Our formula has ranked the best cities for men – the best cities in which to live, work and party – based on data that includes the number of guaranteed vacation days per year, weather, unemployment rate, new restaurant and club openings, the cost of a Nissan 370Z, and more.
This is the only list that rates cities based on what matters most to you
NO.1: Chicago 
Fine culture and greasy food
As the largest city in the Midwest, Chicago strikes the perfect balance between cosmopolitan and comfortable, combining all of the culture, entertainment and sophistication of an internationally renowned destination with an affordable lifestyle and down-to-earth work hard/play hard character.
World-class cultural fixtures like the Art Institute, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago International Film Festival and a vibrant theater scene are complemented by popular festivals like Jazz Fest, Blues Fest and the recently revitalized Lollapalooza, Outdoor Film Festival, and Second City, which happens to be the source of 39% of the U.S.’s greatest comedians (a scientifically calculated fact!). Chicago possesses one of the world’s most vibrant, diverse and innovative restaurant scenes, from culinary luminaries like Charlie Trotter, Grant Achatz and Rick Bayless to an astounding variety of hole-in-the-wall neighborhood joints to Chicago’s signature greasy trinity of deep dish pizza, Italian beef and Chicago-style hot dogs.
A hardcore sports town, Chicago covers all of the professional leagues (some twice) with teams that actually have history, both famous and infamous. And while the winters are rough, Chicagoans make the most of the warmer months, taking their love of sports to the beaches, courts, paths, and parks of Chicago’s beautiful lakefront, set aside as public land for the entire city’s enjoyment.
NO. 2: Barcelona 
A distinct culture, beautiful nearby beaches
For hundreds of years, Barcelona, capital of the autonomous region of Cataluña, had distanced itself from the rest of Spain culturally, artistically and linguistically. This sense of separatism gives Barcelona a robust international flair that’s quite different from Spanish cities like Madrid and Seville that have strong Castilian identities. Geographically, Barcelona sits closer to the rest of Europe, and natives will greet you first in Catalan, switch to English, and finally address you in Spanish if they must.
Despite this upturned-nose of cultural uniqueness, Barcelona welcomes visitors with open arms. Located near the southern border of France, Cataluña borders the Mediterranean Sea, which provides a mild climate all year and a beach utopia during the summer. Beach culture is big in Barcelona, where sailboats line the docks, outdoor cafes are crammed up against the crashing waves and beach beauties promenade in bikinis. Between suntan lotion applications, catch an FC Barcelona game, where superstars compete in Spain’s fierce national league.
NO.3: San Francisco 
Parks, bars and tech stars
San Francisco is a cityscape of irresistible drama. Steep hills and skyscrapers overlook a gorgeous bay that changes color with the sky. That drama filters into every aspect of the city’s life, from its topsy-turvy power politics to its go-hard recreation (3,480 acres of parks including three golf courses) and go-harder nightlife (including 2,870 bars). Since the days of the Barbary Coast, San Francisco has boasted one of the great bar and dining cultures, and is home to some of the best restaurants in North America, claiming one restaurant for every 279 people.
The louche life notwithstanding, San Francisco was the healthiest city in the U.S. in 2008, at least according to USA Today. Just outside the city lay miles of vineyards producing some of the world’s great wines. The city abounds with classic men’s stores including local favorites Cable Car Clothiers and The Hound. San Francisco is a creative sector powerhouse, with LucasArts located right in the city’s famed Presidio. The city’s boy-to-girl ratio (male: 51%; female: 49%) doesn’t seem promising at first, but remember this is San Francisco, so you can shave a good 8% to 10% off the competition right there. Be advised that women here are the cream of the brain trust — San Francisco was named one of the top 10 smartest cities by Forbes last year — so the kind of “hey baby” come-on that works in L.A. or Miami Beach ain’t gonna work here.
NO.4 London 
Diversity and prestige
The English poet and novelist Samuel Johnson said that, “when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life,” and we couldn’t agree more. London is, without a doubt, one of the most interesting and rich places on this planet to live.
Provided you have a job that eases the financial strain of living in a city that’s routinely ranked among the top three most expensive in the world, the sheer amount of choice is what attracts people to this city. With over 300 languages spoken, London is a true microcosm of the world and consequently provides access to the very best in international cuisine and culture. In 2008, London restaurants were awarded a total of 52 Michelin stars, and the entertainment options are staggering as well. Whether it’s sports, shopping, theater, live music, or museums that strike your fancy, you can do no better than London.
The city also has a lot to entice the single man since there are 7.5 million people here and crucially the majority of them are women. In 2005, a nearly 1% female surplus meant that there were comfortingly 78,000 more female bodies than there were male.
NO.5: Sydney 
Stylish, fit women and a healthy population
Life’s good for Sydney’s eligible bachelors, with 100 women vying for every 82 of them — but that’s not all. Shadowed only by San Francisco, this harbor city is the second-largest gay capital in the world. Why should this appeal to you? Picture cutting-edge men’s fashion, a thriving arts culture and an army of fit, intelligent women who can’t find a mate to save themselves.
Sydney is a city that cares, providing universal health care and reasonable pensions for the unemployed. It’s little wonder Australians have the sixth-highest life expectancy in the world — or maybe it’s something in the water as there’s plenty of it. Sydney has 37 beaches, most within 30 minutes’ drive of the city center. Not that Sydneysiders have much time to tan; in the world’s 15th most expensive city it’s all about the climb, with households earning a lavish median income of $42,559.
