Whether you're a makeup artist or a graphic designer, cultivating a successful career in the creative industries may feel daunting.

While there is a high demand for jobs in tech and business, the numbers show that the creative industry has an enormous impact on the economy, too.

According to a United Nations report from 2021, creatives such as artists, musicians, and filmmakers are driving growth in emerging economies.

So much so that the UN has estimated that the creative economy will reach a global valuation of $985 billion by this year, and could represent 10 per cent of the world's GDP before 2030.

So, where in the world is the best place for creatives to thrive?

BNG, a site that helps generate domain, business, and store names, released a new report ranking the top 10 best cities for creatives to live and work in.

The only Canadian city to make the list is Toronto, ranking fifth.

BNG says the ranking is based on a range of metrics including the estimated number of "creative" roles available, the average yearly salary for creatives, living costs, and the number of amenities like museums, art galleries, and parks.

The ranking of the best cities for creatives according to BNG.

Toronto claimed the fifth spot for its high number of creative classes and workshops (83), and its world happiness ranking by country (15).

The East Coast city had mediocre numbers in terms of "creative" roles (8,186) compared to other cities like Tokyo (54,871).

The report defines a creative role as a job that uses a niche skill or creative thought to produce and market a product or service.

Some of the jobs they looked into were:

1. Journalist
2. Illustrator
3. Copywriter
4. Interior designer
5. Advertising manager
6. Makeup artist
7. Tattoo artist
8. Marketing manager
9. Art director
10. Industrial designer
11. Web developer
12. Building architect

When it comes to the average yearly salary for creatives in Toronto, it's on the lower end ($47,136) compared to other cities like San Francisco where creatives have an average annual income of $86,300, according to BNG.

The site's research also found that the monthly cost of living for a single person without rent in Toronto (which they derived from Numbeo) is $1,002.

Based on some calculations, along with rent, that would add up to approximately $3,881.22.

While creatives can get lots of inspiration in Toronto thanks to the 142 museums and art galleries in the city, it pales in comparison to the top three cities on the list.

Tokyo, Paris, and London all boast over 300 museums and art galleries.