Rankjng the top 7 best big cities in Europe

Rankjng the top 7 best big cities in Europe in terms of quality of life and cost of living.

Metropolitan areas qualifying need to exceed one millioon of inhabitants.

Looking for the best cities to live in Europe without the price tag of Paris or Barcelona? In this video, we reveal the 7 best big cities in Europe to live and retire—affordable, safe, and full of life.

These are the best places to live in Europe 2025 for expats, retirees, or anyone seeking bigger cities.

From Spain to Greece, Portugal to Italy, these cities combine lower costs with quality healthcare, safer streets, and a lifestyle that rivals major capitals. 

We explore Seville, with its affordable housing but sizzling summers; Thessaloniki in Greece, one of the cheapest major European cities to live in; and Lisbon, Portugal’s vibrant capital with great healthcare but rising rents. 

We also feature Palermo in Sicily, an incredibly low-cost option, alongside Porto, a balanced and cultural gem in northern Portugal. 

Heading south, Málaga delivers endless sunshine and strong infrastructure, while Valencia tops the list as one of the most livable cities in Europe, blending affordability, safety, healthcare, and climate better than any other.

If you are searching for the best big cities in Europe to live, the safest big cities in Europe, or the best European cities to retire, watch this video.

Youtube link 

Criteria cosidered:

• Cost of living ( esp. housing)
• Quality of life
• Healthcare
• Climate

Only large metropolitan areas with over 1 million inhabitants are considered  !

This implies that some countries cannot be included since there are no cities qualifying that size criterion.

7 Sevilla

6 Tessaloniki

5 Lisbon

4 Palermo

3 Porto

2 Malaga

1 Valencia