Singapore slides five places in latest quality of life rankings

The city-state is ranked 20th worldwide.

When it comes to boasting a bustling night life, Singapore loses out to other Asian cities including Tokyo and Hong Kong. Singapore has clinched the 20th spot in Monocle's latest Quality of Life listing, down by five places from last year's rankings.

According to Monocle, this year's listing focused on cities that not only function well by day but remain vibrant and fun after dark.

The listing stressed that a strong night economy is vital for a city's overall growth, and noted that too many places are trying to curtail the opening hours of clubs and bars.

The cities were also graded on their public-transport networks, international connections, general safety and quality of architecture. Another Monocle metric rates the retail scene and awards points for places where independent bookshops and coffee shops thrive.

The top spot was taken by Tokyo this year, followed by Berlin, Vienna, Copenhagen and Munich. Rounding out the top 10 are Melbourne, Fukuoka, Sydney, Kyoto and Stockholm. Hong Kong is at rank 18.