[oblio]

Ok, to clarify a bit: cities are roughly ranked into categories. The rankings are quite fuzzy but I still think they're a good starting point for discussion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city

Based on the geostrategic importance of Berlin (capital of Germany, the biggest city in Germany, central position in the EU, etc.) it should be an Alpha+ city, if not an Alpha++ city. Right now it's not due to a historical accident that is being "fixed": the separation into West and East.

According to that study from 2004 (ancient, I agree), Berlin was classified as Beta. For comparison, they classified Bucharest as Beta+. I'm Romanian, but there's no way that makes any sense unless Berlin is "underperforming".

So if you're a Berliner, brace yourself! Want it or not, Berlin will move up in the world to its rightful place and prices will go up accordingly.

[deanCommie]

This list is heavily biased by political influence.

The fact that "Luxembourg" - a glorified village is an "Alpha" city says more about it's significance in the European Union than any amenities/industry/jobs/lifestyle that exist (or rather don't exist) in the city.