Thursday, 26 March 2026
Cushman & Wakefield Echinox reports that office stock in Romania’s main regional cities has increased significantly over the past decade, but remains well below levels seen in more developed Central and Eastern European markets.
According to the firm’s latest Romania Office Report, the total modern office stock in Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Iași and Brașov stands at approximately 1.08 million sqm. No new office projects have been delivered in these cities over the past two years. Together, they account for around 25 percent of Romania’s total office stock, estimated at 4.5 million sqm.
The data highlights a gap between supply and demand. The four cities host around 197,000 students, compared with approximately 180,000 in Bucharest, suggesting a strong labour pool. However, office stock in these regional markets remains about 68 percent lower than in the capital.
In comparison, regional office markets in Poland have expanded more rapidly. Office stock outside Warsaw exceeds 6.7 million sqm, surpassing the capital’s total. Over the past ten years, more than 3.2 million sqm of office space has been delivered in Polish regional cities, compared with around 580,000 sqm in Romania.
The largest regional markets in Poland include Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, Katowice and the Tricity area, which together account for the majority of stock. Several other cities, such as Łódź, Lublin and Szczecin, also have larger office markets than Brașov. Poland’s regional cities also benefit from a larger student population, with more than 650,000 students compared to around 259,000 in Warsaw.
In the Czech Republic, development has been more balanced between the capital and regional cities. Brno and Ostrava together have around 961,000 sqm of office space, compared with 3.9 million sqm in Prague, and host approximately 90,000 students.
Development activity remains limited in Romania. Around 23,000 sqm of office space is currently under construction in regional cities, compared with more than 150,000 sqm in Poland and 95,000 sqm in the Czech Republic.
Office density relative to the student population is also lower in Romania. In Bucharest, there are around 19 sqm of office space per student, compared with 24.1 sqm in Warsaw and 28.6 sqm in Prague. In regional Romanian cities, the figure averages 5.5 sqm per student, compared with over 10 sqm in both Poland and the Czech Republic.
Despite lower supply, vacancy rates in Romania’s regional cities remain relatively contained, ranging between 8.5 percent and 16.7 percent. Prime rents are also competitive, typically between €13 and €17 per sqm per month, below levels seen in cities such as Kraków or Brno.
Mădălina Cojocaru, Partner, Office Agency at Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, said: “The 2026 regional office market outlook reflects a resilient yet increasingly selective landscape across Romania’s main business hubs outside Bucharest, while also highlighting their significant untapped potential. Cluj-Napoca stands out both in terms of market size and leasing activity, while Timisoara, Iasi and Brasov compete through lower occupancy costs, access to skilled talent and improving connectivity. Solid demographics – more than 1 million inhabitants and nearly 200,000 students – support long-term growth prospects, while limited development activity is expected to put upward pressure on rents.”
