IT MAY  have the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and countless bars and restaurants, but Sydney isn't proving to be a fan favourite around the world.

Working out the best city in the world is no easy task, with one person typically enjoying a different experience to another.

But in a survey conducted by the Time Out Index, it turns out more than 30,000 people have a problem with Australia's largest city.

The global researcher spoke to people in 48 cities around the world, quizzing participants on food, drink, culture, night-life, community, neighbourhoods, overall happiness and other factors.

According to the survey, New York was voted the best place in the world for diversity, culture and dynamism.

The Big Apple ranked second for eating and third for live music, drinking and night-life and also placed highly for fun, multiculturalism, creativity and (perhaps more surprisingly) happiness and convenience.

Sydney, however, received a pretty low score when it came to having fun. According to the survey, we'd rather go to the gym than have a night out on the town.

Following years of increased lockout laws creating a grim night-life scene, Sydney came in at 39th position - making it the 10th worst city in the world, beating Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Boston, Rio de Janeiro, Marseille, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing and Istanbul.

Melbourne, however, came in second place. According to those surveyed, Melburnians love their live music - with one in four going to a concert in the last week. For that reason, the city was crowned the world's second most creative city but also the second happiest and among the best for food, drink, fun and multiculturalism. The all-round combination put Melbourne just behind New York City.

TIME OUT INDEX 2019 WORLD's 48 BEST CITIES

1. New York

2. Melbourne

3. Chicago

4. London

5. Los Angeles

6. Montreal

7. Berlin

8. Glasgow

9. Paris

10. Tokyo

11. Madrid

12. Cape Town

13. Las Vegas

14. Mexico City

15. Manchester

16. Philadelphia

17. Barcelona

18. Buenos Aires

19. Lisbon

20. Washington D.C.

21. Tel Aviv

22. Mumbai

23. Toronto

24. Birmingham

25. Dublin

26. São Paulo

27. Miami

28. Porto

29. Singapore

30. Edinburgh

31. San Francisco

32. Dubai

33. Munich

34. Vienna

35. Shanghai

36. Moscow

37. Delhi

38. Seattle

39. Sydney

40. Abu Dhabi

41. Hong Kong

42. Boston

43. Rio de Janeiro

44. Marseilles

45. Bangkok

46. Kuala Lumpur

47. Beijing

48. Istanbul