Brașov is the city that Romanians would most like to live in for the second consecutive year, according to the Urban Attractiveness Index 2026 published by the Institute for Visionary Cities.
The popular mountain city of Brașov was the first option for families and people without children, for respondents with or without a partner, for urban and rural areas, and for all income levels. The city functions as a consensus city: attractive to very different segments, not just to a specific category of the public.
The top three include Cluj-Napoca and Constanța, while Sibiu rose to the top 5 and Constanța moved up three positions compared to the previous edition.
The top 10 cities where Romanians most want to live are, in order, Brașov, Cluj-Napoca, Constanța, Timișoara, Sibiu, Oradea, Iași, Bucharest, Alba Iulia, and Arad.
The largest score increases compared to the 2024 edition were recorded by Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Slatina, Târgu Jiu, and Baia Mare. All are small or medium-sized cities. In contrast, Oradea, Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca, and Brașov recorded slight score decreases, although they remained at the top of the ranking.
“Romanians are increasingly looking less for the ‘magnet city’ and more for the ‘balanced city’. Expensive living, traffic, and the daily pressure in large urban centers are making people reconsider cities with 60,000–100,000 inhabitants. These offer better air, more manageable traffic, more affordable housing, and more green space,” said Florian Filat, Executive Director of the Institute for Visionary Cities.
The main factors influencing a city’s attractiveness remained opportunities for leisure activities, sports, and physical activity. However, in 2026, economic stability, healthcare services, urban mobility, and technology integrated into public services have increased in importance.
“In 2026, however, we observe a trend toward a more pragmatic evaluation of cities. In a more difficult economic and social context than two years ago, factors related to the stability and functioning of the city have become more important: suitable and well-paid jobs, quality healthcare services, ease of moving around the city, and technology integrated into public services. These are added to elements that have remained consistently at the top, such as leisure opportunities or the facilitation of innovation and creativity,” says Felix Tătaru, President of the Institute for Visionary Cities.
The Urban Attractiveness Index is the perceptual component of CITY INDEX and measures the attractiveness of the 41 county seat municipalities in Romania. The ranking was created based on an online survey conducted in April 2026, on a national sample of 1,200 respondents. The methodology focused on two dimensions: intention to move and the general perception of quality of life.
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