Brașov, Cluj-Napoca, and Oradea are the most attractive cities in Romania

A new index developed by the Institute for Visionary Cities reveals that Brașov is considered the most attractive city in Romania. Cluj-Napoca ranks second, followed by Oradea (3), Sibiu (4), and Timișoara (5).

The top 10 most attractive cities for living are completed by Constanța (6), Bucharest (7), Iași (8), Alba Iulia (9), and Piatra Neamț (10).

The two main indicators analyzed are: the city as a desirable place to move, which reflects people's subjective and emotional perceptions, and the quality of life in the city, which offers an overall evaluation of a city's reputation, including the opinions of both residents and non-residents. The final attractiveness score for each city was calculated as the average of the moving intention score and the quality of life.

The study accompanying the index analyzes the perceptions of residents and non-residents of the 41 county capitals in Romania. The index evaluates the attractiveness of cities at the intersection of two key dimensions: the intention to move and the perception of quality of life in cities, measured through an online survey conducted by AHA Moments between April and May 2024, on a representative sample of 1,200 respondents nationwide.

The analysis also evaluated 11 factors that influence a city's attractiveness for relocation/living. Leisure opportunities proved to be of the highest relative importance in explaining attractiveness, surpassing even traditional factors such as well-paid jobs or basic infrastructure.

“This result aligns with the conclusions of the Urban Performance Index, based on objective data, which we launched in June, highlighting that entertainment has the highest relative importance in a city’s performance. In the new Urban Attractiveness Index, based on public perceptions, the same trend was confirmed: leisure options have the highest relative importance in the perception of a city’s attractiveness,” said Florian Filat, Executive Director of the Institute for Visionary Cities and coordinator of the Urban Attractiveness Index and the Urban Performance Index.

Second in the hierarchy of factors is the city's basic infrastructure, followed by its capacity to encourage creativity and innovation.

“The importance of leisure options and infrastructure highlights that urban attractiveness is explained by aspects that directly and immediately influence people’s daily lives. From well-maintained roads and essential utilities to easy access to recreational facilities, these elements have a significant impact on how the city is perceived,” Florian Filat added.

The study shows a strong correlation between the intention to move to a city and how people perceive the quality of life in that city, confirming that cities perceived as having a high quality of life are usually the most attractive relocation destinations.