Canberra is frequently named Australia's smartest city due to high rankings in quality of life, education, income, and safety, excelling in indicators like income equality and housing expenditure, though it faces challenges with housing affordability; other leading contenders for smart city status often include Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane for their tech integration and innovation.
Kudos to Canberra! Australia's capital has been named the third smartest city in the world in 2024. Think you're smarter than a fifth grader?
Canberra is Australia's leading 'smart city,' according new Victoria University research.
So there you have it. As a proud Sydney-sider it pains me to say this… but I think we all have to admit that Victoria is Australia's smartest state. You can read the full report on the NAPLAN website .
Smart Cities in Australia
AUSTRALIA'S HAPPIEST CITY IS ADELAIDE: Adelaide has topped the list of happiest Australian cities according to the Happy City Index and 82 specific criteria. >>
Melbourne is Australia's most liveable city (as ranked by Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Global Liveability Index for 2022) and is popular among sport lovers and art enthusiasts alike.
ACT is ranked the most educated state or territory based on percentage, although as the largest state in Australia NSW still has largest actual number of persons with a Bachelor degree or higher.
Terence Tao, a mathematics prodigy from Australia, holds an astonishing IQ of 230, making him one of the most intelligent individuals in recorded history.
While subjective, Adelaide is frequently cited as Australia's most beautiful city, praised by Architectural Digest for its blend of surf, sand dunes, wine regions, and city architecture, though Sydney (harbor, Opera House), Melbourne (culture, laneways), and Hobart (nature, arts) are also strong contenders for natural and cultural beauty.
Japan ranks highest in average IQ globally, with an average IQ score of 106.48, according to recently updated data from DataPandas on May 20, 2025. National IQ is influenced by factors such as education, healthcare, nutrition, and economic stability.
🌏 Time Out's 2025 survey revealed Brisbane as one of the world's friendliest cities and the only Australian capital to make the top 20! It's great to see the rest of the world recognising what we already know. Brisbane's a pretty special place.
Sydney is Australia's richest city, leading with the most resident millionaires, centi-millionaires, and billionaires, driven by its strong financial sector, global appeal, and high-end real estate market, followed closely by Melbourne, with both cities consistently ranking globally for wealth. These cities attract High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNWIs) due to amenities, business opportunities, and exclusive suburbs like Sydney's Point Piper and Melbourne's Toorak.
Canberra is officially Australia's #1 safest city, with a crime index rating of 26 out of 100. That places it as the 49th safest city in the world. This ranking comes from Compare the Market Australia, which analysed 6 years of public data from Numbeo's crime index.
Hobart, Tasmania, is widely recognized as the cheapest major city, but smaller regional towns in Queensland and South Australia can offer even lower living costs.
More billionaires from the list live in the elite Melbourne suburb of Toorak, five kilometres southeast of the CBD, than any other Australian suburbs. Toorak boasts gated cul-de-sacs, privacy hedges, tree-lined streets and 22 of Australia's richest people.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau website.
Melbourne holds the crown as Australia's most liveable city and ranks #4 worldwide, just behind Copenhagen, Vienna, and Zurich.
Western Australia (WA) is generally considered Australia's richest state, consistently topping economic performance rankings due to its strong mining sector, high exports (especially iron ore), and significant economic growth, leading in metrics like Gross State Product (GSP) per capita and overall economic strength.
📚 The 10 Most Educated Countries in the World (2025) Based on tertiary education attainment among adults (ages 25–64) As of 2025, Canada leads the world in education, with 63% of its adult population holding a post-secondary qualification — the highest among OECD nations.
Adelaide has been ranked Australia's happiest city in the global Happy City Index, scoring highly across 82 measures of liveability and wellbeing.
Top 10 places to retire in Australia
While subjective, Adelaide is frequently cited as Australia's most beautiful city, praised by Architectural Digest for its blend of surf, sand dunes, wine regions, and city architecture, though Sydney (harbor, Opera House), Melbourne (culture, laneways), and Hobart (nature, arts) are also strong contenders for natural and cultural beauty.