Wollongong residents have limited job opportunities and a poor perception of their city's safety and design but relish the Illawarra's beautiful coastline, temperate climate and housing affordability.
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Data released on Monday by the Property Council of Australia shows residents take pride in their natural environment and outdoor facilities but are unimpressed with the economic climate and the city's look and design.
Wollongong was ranked seventh out of 10 cities surveyed in the 2013 My Cities poll, beating Sydney, Perth and Darwin.
Notching up a liveability score of 60.9, Wollongong showed slight improvement on the 2012 score of 60.5 and ranked first out of the 10 cities for its good mix of affordable housing types.
However, the city ranked last for the design of its buildings and streetscapes, and for cleanliness and pollution levels.
Residents were also critical of employment and economic opportunities, the city's cultural scene and the safety of people and their property.
Almost 600 Wollongong residents responded in the survey of 5391 Australians who live in 10 major cites.
Canberra was rated as the most liveable city with a score of 65.2, scoring highly in safety, cleanliness, education and healthcare, while Adelaide came in second with a score of 63.9.
Darwin was ranked as the least liveable, scoring 54.2.
It performed poorly in affordability, safety, health and education.
Property Council Illawarra policy adviser Amanda Kunkler said Wollongong's results had improved over the past two years.
"When you first look at these results, you probably think there's a few areas where we haven't done that well at all. Except, when you look at all the categories, there are slight improvements," she said.
"This means the decisions being made by all levels of government are being realised at the ground level and people are experiencing more liveability."
She expected results to continue improving in the next 12 months as the city felt the effects of the NSW Government's regional growth plan and investment through the Port Kembla lease fund.
She said Wollongong City Council's efforts to revitalise the CBD could also improve perceptions of the city's look and design as well as its cultural scene.
