Shanghai has been raked the top mainland city for quality of living, according to a ranking report released on Wednesday.

The ranking by the Mercer, a talent, health, retirement and investments consultancy services provider, is based on surveys of social conditions in the cities which cover economic development, health care and education access, consumption and residential conditions, weather and climates.

Globally, Shanghai is in the 101th spot out of 230 cities covered in the list and 8th place in Asia ahead of Beijing (118th globally), Guangzhou (121th) and Shenzhen (139th).

Chongqing is ranked at the 142th place as an emerging city in the list thanks to its major manufacturing industries especially automotive industry. Xi'an is also ranked at 142th place for its economic and technology development zone.

Major challenges for emerging cities such as Chongqing and Xi'an in Asia lie in air and water qualities. Development in terms of consumption and telecommunication sectors in these cities have helped the cities to excel, the report said.

Other key cities in Asia ranked include Singapore (25th globally), Hong Kong (70th), and Seoul (72th) and Taipei(83th).

Vienna remained at the top, boasting the best living quality in the world, the report said.

Contact the writer at wuyiyao@chinadaily.com.cn