Toronto was just ranked one of the world's best cities for quality of life for newcomers

While some who live here may find it hard to believe, Toronto was just named one of the best cities in the world when it comes to quality of life for expatriates despite our affordability crisis and perceived decline in public services.

The new ranking, courtesy of Mercer, evaluates what the consulting firm calls "the practicalities of daily life" for people temporarily immigrating to work abroad, as well as their families.

Even though Toronto didn't make the top 10 list, we still placed well, coming in at 17 out of 241 locales globally.

As understandable as it is that we were beat out by cities as revered as Vienna, Zurich, Auckland and Copenhagen, locals may find it hard to swallow that Vancouver took the top spot in Canada.

Ranked at 8th internationally, the west coast metropolis trailed after only the above mentioned cities, along with Geneva, Frankfurt and Munich.

Mercer writes that Vancouver provides residents with "a unique blend of outdoor recreation and cosmopolitan living, contributing to its high-quality lifestyle" and, along with Toronto and many others on the list, offers a great lifestyle, but at a great cost.

Factors taken into account for the ranking include how good a given place's healthcare, education and infrastructure is, along with its political stability and the overall socio-cultural environment.

Also considered is eco-friendliness — the more sustainable a city is, the better its quality of life tends to be — and cost of living, which is a key concern for businesses looking to expand with new offices.

On the cost of living front specifically, Mercer has a separate ranking that put Toronto at a dismal 90th out of 227 urban areas.

"The most successful locations are currently those combining flexible governance for mobile talent, a high quality of life and a reasonable cost of living," Mercer writes, adding that the annual survey is "designed to help multinational companies and governments determine compensation strategies for their international assignees."

New York City, a global hub for so many industries, is used as the baseline for comparison.