City of Yes? More like “City of Stress.”
New York City has been named the most stressful city in the world, according to a new study by Remitly that evaluated more than 170 major cities worldwide.
The city received a stress score of 7.56 out of 10, with cost of living as the primary stress factor. Long commute times and crime and public safety concerns also contributed significantly to the city’s high ranking.
Remitly assessed cities using five factors: cost of living, commuting congestion, crime, pollution and access to healthcare. New York City’s cost-of-living index reached 100 in the study.
Despite the high overall stress score, the city performed well in some areas. New York ranked favorably for air quality and access to healthcare, which offset other stress factors.
Staten Islanders may agree, as the latest City of Yes changes coming to the five boroughs have some folks worried.
Eindhoven, Netherlands, claimed the title of least stressed city with a score of 2.34. Dublin ranked second among the most stressed cities, followed by Mexico City in third place. Manila and London rounded out the top five.
The remaining cities in the top 10 most stressed were Milan, Italy; Athens, Greece; São Paulo, Brazil; Turin, Italy, and Kolkata, India.
The study’s findings align with longstanding concerns among New York residents about the financial pressures of living in one of the world’s most expensive cities, combined with challenges related to transportation and safety.