The Burrow
Feb 3, 2025
If you’re naturally introverted, you’ll know the feeling of needing to take a step back to relax and recharge those social batteries after a busy week. Whilst cities may feel like an extrovert’s paradise, with a plethora of bars, clubs, and bright lights, there are still plenty of cities that are suited to introverts too!
As experts in helping Australians compare home loans, we decided to analyse a multitude of factors, including everything from population density to green space, and the number of libraries and coffee shops, to identify the top cities across Australia, Europe, and the US for those who prefer peace and quiet.
Where are the best cities in Australia for introverts? It’s time to find out!
The best city for introverts in Australia is officially Darwin, for several reasons. Not only does it have the lowest population density, at 47.46 per square kilometre, the city also has the most parks and libraries per 100,000 people, at 24.02 and 1.55 respectively. Darwin also has the third most green space, with 66% of the city covered in park.
Some of the best places to relax and recharge include Litchfield National Park, with plenty of places to swim and enjoy scenic waterfall walks, and Berry Springs Nature Park, which is great for a BBQ.
With the second lowest population density (149.9 per square kilometre), and second most coffee shops and libraries (31.85 and 0.92 per 100,000 people), Hobart comes in a very respectable second place.
The Tasmanian capital also has the second most green space, at 71% of the city covered, and the third most parks, at 16.15 per 100,000 people. If you love taking yourself on solo coffee dates, then make sure you check out Pigeon Hole and Lost Freight – the latter of which is housed in a shipping container.
Brisbane is also amongst the best cities for introverts, with the greenest space out of all Australian cities, at 79%, as well as having the third lowest population density (170.8 per square kilometre), and the third most hybrid roles, at 17.81%.
Take some time to recharge along the Brisbane River on The Cliffs Boardwalk or see the city at the Mount Coot-tha Lookout.
Canberra and the Gold Coast make up positions four and five, followed by Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide.
When it comes to hybrid working, Melbourne and Sydney offer the most opportunities, with 26.83% and 25.47% of jobs listed hybrid; and the Gold Coast tops the list for coffee shops (43.62 per 100,000 people) and places second for the number of parks per 100,000 people (16.91).
Finally, Wollongong has the cheapest Wi-Fi, at an average of AU$73.75, with Sydney and Melbourne in second and third place (AU$78.83 and AU$79.50). Wollongong also scored third for libraries, at 0.68 per 100,000 people.
Now we travel to the other side of the world, to see where introverts may want to live in Europe.
With the most parks and coffee shops per 100,000 people (4.35 and 42.82 respectively), the second most green space (39.90%), and the third cheapest Wi-Fi costs (EU€18.81 a month on average), based on our criteria, Prague is officially the best city in Europe for introverts.
What better way to recharge your batteries than by wandering this fairytale of a city with a coffee in hand – try Grounds L4, or EMA Espresso Bar, which has several locations dotted around the city.
In second place is Dublin, with the most libraries per 100,000 people, at 1.44, and the second most coffee shops (19.91 per 100,000 people).
Phoenix Park is the largest enclosed park in all of Europe, spanning 11km, and is a great place to wander around. Alternatively, if you love nothing more than sitting under a shaded tree and reading a good book, head to Iveagh Gardens, which, given its central positioning, is surprisingly hidden!
Wrapping up our top three best cities in Europe for introverts is Germany’s capital, with the third most parks, and fourth most libraries, at 3.29 and 1.00 per 100,000 respectively.
Berlin Art Library has around 400,000 volumes of art literature, but if you like brutalist architecture then spend a day at Berlin State Library which is home to more than 12 million books and the American Memorial Library which was opened just after the construction of the Berlin Wall.
Rounding off the top five are Helsinki and Budapest, with Warsaw, Milan, Hamburg, Oslo, and Turin making up the top 10.
