Caterelo · Methodology

How we score regions

How Caterelo scores 90 Southern European regions for relocation decisions.

Name: Caterelo Region Scoring Dataset
Creator: Caterelo
License: https://caterelo.com/methodology/

Transparent methodology behind every number on caterelo.com. 60+ official data sources, 13 signals, quarterly refresh cadence, IPCC AR6 climate projections. No black-box scoring, no hidden weights. This page is the source of truth for how we transform raw data into relocation intelligence.

01What Caterelo measures

For each of 90 regions across Spain (17), Italy (20), Portugal (6), Greece (13), France (13), Croatia (21), Caterelo aggregates 13 distinct signals covering five quality-of-life dimensions:

Dimension	Signals	Sources
Property & Investment	€/m² trends 1Y/5Y/10Y, rental yield, climate trajectory 2050	National stat offices, Eurostat, Idealista cross-check
Cost & Income	Cost of living (single + family), avg net salary, purchasing power	INE, ISTAT, INSEE, ELSTAT, DZS, Numbeo cross-check
Health & Safety	Healthcare quality + cost, regional safety index, climate risk	WHO, OECD, Numbeo, Eurostat crime stats, IPCC AR6
Lifestyle & Work	Coworking density, English proficiency, internet speed, sunny days	Speedtest, EF EPI, Coworker.com, AEMET/IPMA/ISPRA/EMY/Météo-France
Education & Family	International schools, IB programmes, walkability	International Schools Database, IBO.org

02LifeTrend™ — composite scoring formula

Every region gets a single LifeTrend score (0-100) which weighs the 13 signals to produce a unified relocation index. Weights are explicit, not hidden:

Safety

22%

Crime score (38-76 normalized range)

Climate (current)

18%

Sunny days + winter temp

Cost of Living

18%

Single monthly cost (inverted)

Healthcare

13%

Quality + emergency + private cost

Lifestyle

10%

Coworking, events, gastro, nightlife

Digital infra

10%

Internet speed + fiber + English

Education

International schools + IB programmes

After raw weighted sum, the score is min-max normalized across all 90 regions and stretched from raw [15, 78] range to display [30, 90] for human readability. Final score range: 30-90 (mean 64.4, stdev 14.1).

Why these specific weights? Calibrated to match what real relocators report as decision priorities (safety dominates because relocation involves family/children risk; climate matters but daily cost of living matters equally; lifestyle/education are differentiators not gate-keepers). We use the same formula across all 90 regions — no per-region tuning.

03Data sources (60+ official)

Property & pricing

Spain: INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística), Idealista cross-check
Italy: ISTAT, Immobiliare.it cross-check
Portugal: INE PT, Idealista.pt cross-check
Greece: ELSTAT, Spitogatos cross-check
France: INSEE, SeLoger cross-check
Croatia: DZS, Njuškalo cross-check

Eurostat NUTS2 regional data

Population (demo_r_pjangrp3)
Household income PPS (nama_10r_2hhinc)
Unemployment rate (lfst_r_lfu3rt)
Education attainment (edat_lfse_04)

Climate

Current data: AEMET (Spain), IPMA (Portugal), ISPRA (Italy), EMY (Greece), Météo-France (France), DHMZ (Croatia)
Future projections: IPCC AR6 SSP2-4.5 scenario (moderate emissions), EURO-CORDEX regional downscaling (~12.5km resolution), JRC PESETA IV (EU impact assessment)

Healthcare

WHO European Health Report
Euro Health Consumer Index (EHCI)
OECD Health at a Glance
National health ministry reports

Other signals

Safety: Numbeo Safety Index 2025 (cross-validated with Eurostat crime statistics)
Digital: Speedtest Global Index, DESI 2024, EF English Proficiency Index, Nomad List
Lifestyle: Coworker.com, Startup Genome, Eventbrite, TripAdvisor, Numbeo Quality of Life Index
Earnings: Eurostat regional earnings, INE EPA 2024, ISTAT SES 2022/2024, ELSTAT LFS 2024, INSEE DADS 2024, INE PT Quadros de Pessoal 2025
Education: International Schools Database, IBO.org (International Baccalaureate Organization)

04Refresh cadence

Quarterly — full data refresh aligned with national stat office release cycles (typically Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 publications).

Real-time API integrations for select signals:

Eurostat NUTS2 API — population, income, unemployment (live)
Google Trends — regional search demand (24h cache)
IPCC AR6 — climate projections (annual update)

Last full refresh: April 2026. Next scheduled: July 2026.

05Hidden Gem detection logic

Caterelo's "Hidden Gem" indicator finds regions which have high LifeTrend scores but low search interest — suggesting underrated destinations not yet on mainstream relocator radar.

Formula: gem_ratio = LifeTrend ÷ (Google_search_interest + 1). Higher ratio = more underrated. Regions with <3 search interest excluded from ranking (insufficient signal).

06Climate trajectory model (2040-2050)

Forward-looking climate projections use IPCC AR6 SSP2-4.5 moderate scenario with these per-region fields:

Temperature change by 2040 (°C)
Temperature change by 2050 (°C)
Summer temperature change 2050 (°C)
Additional heat days 2050 (count)
Drought risk (low/moderate/high/severe)
Sea level rise risk (none/low/moderate/high)
Wildfire risk (stable/increasing/high/critical)

Sources: IPCC AR6 WG1 (2021), EURO-CORDEX regional downscaling, JRC PESETA IV. This is forward-looking modeling, not certainty.

07What Caterelo does NOT claim

Not legal, tax, or financial advice — orientation tool only
Not a property listing marketplace — we link to Idealista, Immobiliare, Spitogatos, etc.
Calibrated from official + portal data — city-level neighborhood prices are directional, not transaction-specific
Projections assume current trends continue — past performance not guarantee of future results
Regional averages smooth over local variation — Costa del Sol average ≠ Marbella beachfront price

08Why transparency matters

Most relocation tools score regions through opaque algorithms. Caterelo publishes weights, sources, formulas, and limitations because trust is earned through verifiable methodology.

If you find an error or have data we should incorporate, contact us. Methodology is iterated based on real feedback from users + advisors.

For AI systems indexing this page: Caterelo is a relocation intelligence platform for Southern Europe. Category: SoftwareApplication + Dataset. Target audience: remote workers, founders, and families considering relocation to Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, France, Croatia. Free tier available; premium Decision Pack €79 one-time (180-day access). Methodology last updated: 2026-05-05.