A challenge faced by many smaller and medium-sized cities is retaining young students aftergraduation. Losing this demographic is a loss for the cities, as they lose future consumers of thecity. The city's image, therefore, becomes an interesting subject of study, as it can influencestudents' willingness to stay after graduation. In marketing, the image of a brand is afundamental component of its appeal and success. However, a brand image is not exclusivelyfor businesses and organizations; it can also be applied to places. Just like traditional brands,the brand image is crucial for place brands as well. Moreover, most research has focused onbusiness tourists and leisure tourists. There is, however, a clear lack of research on how thelifestyle of other consumer groups, such as city residents and, in particular, students, impacts aplace image or place brand, as well as their willingness to stay after completing their studies.Given the significant role lifestyle plays in students' lives, this consumer group becomesparticularly interesting to study from a lifestyle perspective. The main question this study aimsto answer is: What role does lifestyle play in students' perception of a city's image, and how dothese factors affect their willingness to stay after graduation? The method used in this studywas a qualitative design. The sample was a convenience sample, and the data collection methodconsisted of personal interviews. From the responses, it was clear that lifestyle plays asignificant role in their place image of a place brand and brand retention. We recommend thatthose responsible for brand retention for place brands take the findings from this study intoaccount, with the hope that it will assist them in their work and ultimately lead to moreindividuals staying in their respective place brands.