When it comes to population density, Porto has the lowest, at 1,715 per square kilometre, followed by Helsinki and Budapest (2,223 and 2,414). For hybrid working, Oslo can’t be beaten, with 43.66% openings being listed as hybrid, followed by London in second place (32.38%), and Warsaw in third (31.03%).
Leeds came in with the largest percentage of green space, at 41.90%, with Warsaw in third with 35.80%. Turin and Milan came second and third for libraries.
Wi-Fi is the cheapest in Warsaw, at just EU€15.83 a month on average, and Budapest not much more, at around EU€16.73. Finally, when it comes to noise pollution, Porto’s citizens are exposed to it the least, at just 8.20%, followed by Lyon and Hamburg, at 9.00% and 19.90% respectively.
Finally, it’s time to uncover the top introvert hotspots in the USA and see how they compare to their Australian and European counterparts.
Based on our research, the top place for introverts in the US is Boston, with the most libraries per 100,000 people (1.63), the second most coffee shops (28.71 per 100,000 people), and the second most hybrid jobs, at 5.35%.
George Howell Coffee is famed on the Boston coffee circuit for deep freezing raw coffee beans; but Render Coffee is worth a visit too, with beautiful conservatory seating and delicious bagels.
Another of the best cities for introverts, Pittsburgh has the lowest levels of noise and light pollution, with a score of 39.58, as well as the third most libraries and fourth most parks per 100,000 people, at 0.99 and 29.71 respectively.
Head to one of the Carnegie libraries to while away the hours with a good book – Oakland has a huge collection of books, and Squirrel Hill is very well organised, with pretty views over the neighbourhood.
With the third most coffee shops and parks per 100,000 people (27.74 and 31.57), and the fifth least noise and light pollution levels (47.13), Portland places third for introverts.
Home to the smallest park in the world, Mills End Park measures just two feet, and is worth a visit just to say you’ve seen it. However, you should also check out Powell Butte, with acres of forest and meadows, and Council Crest Park, which is a great spot for watching the sunset over the city.
Louisville and Seattle are in fourth and fifth place, with Denver in sixth, San Francisco in seventh, Las Vegas in eighth, Austin in ninth, and Jacksonville in 10th place.
Jacksonville has the lowest population density, at 1,270.7 per square mile, followed by Charlotte and San Antonio (2,836.9 and 2,875.9), while Columbus and San Antonio came in second and third for noise and light pollution levels.
For hybrid working, New York and San Francisco scored first and third, at 9.29% and 4.61% – much lower than their European counterparts.
It comes as no surprise that being the birthplace of Starbucks, Seattle has the most coffee shops per 100,000 people, at 30.39. Seattle also has top score for the number of parks per 100,000 people.
Louisville boasts the second most libraries, while the cheapest Wi-fi can be found in Jacksonville, Miami, and NYC, at US$63.00, US$64.06, and US$64.33, respectively.
Compare the Market’s General Manager of Money, Stephen Zeller, notes the importance of finding a city that suits your lifestyle.
“Amenities like access to green space, coffee shops and libraries can all be big factors when it comes to deciding where to move to; in addition to work opportunities,” Mr Zeller said.
“If you prefer a hybrid or remote set-up to being in an office five days a week, this is something to consider.
“It’s important to compare your options in order to find the right deal for you. Consider the affordability of your home loan payments and remember it’s worth looking around at what’s on offer from lenders to find the best option.”
This dataset contains three rankings, the first ranks 10 Australian cities, the second ranks 30 European cities, and the third ranks 23 US cities based on how good they are for ‘introverts’. To do this, 7 different factors were used (US and AU), and 8 for the EU. Once the data for the factors was collected, the factors were then normalised, to provide each factor with a score of between 0 and 1. The data was then given a score out of 100. If no data was available, the score was given a 0. The cities were then ranked from highest to lowest, based on their total scores.
The factors used are as follows:
The factors indexed are as follows:
All data is correct as of 12/12/24. The ranking data shown is a compilation of multiple data sources and may not be representative of real life. All data is accurate with regards to the sources provided.