After making a stunning rebound as the 55th best city in the world in 2025, Dallas has taken a nosedive and now appears as the 78th best global city for 2026, according to a prestigious annual report by Canada-based real estate and tourism marketing firm Resonance Consultancy.
To determine the “World’s Best Cities,” experts at Resonance Consultancy annually compare the world’s top 100 cities with metropolitan populations of at least one million residents or more based on the relative qualities of livability, “lovability,” and prosperity. Factors that figure into the ranking include local landmarks, walkability, biking, air quality, weather, parks and green space, and public transit.
The firm additionally collaborated with AI software company AlphaGeo to assess each city’s “exposure to risk, adaptation capacity,” and resilience to change.
The No. 1 best city in the world is London, with New York (No. 2), Paris (No. 3), Tokyo (No. 4), and Madrid (No. 5) rounding out the top five best global cities in 2026.
Dallas’ disappointing 2026 rank is five spots lower than its dismal No. 73 placement in 2023.
Despite dropping 23 places, Resonance Consultancy maintains that Dallas “scaling up its ambitions” and that the city skyline “can barely keep pace.” The report cited Dallas’ airport system, hospitality industry, and its job market as top reasons for why the city shouldn’t be overlooked.
“At the airport with the third-highest passenger count in the world, American Airlines and DFW just greenlit a $4‑billion Terminal F that will double gate capacity by 2030, with Terminal C’s current refresh aimed at 2026 FIFA World Cup crowds,” the report’s author wrote. “Investors tracking fundamentals see that DFW added 59,000 jobs since March 2024 – second only to New York – and finance jobs now outpace Wall Street on what locals call ‘Y’all Street’ (watch the No. 20 ranking for Economic Output and No. 23 for Large Companies rise).”
The report also draws attention to the city’s ever-changing skyline, which includes Goldman Sachs’ 800,000-square-foot riverview campus, Wells Fargo’s Las Colinas campus, and more.
“The hospitality sector is booming: Harwood District flaunts a Swiss‑Texan swagger with Kengo Kuma’s 22-story Michelin Key Hôtel Swexan; the JW Marriott opened in the country’s largest contiguous Arts District in 2023; and a flurry of flagships are in the works,” the report said.
In September, JW Marriott Dallas Arts District debuted its reimagined 11th floor signature restaurant JW Steakhouse.
In Resonance Consultancy’s separate list ranking “America’s Best Cities,” Dallas surpassed Austin to rank as the 14th best U.S. city in 2025.
Elsewhere in Texas, Austin and Houston also saw major declines in their standings for 2026. Austin plummeted from No. 53 last year to No. 87 for 2026, and Houston fell from No. 40 and now ranks as the 58th best city in the world.
“In this decade of rapid transformation, the world’s cities are confronting challenges head‑on, from climate resilience and aging infrastructure to equitable growth,” the report said. “The pandemic, long forgotten but still a sage oracle, exposed foundational weaknesses – from health‑care capacity to housing affordability. Yet, true to their dynamic nature, the leading cities are not merely recovering, but setting the pace, defining new paradigms of innovation, sustainability and everyday livability.”