Cities with the best public transport

Overview

Amsterdam tops our ranking of cities with the best public transport at 10.0/10, just ahead of Zurich and Tokyo. "Cities with the best public transport" is one of the most searched relocation questions we track — and most articles answering it are written from a single traveler's memory, not from consistent data across cities. Ranked purely on public transport quality and coverage. This is a single-criterion cut of the entire 303-city database: every city is ranked strictly on best transport, with no other factor pulling the order around. It's worth noting the spread: scores here range from 10.0 down to 3.0, so position #1 and position #303 aren't just marginally different — they represent genuinely different day-to-day experiences. The gap between the #1 and #3 spots is often smaller than it looks: a 0.3-point difference in an aggregate score can come from a single criterion, so it's worth opening a city's full scorecard rather than trusting the headline number alone. Use this as a single-lens view rather than a final verdict: a city near the top here can still rank poorly once cost of living or climate are added back into the picture. Below is the complete list with every underlying score, plus links through to a full breakdown for each city.

Full ranking

Curious how the top two stack up criterion by criterion? Compare Amsterdam vs Zurich directly →

Methodology

This is a pure single-criterion ranking: every other factor is set to zero weight, so a city's position here reflects nothing except its score on best transport. Want different priorities? Set your own weights in the recommender.

Understanding the criteria

Best transport alone decides the order here. A city can score poorly on every other criterion — cost, transport, healthcare — and still top this specific list if it's strong on best transport, so treat it as one input rather than a complete picture.

Tips for using this ranking

• →Cross-reference with the overall livability ranking before deciding — a city that's #1 here on a single criterion can still be a poor all-round pick.
• →If two or three cities are within half a point of each other, the difference is small enough that other factors (visa rules, flight connections, a language you speak) should probably decide.

Who this ranking is for

This ranking is most useful for Budget-conscious movers — movers for whom affordability outweighs every other factor, Safety-first movers — people relocating somewhere unfamiliar who weigh personal safety above all and Balanced movers — people without a single dominant priority, weighing all criteria evenly. If none of those match your situation, the recommender tool lets you set your own weights instead of relying on any preset list.

Strengths & limitations of this ranking

Frequently asked questions

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