Striking economic achievement in a city does not necessarily mean it is a better place to live, a survey revealed Wednesday.

A report on the quality of life in the country ranks Shenzhen, Qingdao, and Hangzhou as the top three for quality of life.

They eclipse the country's mega-metropolises, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

"High gross domestic products (GDP) or per capita GDP of a city cannot ensure a high quality of life for its residents," said Lian Yuming, president of the International Institute for Urban Development, who headed the survey.

"Economic improvements are converted into income increases for residents, something that raises their living standards," he said.

"But other factors, like the easiness of life, access of public facilities and the richness of leisure time, can also affect a city's quality of life,"

The survey covered 287 cities of regional-level or above.

The ranking was judged using a series of criteria, such as residential incomes, consumption levels and the traffic situation.

Education, social security, medical facilities, public security, the environment, culture and leisure, and the unemployment rate were also included.

Nearly 800,000 people took part in the poll online.

Ningbo, Shanghai, Wuxi, Yantai, Suzhou, Dongguan and Dalian came out as the other cities in the survey's top 10.

Beijing, which ranked fourth last year, fell out of the top 10, coming in at only 14 this year.

Lian said: "Although the capital ranks high in terms of health, consumption and education, its high real estate, congested traffic and worsening environment all affected its ranking."

The average life span of Beijing tops the country at 80.09 years old.

Followed by Suzhou and Guangzhou, the capital was also said to have the worst traffic congestion, with more than 60 per cent dissatisfied.

"The upcoming 2008 Olympic Games will provide Beijing with a golden opportunity to give the capital's environment a facelift," Lian said.

The poll also found that 30 per cent said it was difficult to find a job in the city where they lived.

Hangzhou, Qingdao and Shaoxing are the top three cities where respondents said they were satisfied with the employment situation.

"The many, thriving private companies in these eastern areas create more job opportunities," Lian said.

Respondents in 36 large and medium-sized cities picked house prices, public security and employment as the areas they were least satisfied with, while residents of small cities complained most about the lack of leisure and entertainment facilities.

Lu'an, in Anhui Province, is the worst place to live in China, according to the survey.