Methodology

Our methodology is a combination of core statistics from more than 400 global cities and resident and visitor perception indicators like user-generated ratings and reviews.

Resonance interprets this data through the lens of three key factors—Livability, Lovability and Prosperity—to define each city’s Place Power^™ Score.

Europe’s Best Cities Methodology

How we ranked Europe’s Best Cities for 2025

To rank the performance and perception of Europe’s Best Cities for 2025, Resonance analysed the principal cities of metropolitan statistical areas with populations of more than 500,000 (according to Eurostat, Demographia and National Statistical Offices, our population sources). We determined the Top 100 cities using a combination of core statistics and user-generated data from online sources such as Google, Tripadvisor and Instagram to measure quality of place when it comes to experiential factors.

This blend of data led to the creation of Resonance’s proprietary Place PowerTM Score, the foundation of all of our Best Cities rankings. So how does Resonance choose the metrics to effectively measure an urban region’s performance relative to its competitors? While many factors shape our perception of urban regions as desirable places to live, work or visit, Resonance’s proprietary Place PowerTM Score rankings are focused on the shared factors that demonstrate moderate to strong correlations with the performance of urban regions when it comes to attracting prime age population (age 25–44), visitor expenditure and/or business formation.

Based on our ongoing analysis, these factors are an eclectic mix that ranges from the number of Fortune 500 (Global) companies and ease of airport connectivity to the number of nightlife and outdoor recreation experiences and the volume of check-ins on Facebook and mentions on Instagram. Since these factors can change and evolve over time, we’re continually updating our methodology to reflect these shifts. Case in point: we’ve included factors like “Price- to-Income Ratio” (to track affordability) and Healthcare System Index (to measure a city’s concern for the well-being of residents) to this year’s Europe’s Best Cities index.

As part of our new partnership with Ipsos, we combined the performance data of the subcategories that comprise our overall Livability, Lovability and Prosperity indices with perception data reflecting the opinions and preferences of 7,512 (5,000 weighted) respondents across 10 European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden). Each country was given equal weight in the total data set. The survey was constructed to extract the towns and cities where these 7,512 (5,000 weighted) people would most like to live, where they would most like to visit, and where they believe they would find the best job opportunities. This was accomplished with three open-ended questions where respondents could identify the towns and cities that they prefer.

We asked them, when thinking about places across the globe, including small towns and large cities: which three towns or cities would you most like to live in, most like to visit, and think currently offer the best job opportunities?

This open-ended question methodology enabled us to capture the destinations that are top of mind to survey participants rather than restricting them to a predetermined list of cities. The responses to these questions were aggregated and coded to benchmark the perception equivalent of our performance results, creating a true balance across our three overall indices of Lovability, Livability and Prosperity.

Livability

Our most layered overarching category quantifies a city’s physical sense of place.

To score a city within our Livability category, we evaluate the perceived quality of its natural and built environments. This includes how much of an urban area is dedicated to green space and how many quality parks, sights, neighbourhoods and landmarks are recommended online by locals and visitors. We also look at key socioeconomic factors such as the affordability of monthly rents and the cost of housing—factors that not only retain talent, but also attract it (and, by extension, attract skill-seeking companies as well). Livability also looks at the natural attributes of a region such as the amount of green space and the quality of the air residents and visitors breathe.

Sights & Landmarks
The number of sights and landmarks rated above four stars, as listed on Tripadvisor (Tripadvisor.com)

Price-to-Income Ratio (Housing Affordability)
The affordability of housing by way of a ratio of median apartment prices to the median family’s disposable income, showing how many years of income would be needed to buy an apartment. The ratio is lower when apartments are more affordable. This ratio is calculated using a net disposable family income, estimated at 1.5 times the average net salary (based on an assumption that women account for 50% of the workforce), a standard apartment size of 90 square metres, and the average price per square metre in both cities and suburban areas. (Numbeo)

Rent (Housing Affordability)
The typical cost of renting a one-bedroom apartment in a city centre. (Numbeo)

Air Quality
The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a measure of air pollutant concentrations in ambient air and their associated health risks. As the AQI increases, this denotes a higher level of air pollution and, as such, a higher percentage of the population is likely to experience adverse health effects in the area. The air quality index ranges from 0 to 500. Good air quality ranges from 0 to 50, while measurements over 300 are considered hazardous. (IQAir)

Healthcare System Index
The perceived quality of healthcare systems by evaluating factors like healthcare professionals, equipment and costs. Data is sourced from website visitor surveys that scored the quality of a healthcare system from -2 (strongly negative) to +2 (strongly positive). Each city’s score is presented on a 0 to 100 scale. (Numbeo)

