Research says this Australian city is the best one to have your baby in …
Australia has some of the most expensive childcare costs in the world!
New research has revealed the best cities in the world to become a new parent and has identified which city tops the list here in Australia.
The study by William Russell analysed 50 global cities for a number of factors including maternity and paternity leave, pre-school costs, healthcare and safety before collating the list of the best places the world over to start your family.
Downunder the winner is Sydney!
Globally, Australia is quite far down the list, with Sydney scoring the highest rank at number 24 with a 5.67 pregnancy score followed by Melbourne in spot number 31 scoring 5.37.
Taking the top spot is Reykjavík, Iceland with a pregnancy friendly score of 7.28. Reykjavík scores particularly well for environment and safety, with a safety index score of 78.03 and a pollution index score of just 15.01.
In second place is Kyoto, Japan with a score of 7.25, it’s one of two Japanese cities to make the top 5. There are a couple of factors where Kyoto proves itself, such as the length of paid paternity leave available for fathers, an impressive total of 52 weeks.
In third place is Tallinn, Estonia coming in with a score of 7.24. With a total of 166 weeks of paid maternity leave available to mothers, Estonia’s capital, Tallinn stands head and shoulders above the rest of the cities in terms of maternity leave.
Australia has some of the most expensive childcare costs in the world. The monthly price for one child in preschool or kindergarten costs $1,860 in Melbourne, far more than in Berlin, Germany where it costs just $132!
Inez Cooper, founder of William Russell commented: “Becoming a new parent away from your native country can be a stressful time. Whether you’re planning a family or you already have children – you’ll want to ensure you and your baby have access to the best possible maternity care and best environment throughout your pregnancy.
“By conducting this study to help new parents gain a really rounded view on what the process is like all over the world and equip them with the best knowledge of the location when the time comes. Avoiding unexpected high costs and cultural misunderstandings could make welcoming a new child away from home more stressful than it needs to be.”
