What are the most stressful cities in the world according to Remitly?

Remitly's ranking identified specific cities with high stress levels due to factors like commute times and cost of living.

Why do people want to relocate from stressful cities?

The primary reason people seek to relocate is to improve their quality of life, seeking more affordability and a relaxed lifestyle.

What factors did Remitly consider in their stress ranking?

Remitly analyzed average commute time, cost of living, healthcare index, crime and safety, and air quality to rank cities.

Home / Lifestyle / World's Most Stressful Cities Revealed

World's Most Stressful Cities Revealed

3 Dec, 2025

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Summary

Remitly survey ranks cities by stress factors.
Long commutes and high living costs increase stress.
Quality of life is the top reason people relocate.

A comprehensive ranking of the world's most stressful cities has been compiled by Remitly, utilizing data from a survey of 4,500 individuals conducted in August 2025. Financial experts meticulously analyzed over 170 major urban centers, evaluating key stress indicators.

Factors such as extended average commute times, elevated costs of living, healthcare accessibility, crime rates, safety concerns, and air quality were weighed. The findings indicate that the most stressed cities often share characteristics of long travel durations and expensive living expenses, frequently being capital cities.

Improving overall quality of life was cited as the leading reason for people's desire to move. This underscores a widespread aspiration for destinations offering a slower pace, a more relaxed lifestyle, and greater affordability.

Disclaimer: This story has been auto-aggregated and auto-summarised by a computer program. This story has not been edited or created by the Feedzop team.