Green Space
This indicator measures the share of an urban area’s land that is covered with vegetation that is at least 5 metres in height and with canopy cover that is greater than 50%. (OECD)

Nature & Parks
This indicator measures the number of natural areas, parks and outdoor activities rated above four stars, as listed on Tripadvisor. (Tripadvisor.com)

Dedicated Bike Paths (Biking)
This indicator measures the total kilometres of mapped bike pathways. (Bikemap.net)

Cycling Routes (Biking)
This indicator measures the number of cycling routes in a city. (Bikemap.net)

Perception
Ranking in a survey of 7,512 (5,000 weighted) European survey respondents from 10 European countries about the top three cities and towns that they would most like to live in someday. (Ipsos)

Lovability

Lovability speaks to the relative vibrancy and quality of place of a city relative to its competitive set.

For almost a decade, Resonance research has shown that the more vibrant a city or region is in terms of its culture, dining and nightlife, the more visitors, young professionals and large corporations it attracts. A region’s lovability also inspires residents, businesses and visitors to promote a region to the world more effectively and cost-efficiently than destination marketers can ever hope to.

Resonance ranks a city’s performance in each of these areas based on the number of stories, references and recommendations shared online about that city in key user- generated digital channels like Tripadvisor, Instagram and Facebook, and sought out on Google.

Nightlife
The number of local nightlife experiences rated above four stars, as listed on Tripadvisor, including bars, pubs and clubs. (Tripadvisor.com)

Shopping
The number of local shopping experiences rated above four stars, as listed on Tripadvisor, including shopping malls, farmers markets, department stores, airport shops and factory outlets in an area. (Tripadvisor.com)

Facebook Check-ins
The total number of check-ins posted by residents and tourists in a region. (Facebook.com)

Tripadvisor Reviews
The total number of reviews a destination has on Tripadvisor. (Tripadvisor.com)

Instagram Hashtags
The total number of posts with hashtags that include the name of a region. (Instagram.com)

Google Trends
Popularity on Google Trends in the past 12 months, relative to the other cities analysed, choosing the larger total of the city (for example, “Paris”) or the city and region (“Paris, France”). (Trends.Google.com)

Museums
The number of museums rated above four stars, as listed on Tripadvisor. (Tripadvisor.com)

Restaurants
This indicator measures the total number of restaurants listed within a city on Tripadvisor. (Tripadvisor.com)

Culture
This indicator measures the number of concerts, shows and events, rated above 4 stars, as listed on Tripadvisor. (Tripadvisor.com)

Attractions
This indicator measures the number of zoos, aquariums, amusement parks and gaming attractions rated above 4 stars, as listed on Tripadvisor. (Tripadvisor.com)

Prosperity

Human capital is becoming a region’s most valuable resource when it comes to generating wealth and prosperity. For many cities, it is increasingly in short supply.

To evaluate the relative strength of human capital from one region to the next, Resonance not only measures the number of large companies headquartered in the city, the level of the city’s population and the percentage of people participating in the labour force, but also the support a city provides for startups and how the innovation ecosystem is distributed across each city. Wealth and prosperity are also evaluated by core statistics like business infrastructure, such as the region’s airport connectivity to other destinations, and the presence and size of the convention centre and its ability to welcome global investment events.

Labour Force Participation
A city’s active workforce, defined as the percentage of all people of working age who are employed or are actively seeking work. (OECD)

Large Companies
The number of companies headquartered in a city with 1,000 or more employees. (Crunchbase)

Airport
The number of direct flight destinations from all commercial airports in the region. (Flightsfrom.com)

Convention Centre
This indicator measures the size of the largest convention centre in a city based on exhibition space in square metres. (Convention centre websites)

University
This indicator measures the score of the highest-ranking university in a city. (QS World University Rankings)

GDP Per Capita
The GDP per capita in a region in U.S. dollars. (OECD)

Business Ecosystem
The quantity, quality and overall state of a city’s business environment that contributes to the success of startups. (StartupBlink)

Unemployment Rate
The rate of unemployment in a region. (OECD)

Poverty Rate
This indicator measures the percentage of the population living below the poverty line in a city. (Eurostat, UK Department for Work & Pensions, and TurkStat)

Educational Attainment
This indicator measures the proportion of the population in a city that has at least a bachelor’s degree. (Eurostat & OECD)

Perception
Ranking in a survey of 7,512 (5,000 weighted) European survey respondents from 10 European countries about the top three cities and towns that they think have the best job opportunities. (Ipsos)