Melbourne and Sydney came third and ninth respectively while Adelaide was again judged the best place to live in the nation in the survey conducted by Auspoll, which was commissioned by the Property Council.

Darwin won the wooden spoon, with its residents giving it the poorest rating.

Residents in each capital city, as well as in Newcastle and Wollongong, were asked to rate their city for its livability judged on a criteria of cleanliness, parks, public transport, good schools and health care, employment and economic opportunities.

The results are in a new report called My City: The People's Verdict 2011.

Property Council ACT executive director Catherine Carter said the survey showed that Canberrans wanted the territory government to put affordable housing and better provision of infrastructure high on the agenda.

''The good news for Canberra is that we rank as Australia's second most livable city according to residents,'' she said.

''This is the same position in the rankings as 2010. Our livability score lifted by 1.3 points in that time, to a total livability score of 63.6, just behind Adelaide which reported a total score of 64.0.''

The survey canvassed 5231 people nationally, including 585 Canberrans.

The ACT did well in several areas including: having a good road network and minimal traffic, being a safe place for people and property and being clean, well-maintained and unpolluted.

However, compared to other cities, Canberra performed relatively poorly when it came to having a vibrant cultural scene and a good range of quality affordable housing.

''New solutions around the provision of affordable housing will need to be implemented,'' Ms Carter said.

''Without a doubt taxation settings will be part of the solution. This includes putting the ACT on a better footing in terms of stamp duty, and dramatically recasting the lease variation charge regime.''