The Burrow
Feb 19, 2025
You can’t beat the feeling of being surrounded by nature, but for many of us, it’s hard to get a break from life in the city to experience it. Luckily, you don’t always have to swap one for the other.
As home loan comparison experts, we wanted to see which cities are the most ideal if you love nature. Our index ranked each city on several factors, including air quality, walking trails, wildlife species, national parks, and more.
Here’s our list of the best cities that let you take a walk on the wild side.
The famous landscapes of Australia include the beautiful Great Barrier Reef, the vast expanses of the Outback, and the dense Daintree Rainforest. Australia has the most national parks in the world, but you don’t have to travel far from the city to experience the great outdoors. Our top 5 cities in the country are as follows:
Australia’s biggest city takes the #1 spot on our list, scoring a total of 86.58 out of a possible 100 in our index. It tops the country’s rankings in multiple categories, such as having the most walking trails of any Australian city (more than 800) and having the highest percentage of green space coverage at a whopping 57 percent!
Victoria’s biggest city lands a close second-place spot on our list. Scoring 75.23 overall, it boasts 639 trails and more than 7300 species of wildlife nearby. Plus, with 3.4 parks per 100,000 people, Melbourne’s green spaces are more accessible to its population than Sydney.
With a high score of 74.29, there’s less than one point in it between our third and second place! With 9 parks per 100,000 people and a green space coverage of 18%, it’s easy to see how Brisbane scores so highly on our index. It also has the cleanest air in any city on our list, leading Queensland’s capital city to earn our bronze medal position.
Our #4 spot sees South Australia getting some love, as its biggest city earns a score of 47.14. While Adelaide misses out on a podium finish, its 5000+ wildlife species and 347 walking trails give it respectable scores across our categories, securing a spot for it on our list.
While other cities have the Gold Coast beat on a lot of categories in our index, it’s the clear winner when it comes to park coverage. Our research shows that it’s home to 16.9 parks per 100,000 residents, giving it a comfortable lead over the rest of our top 5. With an overall score of 43.65, it concludes our list of the best Australian cities for nature lovers, beating competition from runners-up like Canberra and Hobart.
Europe is home to a diverse climate, ranging from freezing cold tundra in the far north, to picturesque beaches on the Mediterranean coastline. If you’re looking to embrace nature from the comfort of a European city, here are the top 5 recommended by our rankings:
Finland’s capital city comes out on top of our rankings for nature loving cities in Europe. With more than a third of the city being covered by green space, and some of the clearest air across the whole continent, it takes a gold medal with a score of 68.27 in our index. It’s also one of the most biodiverse cities on our list, with almost 4200 species of wildlife.
Prague has been something of a trendy city in recent years, becoming a favourite for tourists. With 179 walking trails on offer, and almost 40% of the city being covered by green areas, its popularity is no surprise! The Czech capital also has the highest concentration of parks in Europe, with 4.4 per 100,000 people. It scores 64.27 on our list and finishes in second place.
Despite being one of the biggest and most populated cities in Europe, Berlin manages to fit in plenty of nature for its residents. The capital of Germany is home to a huge 290 walking trails – the most of our top 10 – and more than 5400 different wildlife species. With a final index score of 64.19, it narrowly misses out on second place by less than 0.1 of a point!
While Sweden’s capital city is outmatched in many categories, it has the lowest levels of particulate matter in its air out of any city in Europe, making it perfect for anyone looking to avoid the smog of city life. More than a quarter of its area is taken up by green space, and nearly 3400 species of wildlife reside nearby, earning Stockholm a score of 57.08 on our index and a fourth-place finish.
Bringing our top 5 to a close is Hamburg, marking Germany’s second appearance in our rankings. Hamburg scores well on green space, with nearly a third of the city reserved for nature, while hosting 254 walking trails for avid hikers. While other major cities like Oslo and Vienna come close, Hamburg’s score of 56.31 is enough to make it one of our top cities for nature lovers in Europe.
Whether you’re taking in the jaw-dropping sights of the Grand Canyon, or watching the Northern Lights in Alaska, the USA is home to numerous natural wonders. Here are the best urban spots to experience the country’s nature according to our rankings:
Portland’s surrounding area – the Pacific Northwest – is renowned for its varied landscapes and natural beauty. It’s no wonder that it ranks as America’s best city for nature lovers, with America’s cleanest air, and 232 walking trails to choose from. Oregon’s biggest city earns pole position with an index score of 77.20.
The biggest city in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle ranks as America’s second-best city for nature lovers. It’s home to more than 7100 species in its ecosystem, and the highest concentration of parks in the USA – 36 per 100,000 people. Scoring 72.80 on our index, it takes a podium finish with ease.
Scoring well across the board, Pittsburgh earns a bronze medal with its index rating of 66.85. It’s in the top 5 cities for both biodiversity and frequency of parks, making it ideal for nature lovers. Pittsburgh is also the least populated city on our top 5, making it a top destination for anyone looking to avoid the busy city lifestyle!
While Boston is better known for its history, universities, and sport than its nature, it turns out to be one of our index’s most biodiverse areas. With more than 8900 species in the surrounding area, it’s the second-best city in America for wildlife variety, and earns second place for its air quality. Finishing with an overall score of 63.01, it earns a fourth-place finish on our overall list of US cities for nature lovers.
It’s known for gambling, hotels, and luxury, but according to our index, Las Vegas is also in one of the best areas in America for nature. Nestled in the heart of the Mojave Desert, with multiple national parks nearby, its 202 walking trails offer some of the most picturesque views available in the USA. Scoring 57.37 on our overall rankings, Las Vegas pips cities like San Diego, CA and Austin, TX for our #5 spot.
Compare the Market’s General Manager of Money, Stephen Zeller, notes that you don’t always need to choose between living among nature and the city.
“A city’s eco-friendliness can be a big factor in its appeal for many of us nowadays. These cities are leading examples of a healthy balance between urban living and the great outdoors,” Mr Zeller said.
“We often associate nature with rural areas but that’s not always the case. City living can afford people the right balance between nature, convenience, and affordability.
“Browsing property and suburb reports can be a useful tool for future homeowners to further find the right areas for their lifestyles.
“By comparing home loans across areas that fulfil your nature needs, you can help to ensure that you find the right deal for your wallet and your lifestyle.”
This dataset contains 3 rankings, one ranks 10 Australian cities, the second ranks 27 European cities, and the other ranks 23 US cities based on how good they are for ‘nature lovers’. To do this, 6 different factors were used for the European index, 5 for Australian index and 4 for US index. Once the data for the factors was collected, the factors were then normalised, to provide each factor with a score between 0 and 1. The normalised values were then summed & multiplied, to give each city a total 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 02/01/24. 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.