It probably comes as no surprise to those living there (full disclosure, that includes me), but Vancouver has been rated North America’s best city in terms of quality of life.

That conclusion comes from Mercer International, a respected British-based consulting firm that publishes regular rankings of cities to aid companies and executives planning in location planning.

Vienna, capital of Austria, was the top city in the world in Mercer’s 2014 Quality of Living survey, its third straight No. 1 ranking. Zurich, Switzerland, Auckland, New Zealand and Munich, Germany were ranked second, third and fourth respectively.

Vancouver slotted in as the No. 5 most liveable city in the world for the second straight year. In fact, Canadian cities take four of the five top spots for North America, with Vancouver joined by Ottawa (14), Toronto (15) and Montreal (23), with San Francisco the top American city at No. 27.

Vancouver edged the others not necessarily because of its stunning location and many amenities but because the other Canadian cities have real winters.

“It basically boils down to climate because Vancouver has a relatively mild climate,” Luc Lalonde, a principal at Mercer Canada, told The Canadian Press on Wednesday.

The Mercer survey looks at local living conditions in more than 460 cities worldwide and analyzes them according to more than three dozen factors grouped in 10 categories, the company said in its news release.

            Toronto? The third-best quality of living in North America, according to Mercer.

They include political and social factors such as crime and political stability, economic environment such as currency-exchange rules and banking services, socio-cultural environment like personal freedom and open media, medical and health factors, education, public services such as utilities and transportation, recreation, consumer goods, housing and the natural environment.

“On the whole, North American cities offer a high quality of living and are attractive working destinations for companies and their expatriates,” Mercer senior researcher Slagin Parakatil said in the company’s release. “A wide range of consumer goods are available, and infrastructures, including recreational provisions, are excellent.”

Lalonde told CP the rankings don’t usually vary much from year to year.

“Wherever you have stability, good infrastructure and if the environment is politically and socially stable and if you have good public services, these things don’t change overnight,” he said.

Mercer said companies use its survey results to work out compensation for employees posted on international assignments. Less attractive postings might qualify for a hardship allowance or “quality of living premium.”

With that in mind, you’d probably want to negotiate a hardship allowance if your boss wants to move you to Mexico City, the lowest ranked location in North America at No. 122, or Detroit (70). Even Miami, despite its balmy weather, beaches and nightlife, comes in at 65th.

Globally, you might want to polish up your CV if you’re employer suggests sending you to Baghdad, the lowest-ranked city at 223rd. Historic St. Petersburg comes in at 168th, while Tbilisi, Georgia is the lowest-ranked European city at No. 191.

Among Asian cities, Singapore rates at the top (25th overall), while Tashkent, Uzbekistan is worst at No. 202.

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