These are Europe's 24 best cities to live in

24. Manchester — London loses out on a place in the top 50 but northern England's natural capital rises from 51st to 46th in the global rankings.

23. Budapest — Hungary's capital is the only place in eastern Europe listed in the top 50 globally, rising to 45th place this year from 50th last year.

22. Rome — the Italian capital has climbed 5 places in the EIU's global rankings during the last year, hitting 44th place.

21. Milan — this northern Italian city is the highest-ranking in the country, rising to 42nd place from 48th last year.

20. Dublin — The Irish capital city climbs from 46th to 42nd place as the country's economy expands at a solid speed, with 4.1% growth expected this year.

19. Madrid — the Spanish capital makes it onto the list, and has climbed six places from 44th to 38th during the last year.

18. Dusseldorf — Germany's first entry of six in the top 50 globally, Dusseldorf has dropped one place, falling to 33rd in the last year.

17. Barcelona — The city is Spain's top entry, according to the EIU. It's ranked 31st globally this year, up from 33rd in 2014.

16. Lyon — France's first entry on the list, Lyon has risen from 33rd to 30th internationally during the last year.

15. Paris — the French capital is the biggest city on the list, but it comes in at number 29, a huge decline from 17th place in 2014.

Men in their traditional Bavarian clothing clink beer mugs after the Parade of Costumes and Riflemen (Trachten- und Schuetzenzug) on the second day of the 2014 Oktoberfest at Theresienhoehe on September 21, 2014 in Munich, Germany

14. Munich — the second German city on the list, home to the famous Oktoberfest, has risen by one place from last year.

13. Brussels — the seat of the European parliament has climbed one place in the last year, up to 27th globally.

12. Amsterdam — The Dutch city holds its position in the global ranks, at 26.

11. Luxembourg — The city, practically a state of its own, has slipped just one place in the last year. It's a financial centre and is hime to a lot of international workers.

10. Stockholm — Stockholm has dropped several places, from 15h to 24th in one year on the global list, losing out to other Scandinavian capital cities.

9. Oslo — the Norwegian capital has risen a point in the global rankings, up to 23rd, despite the challenges posed to the country by falling oil prices.

8. Copenhagen — Denmark's only entry in the top 50, Copenhagen has held its place from last year, coming 22nd on the global index.

7. Berlin — The German capital comes 20th globally, up one from 21st in 2014.

6. Frankfurt — Germany's financial hub loses out slightly to one other German city, but Frankfurt has risen from 18th to 15th in one year in the world rankings.

A general view of the Christmas market in front of the historical town hall in Hamburg, November 25, 2013.

4. Geneva — In the world rankings, Geneva comes 12th, unmoved from last year. It loses out just slightly to one other Swiss city.

3. Zurich — the last of the Swiss cities on the list, Zurich has climbed one place into 8th globally during the last year.

2. Helsinki — The Finnish capital slips two places globally this year, falling from 8th in 2014 to 10th now.

1. Vienna — the Austrian capital comes 2nd globally, unchanged from last year, and top in Europe. It's the second-largest German-speaking city in the world after Berlin.