Sydney remains the nation’s number one city, according to the 2009 Mercer Worldwide Quality of Living Survey.

The respected Mercer survey placed Sydney ahead of all other Australian cities included in the rankings.

NSW Minister for Tourism Jodi McKay said Mercer’s survey confirmed what Sydneysiders have always known – that Sydney is the best city in Australia.

“Sydney was ranked number 10 in the world, well ahead of Melbourne at number 17 and Brisbane at 34.”

Executive Director of the Sydney Chamber of Commerce Patricia Forsythe said that the authoritative study helped to further develop the already strong “business case” for Sydney.

“This is precisely the kind of positive news which the business community is seeking. Despite economic difficulties there is still much to be optimistic about in Sydney,” Ms Forsythe said.

“Sydney is recognised as an Asia Pacific hub which offers an unparalleled lifestyle and economic opportunity.”

Sydney also outranked cities like Montreal, Tokyo and Paris.

The 2009 Mercer Survey identified the world’s cities with the best infrastructure. According to the City Infrastructure Ranking, Sydney was the highest ranked Australian city for infrastructure, coming in at 11th in the world.

Melbourne was ranked 35th and Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth were all ranked equal 38th.

The infrastructure rankings were based on electricity supply, water availability, telephone and mail services, public transport provision, traffic congestion and the range of international flights from local airports.

The Mercer Quality of Living survey is a global survey designed to provide an objective measure of the quality of living for expatriates based on factors considered to be representative of quality of living.

The survey, conducted by global HR consulting company Mercer, is carried out in more than 380 cities worldwide and is based on assessments of 10 key categories and 39 criteria.