In fashion terms, Sydney stands proudly alongside Paris and Milan. Each neighborhood has its own style, from beach bums to sharp suit-and-tie types. Sydney coffee runs circles around the dishwater they serve in the States (the truth hurts, we know), and its restaurants serve some of the freshest, most affordable and diverse cuisine in the world.
NO.6: New York City 
Huge variety of entertainment and dining
New York City is a man’s paradise, and not in a Las Vegas kind of way, where a guy feels dirty after two days and has to get shots afterward. New York appeals to the complete male with sex, culture and power. Single females outnumber single men by more than 200,000. Professionally minded women flock to the Big Apple for ambitious careers, leaving most of them in no hurry to settle down and with a handy ability to match men intellectually and financially.
Plus, this is where the American fashion industry lives. Supermodels literally roam the streets. When a man’s mouth isn’t gaping at eye candy, he can stuff it with amazing pizza and beer. New York is a top destination for foodies. With immigrants from all over the world, food tastes just like mom used to make whether she’s from Lafayette or Lithuania. It’s the original New World melting pot with renowned museums, Broadway theater, top fashionites, and a music scene that’s birthed everything from hip-hop to punk rock. Stumble upon the next Vampire Weekend before the world hears of them. It’s an expensive city, you say? You get what you pay for. With dozens of Fortune 500 companies here, leaders in every industry keep apartments in the city. To be the best, it helps to live among the best.
NO.7: Berlin 
Affordable and cultured
Berlin is famous for its surplus of young, single women who are attracted to the city’s vast creative sector and quality of life: Think multicultural, young, sexy, creative types. There are tons of places to meet people, some of which you’ve probably never experienced before like at a spa, for example. Mixed nude spas and saunas are standard in this liberal city.
Berlin is healthy: Locals munch organic food, love yoga and Pilates, and go to the gym to keep in shape. Berliners live on two wheels, cycling everywhere down wide bike lanes. Berlin is one of the greenest cities in Europe with many parks, forests and lakes within the city limits. The imposing Olympic Stadium hosts soccer team Hertha and countless sporting events. Berlin’s ice hockey and basketball teams dominate nationally.
Rents are low compared to the rest of Europe. It’s easy to find a roomy apartment — double the size of a London flat at half the price — in which to entertain your friends and lovers. Dozens of cinemas with movies in English, concert halls, world-class museums, and a vibrant experimental stage scene provide endless ways to impress dates. Culture is the driving force of the local economy: Berlin has become Europe’s hot spot for contemporary art with festivals and fairs, and the Berlinale Festival is one of the global film industry’s crucial get-togethers. Berlin has transformed into a major hub for music, media, publishing, fashion, design, and research. Finally, Berlin is synonymous with freedom: You can drink beer on the street, and you can take your Pilsner anywhere, including the movies! In a nutshell: great women, great beer — you’ll never be bored!
NO.8: Hong Kong 
Diversity, luxury restaurants and beautiful women
Hong Kong is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city where East meets West, the lights are bright, the weather is always warm, and there’s a palpable sense of possibility in the air. It’s a place where people of all races, nationalities and religions live and work together, and you’re likely to make friends who hail from countries all over the globe if you move there.
The public transportation system is the best in the world and it’s one of the world’s safest major metropolitan areas to live in. There are tons of world-class restaurants overseen by celebrity chefs like Alain Ducasse and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. And then there are the many, many beautiful women. Although they certainly date Asian men, many are especially taken by “gweilos” (gwhy-lows), a Cantanese word for men from the West.
One major area of Hong Kong to go to when you want to blow off a little steam is called Lan Kwai Fong. In the heart of central Hong Kong, LKF consists of four streets that form a square, each street occupied by bars, nightclubs and the occasional restaurant. Eventually the fun spills out into the streets and it becomes one big street festival.
NO.9: Copenhagen 
Happiest people in Europe and most number of breweries
With the world’s highest tax rate, Copenhageners might not be laughing all the way to the bank, but does that really matter when it looks like they are laughing all the way through life? When it comes to Copenhagen statistics, there’s just one little thing that kills off all international competition, and that’s the blissful fact of being the capital of the happiest people on earth (as well as the world’s least religious, for what it’s worth).
For a while now, Copenhagen has been a hidden jewel for stylish urban connoisseurs, but last year Tyler Brûlé and his staff at the classy magazine Monocle caved and shared the city with the rest of the world when they named it the world’s best place to live.
Many elements make up the world’s best place to live, but our guess is that having Europe’s most breweries per capita was pretty helpful. Copenhagen also has 2,000 free bicycles for visitors who prefer to see the city on two wheels instead of from the back of a crammed bus. It probably didn’t hurt either that the city boasts more long-legged blondes than you could ever imagine. That’s actually a proven fact.
NO.10: Paris 
Elegant atmosphere of museums, galleries and parks
No city in the world has the reputation for glamour and romance like Paris. However, there is far more to Paris than glamour, with a multitude of world-famous landmarks, museums and art galleries to visit, as well as a rich history stretching back more than a millennium. Indeed, enjoying Paris’ sights isn’t just for tourists; it’s common for locals to wile away a weekend wandering through parks and museums.
Paris has long been a cultural Mecca, with myriad artists, writers and composers spending creative periods of their lives here over the centuries. The city is also home to a wild array of wonderful restaurants, bars and clubs, catering to almost any taste. The cost of living in Paris is one of the highest in the world, but in return, you get elegance and style that is quite literally second to none.
