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Australia No.2 for lifestyle

AUSTRALIA has ranked second behind France in the 2007 quality of life survey conducted by the American travel magazine International Living.

While France retained first place, Australia moved up a position in the list of 191 countries surveyed.

"Australia is an attractive option, especially if you're young," the magazine reported. "The climate is good ... the lifestyle is easygoing and there are plenty of ways to spend your days living in the great outdoors."

The rankings were based on scores out of 100 in nine categories: cost of living; culture and leisure; economy; environment; freedom; health; infrastructure; safety and risk; and climate. Australia received excellent scores for climate (89), economy (89), and cost of living (73).

Australia came sixth in the magazine's "where you'll live the longest" list. With an average life expectancy of 81 years, Australia was 2 years behind the leader, Andorra.

International Living said France had "superstar infrastructure, solid economy, and the world's best health care, plus a surprisingly affordable cost of living outside Paris ... and one of the world's most alluring and romantic capital cities."

from smh