks are exiting Chicago each day.
Chicago
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In fact, based on data compiled by the US Census Bureau for 2019, Chicago's population has declined for the fourth consecutive year. Former residents have given all sorts of reasons why they called it a day on the city. These range from Chicago's high crime rates and stiff taxes to the lavish living costs.
Take a look at some derelict places in the world's richest cities
Cairo
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Cairo
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New Orleans
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New Orleans
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Possible reasons for this drop in population include high housing costs and a generally high cost of living in the city along with a weak economy and relatively high unemployment. The jobless rate in New Orleans was 5% in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, far higher than the nationwide average of 3.7%.
Discover the world's most and least expensive cities to live in
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