Cluj-Napoca leads the ranking in the objective score, and Sibiu in the subjective evaluation of the inhabitants.
In 2025, Cluj-Napoca and Sibiu maintained their top positions in Index Storia, recording the highest overall scores. As in the previous year, Cluj-Napoca remains the city with the highest score obtained on the basis of objective indicators – such as traffic, urban landmarks, air quality and real estate prices – with a total score of 44.5. In parallel, Sibiu recorded the best result in the evaluation of subjective criteria, with a score of 76.9, calculated on the basis of 13 criteria evaluated by the city's residents. Brașov ranks second in both rankings, both in terms of objective criteria (41.4) and subjective criteria (74.2).
The Storia Index integrates both objective information, obtained from sources such as Google Traffic, Google Places, Airly and Storia, as well as the subjective opinions of more than 110,000 inhabitants of the areas included on the platform. The subjective indicators evaluated are: safety, cleanliness, access to parking spaces and means of transport, bike paths, noise level, running water, sanitation and gas service, sewage system, thermal heating service, degree of satisfaction, but also the general cost of living.
The analysis is part of “Summary of the Story”, available on rezumat.storia.ro, an annual report that provides a detailed picture of the real estate market in Romania.
Top cities and neighborhoods, taking into account objective data (traffic, landmarks, air, real estate)
In 2025, Cluj-Napoca remained the best ranked city taking into account the objective datawith a total score of 44.5 (vs. 42.7 in 2024), followed by Brașov (41.4), Constanța (39.6), Sibiu (39.3) and Craiova (38.7). Among the cities that were in the top last year, but which are no longer in the ranking this year, are Târgu Mureș, Deva and Călăraşi. As for the top neighborhoods, just like last year, Primăverii (Bucharest) occupied the first position with a score of 66.4, followed by Aviatorilor (Bucharest) with 65.1, 13 Septembrie neighborhood (Bucharest) – 58.5, Gruia from Cluj-Napoca (57.3) and Centrul Vechi from Cluj-Napoca, with a score of 57. The final values were obtained by calculating the average of the four objective indicators.
“Analysis of the 2025 data shows that, although there are some point changes in the rankings, the overall profile of the results remains comparable to that of 2024. This suggests that the differences between cities and neighborhoods are evolving gradually, without major changes from year to year, as expected. The criteria that recorded the highest scores target essential aspects such as access to running water, gas and sewer services, safety and public transport. In contrast, the tracks of bicycles and the noise level are among the criteria with lower ratings, indicating a lower degree of satisfaction from the residents. The Storia Index can be a useful guidance tool, both for people looking for a home and for real estate professionals who advise their clients, providing a comparative perspective on the objective indicators, complemented by the subjective assessments provided by the residents of the analyzed areas themselves,” said Monica Dudău, Head of Marketing Real Estate Europe, OLX Group (History and OLX Real Estate in Romania).
Top of cities and neighborhoods, taking into account subjective data (inhabitants' perception)
Sibiu remains the most appreciated city by its inhabitants and registers the highest subjective score, obtained based on the opinions of the residents who evaluated the 13 criteria, reaching a score of 76.9 out of 100. In second place was Brașov, with a score of 74.2, followed by Oradea, with 73.3. The next top cities are Râmnicu Vâlcea (73.1) and Cluj-Napoca (72.1). Also, Sibiu was distinguished by the presence of three neighborhoods in the top: Valea Aurie was the most appreciated neighborhood by the residents, with a score of 84.1, followed by Ștrand (83.8) and Sub Arini (83.6). On the fourth and fifth places were the districts of Orizont in Buzău (82.4) and the University of Craiova (82.2).
At the chapter safetyBrașov remains the city where residents said they felt the most protected (82.1). Among the neighborhoods, Andrei Mureșanu from Cluj-Napoca (93.2) stood out as being the most appreciated in this sense. As regards cleaningRâmnicu Vâlcea (75.1) led the list of cities, while, at the neighborhood level, Trei Stejari in Sibiu (85.9) obtained the best ratings.
Ask about availability of parking spacesthe inhabitants of Râmnicu Vâlcea declared themselves the most satisfied, with a score of 58.1. At the same time, the Orizont district in Buzău (79.7) is perceived as an area where parking spaces are easy to find. As regards public transportBrașov is in first place in the ranking of cities, with a score of 83.7 resulting from the evaluations of the residents. At the neighborhood level, the Universitate area of Bucharest stands out with the highest score of 94.
As regards access to bike lanesSibiu (68.4) scores the best, with residents saying they can easily cycle around the city. Strand (87.4), the district of Sibiu, is the best rated from this point of view. Regarding reduced level of noiseBrașov (62.4) registers the best score at the city level, while the Valea Aurie neighborhood in Sibiu (79.9) ranks first at the neighborhood level, being perceived as a quiet area.
Sibiu (84.6) is the city perceived by the inhabitants as having a heating system well done. At the neighborhood level, the area of the University of Oradea (94.3) stands out as the area where residents are the most satisfied with this aspect. As regards access to running waterthe residents of Sibiu (96.9) declare themselves satisfied, and the neighborhoods of Lipoveni in Alba Iulia (99.6) and Nicolina 2 in Iași (99.6) stand out as areas where residents are satisfied with this service. Sibiu (91.9) is at the top of the cities when it comes to the gas networkand the Moara de Vânt neighborhood in Iasi (98.1) is appreciated by the residents for the quality of these services. At the chapter sewage networkSibiu (82.7) ranked first in the perception of the inhabitants both at the city level and through the Sub Arini neighborhood (89.2), which obtained the best appreciations in this category.
According to the History Index, Sibiu (80.6) is the city with the highest level of overall satisfactionalong with the Orizont neighborhood in Buzău (90.8), which obtained the highest score at the neighborhood level. As regards general cost of livingthe residents of Sibiu are the most satisfied (66), and at the neighborhood level, Stejari din Botoșani stands out with a score of 81.3, indicating a positive perception of living costs.
From the perspective of the residential market, Sibiu continues to register a moderate evolution. On an annual basis, in 2025 the average price of new apartments was 1,873 euros/sq m, compared to 1,689 euros/sq m in 2024, which reflects an increase of 11% year-on-year. A similar dynamic was observed in the case of old apartments, where the average price rose to 1,855 euros/sqm in 2025, compared to 1,667 euros/sqm in 2024, also marking an annual advance of 11%.
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About History
Storia is the most visited real estate platform in Romania and also the platform with the most sales and rental ads in the country, which aims to bring more clarity to the real estate market. It's the place where thousands of owners, real estate agents and developers present their offers. Storia aims to support those looking for the right home by providing tools and valuable information about the real estate market to help them make informed decisions. In 2022, Storia launched a tool that analyzes the quality of life in Romanian neighborhoods. The Storia Index (originally TRAI) provides a score from 0 to 100 for each neighborhood, based on 17 important criteria for Romanians. This includes both objective data – such as traffic, air quality or housing prices – as well as subjective perceptions, collected through an ongoing survey of more than 109,000 respondents. Among the aspects evaluated are safety, cleanliness, quietness or access to cycle paths. The goal is for people to have a clearer picture of the neighborhoods they live in or are considering moving to.
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