Cluj-Napoca Scores Higher in Quality of Life than Barcelona.

Barcelona may be an almost ideal European city, but Cluj-Napoca from Transylvania, is a much better place to live in – according to the world’s largest database of user-contributed data about cities and countries worldwide. And why? This is interesting since Cluj-Napoca, the hidden gem of Eastern Europe is so much smaller and modest in its self-promotion.

Our little research on Cluj-Napoca and Barcelona city comparison has revealed so many interesting aspects that make you want to consider moving or working in Cluj-Napoca, especially in the ITC sector!

Culture and Tradition

  • Barcelona’s amazing architecture, attractive beaches, colorful neighborhoods and Catalan culture are unbeatable by any European city. “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s” says an old saying. Nevertheless, what tends to be such a worldwide attraction brings along flocks of tourists and leads to an overcrowded city.

 

  • Cluj-Napoca is about a quarter of Barcelona’s size and has its unique cultural mix: a city where Latin culture is entangled with Hungarian and Slavic Culture, with German and Austrian influences. The building heritage may not be as impressive, but the traditions and the local spirit definitely worth experiencing.

Vibrant Events Arena 

  • Barcelona is worldwide known for its fiestas, street parties and famous festivals as the experimental music Sonar Festival, the indie rock giant Primavera Sound or the more eclectic music fest that is Cruilla. To all this we add the sports events of the Catalonia capital: football matches, Barcelona Marathon, Barcelona Open, Barcelona Grand Prix, Aerosport airshow. Over more, Barcelona hosts the leading mobile technology event: MWC – the Mobile World Congress.

 

  • Cluj-Napoca is rising as one of the most vibrant event locations in Europe for 25% of the population is young, aged between 15 to 30/35 years. The city and its surroundings host some of the coolest festivals in Europe: TIFF –Transilvania International Film Festival, Transylvania Mountain Festival, Jazz in the Park, Electric Castle music festival and one of the best European music festivals: Untold. In addition, a set of sport events and IT sector events place the city in the country top rankings.

 

Quality of Life

According to Numbeo’s latest data, the Quality of Life Index for Cluj-Napoca is estimated as „very high” (153.37 score). The same index is estimated as ’ high” for Barcelona ( 139.04 score). This may be explained by the facts that the Cost of Living in Cluj-Napoca is very low compared to Barcelona, while in the same time the city is highly safe, you may have access top proper medical care, the pollution index is moderate, the climate is nice and the traffic commute time is realtively low.

To be more specific you would need around 3100 EURO in Barcelona to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with around 1000 EURO in Cluj-Napoca (assuming you rent in both cities).

In addition, the Numbeo report summary of the two cities comparison highlights the following:

  • Consumer Prices in Barcelona are 61.97% higher than in Cluj-Napoca
  • Consumer Prices Including Rent in Barcelona are 82.32% higher than in Cluj-Napoca
  • Rent Prices in Barcelona are 144.69% higher than in Cluj-Napoca
  • Restaurant Prices in Barcelona are 83.97% higher than in Cluj-Napoca
  • Groceries Prices in Barcelona are 49.73% higher than in Cluj-Napoca
  • Local Purchasing Power in Barcelona is 31.10% higher than in Cluj-Napoca

The indexes of the two cities in February 2019 were:

  Cluj-Napoca Barcelona
Purchasing Power Index Low 52.48 Moderate 68.80
Safety Index High 79.33 Moderate 58.63
Health Care Index High 65.52 High 75.50
Climate Index High 74.35 Very High 95.73
Cost of Living Index Very Low 37.22 Low 60.29
Property Price to Income Ratio High 13.82 High 14.91
Traffic Commute Time Index Low 27.83 Low 30.91
Pollution Index Moderate 40.23 High 65.27
Quality of Life Index Very High 153.37 High 139.04
Source: www.numbeo.com

 

Based on these facts, we are sure that doing business in both Barcelona and Cluj-Napoca is attractive. It depends what type of business we speak about. For the ITC sector, each city has its particular traits and the decision making process must follow all criteria in order to make the right choice. For the moment, it is clear that Cluj-Napoca brings along the opportunities of a developing community and economic environment, where business knowledge won in markets such as the Barcelonan one may find new growth possibilities.

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