GeraHome / Cost of Living in Europe
EU Cost of Living & Energy Prices by Country
Where is it cheapest and most expensive to live in the EU? The Gera EU Cost Index ranks all 27 member states on cost of living and household energy prices, computed transparently from real Eurostat figures.
Which EU country is most expensive to live in, and how do energy prices compare across Europe?
As of 2024, Ireland is the most expensive EU country to live in (price level 138.1 vs EU=100) and Bulgaria the cheapest (59.7), per Eurostat. Household electricity averaged €0.29/kWh in second half of 2025 (2025-S2). The Gera EU Cost Index ranks all 27 states from 141.7 (Ireland) to 58.7 (Bulgaria); EU median 96.9.
Compare any two EU countries
Real Eurostat cost-of-living and energy prices, side by side
Compare two EU countries
Pick two EU member states to see the real Eurostat cost-of-living gap, electricity and gas prices, and the Gera EU Cost Index difference.
| Metric | Austria | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (EU=100) | 112.8 | 116.5 |
| Electricity (all taxes) | €0.33/kWh | €0.35/kWh |
| Gas (all taxes) | €0.12/kWh | €0.09/kWh |
| Gera EU Cost Index | 117.8 | 117.5 |
| EU cost rank (of 27) | #7 | #8 |
Austria is the more expensive of the two — its Gera EU Cost Index of 117.8 is 0.3 points above Belgium (117.5). Overall consumer prices are -3.2% and electricity is -6.5% in Austria versus Belgium. EU median index: 96.9.
All 27 EU countries by Gera EU Cost Index
| Rank | Country | Gera EU Cost Index | Price level (EU=100) | Electricity €/kWh | Gas €/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ireland | 141.7 | 138.1 | €0.40 | €0.13 |
| 2 | Denmark | 136.9 | 143.1 | €0.33 | €0.13 |
| 3 | Sweden | 126.6 | 115.1 | €0.27 | €0.21 |
| 4 | Germany | 121.2 | 108.6 | €0.39 | €0.12 |
| 5 | Netherlands | 120.1 | 116 | €0.26 | €0.17 |
| 6 | Luxembourg | 119 | 132.8 | €0.27 | €0.09 |
| 7 | Austria | 117.8 | 112.8 | €0.33 | €0.12 |
| 8 | Belgium | 117.5 | 116.5 | €0.35 | €0.09 |
| 9 | Finland | 113.2 | 123.5 | €0.23 | n/a |
| 10 | France | 113.1 | 111.2 | €0.26 | €0.14 |
| 11 | Italy | 109.5 | 97.5 | €0.30 | €0.15 |
| 12 | Czechia | 98.8 | 88.4 | €0.32 | €0.10 |
| 13 | Cyprus | 97.5 | 92.8 | €0.28 | n/a |
| 14 | Portugal | 96.9 | 87 | €0.24 | €0.14 |
| 15 | Spain | 94.8 | 90.9 | €0.27 | €0.10 |
| 16 | Estonia | 93.8 | 100 | €0.23 | €0.08 |
| 17 | Greece | 88.5 | 86 | €0.24 | €0.09 |
| 18 | Slovenia | 87.8 | 90.2 | €0.21 | €0.09 |
| 19 | Latvia | 85.4 | 81.8 | €0.25 | €0.08 |
| 20 | Poland | 80.7 | 72.2 | €0.27 | €0.07 |
| 21 | Malta | 79.5 | 91.6 | €0.13 | n/a |
| 22 | Lithuania | 78.3 | 81.6 | €0.20 | €0.07 |
| 23 | Slovakia | 78 | 84.7 | €0.19 | €0.06 |
| 24 | Romania | 75 | 63.7 | €0.29 | €0.06 |
| 25 | Croatia | 70.1 | 76.3 | €0.17 | €0.05 |
| 26 | Hungary | 59.7 | 73.5 | €0.11 | €0.03 |
| 27 | Bulgaria | 58.7 | 59.7 | €0.14 | €0.06 |
Price levels: Eurostat household final consumption, 2024. Energy prices: Eurostat household electricity & gas, all taxes included, second half of 2025 (2025-S2). "n/a" gas = no household gas network (Cyprus, Malta, Finland). Open any country below for its full report.
Browse a country
EU cost of living — FAQ
- Which EU country has the highest cost of living?
- Ireland has the highest price level for household final consumption in the EU at 138.1 (EU=100) for 2024, followed by Denmark (143.1) and Luxembourg (132.8). Source: Eurostat price level indices (prc_ppp_ind, HFCE).
- Which EU country has the cheapest cost of living?
- Bulgaria has the lowest price level for household consumption in the EU at 59.7 (EU=100, 2024), followed by Hungary (73.5). These figures are from Eurostat and measure how a country's consumer prices compare to the EU average.
- Where is electricity most and least expensive in the EU?
- In second half of 2025 (2025-S2), household electricity (all taxes included) was most expensive in Ireland (€0.40/kWh), Germany (€0.39/kWh) and Belgium (€0.35/kWh), and cheapest in Hungary (€0.11/kWh) and Bulgaria (€0.14/kWh). The EU average was €0.29/kWh. Source: Eurostat (nrg_pc_204).
- How is the Gera EU Cost Index calculated?
- The Gera EU Cost Index (EU average ≈ 100) is a transparent weighted blend of three real Eurostat figures: 60% the price level index for household consumption, 25% household electricity price and 15% household gas price (each energy price normalised to the EU mean). For countries with no household gas network the gas term is dropped and the other weights renormalised — no value is estimated. The full method is published on this page.
- Where does this EU cost and energy data come from?
- All figures are from Eurostat (the EU statistical office): price level indices for household final consumption (prc_ppp_ind, 2024) and bi-annual household electricity and gas prices including all taxes (nrg_pc_204 / nrg_pc_202, second half of 2025). The data is © European Union and free to reuse with attribution. Gera computes only the Gera EU Cost Index from these published figures.
How the Gera EU Cost Index is calculated
The Gera EU Cost Index (GECI) is a transparent score over real Eurostat figures, anchored so the EU average is roughly 100. For each country it is 0.6 × priceLevel + 0.25 × elecNorm + 0.15 × gasNorm, where priceLevel is the Eurostat price level index for household final consumption (EU=100, 2024), elecNorm is the household electricity price divided by the EU mean (€0.255/kWh) × 100, and gasNorm is the household gas price divided by the EU mean (€0.101/kWh) × 100. For the three countries with no household gas network (Cyprus, Malta, Finland) the gas term is dropped and the price-level and electricity weights are renormalised — no gas value is estimated. Every input is a real published Eurostat figure; nothing is modelled or interpolated. The EU median GECI is 96.9.
Moving or settling into a new home in Europe?
From installs and repairs to full home setup, GeraHome connects you to vetted local tradespeople. Get free quotes in minutes.
Related on GeraHome
- UK energy price cap & appliance running costs — the current Ofgem cap and what appliances cost to run.
- Home service cost guides — what trades charge across regions.
- Browse vetted tradespeople — electricians, builders and more near you.
Contains public sector information published by Eurostat (European Commission) and licensed under the Eurostat reuse policy (© European Union — free reuse with attribution). Source: Eurostat — Price level indices for household final consumption (prc_ppp_ind) (2024 (price levels) · second half of 2025 (2025-S2) (energy), published June 2025 (price levels) · May 2026 (energy)).