The average for 2021 based on 41 countries was 107.05 index points. The highest value was in Switzerland: 211.98 index points and the lowest value was in Belarus: 40.99 index points. The indicator is available from 2017 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

High inflation driven by rising energy and food costs are causing a severe cost of living crisis in Europe. As of September 2022, the majority of people surveyed in seven European countries advised they had curbed their spending as a consquence, ranging from 69 percent in Italy to 54 percent in Sweden.

A table comparing the cost of living in various European Union countries, including expenses for rent, utilities, food, and transportation in major cities

Abstract (en): These data were gathered in order to determine the cost of living as well as the cost of production in selected industries in the United States and several Western European countries. The study is comprised of nine industries (cotton and woolen textiles, glass, pig iron, bar iron, steel, bituminous coal, coke, and iron ore) and contains family-level information on the household composition, income and expenditures of workers in these industries. Additional topics covered include sources of income, ages and sex of children, detailed occupation of the household head, detailed expenditures for food as well as nonfood items, and characteristics of the family's dwelling units. Industrial workers and their families in 24 states in the United States and in 5 European nations (France, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Belgium). Smallest Geographic Unit: country 2006-12-07 The Analytic Variables data file has been revised to correct various discrepancies found in the original file. Additional data including various average price indices, were also added to the file as well as SAS, SPSS, and Stata setup files, SAS transport, SPSS portable, and Stata system files. The original codebooks are now available in PDF format. (1) Units of measurement for variables describing income, expenditure, and goods consumed can be found in the codebook. (2) For variable OCC464 (464 Occupation Codes) the following codes are undocumented: 206, 207, 247, and 503. (3) The data file for Part 2 is a text file containing interviewer comments which provide additional information about the household. There are no setup files to accompany the Part 2 data file.

The average transaction price of new housing in Europe was the highest in Norway, whereas existing homes were the most expensive in Austria. Since there is no central body that collects and tracks transaction activity or house prices across the whole continent or the European Union, not all countries are included. To compile the ranking, the source weighed the transaction prices of residential properties in the most important cities in each country based on data from their national offices. For example, in Germany, the cities included were Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Berlin. House prices have been soaring, with Sweden topping the ranking Considering the RHPI of houses in Europe (the price index in real terms, which measures price changes of single-family properties adjusted for the impact of inflation), however, the picture changes. Sweden, Luxembourg and Norway top this ranking, meaning residential property prices have surged the most in these countries. Real values were calculated using the so-called Personal Consumption Expenditure Deflator (PCE), This PCE uses both consumer prices as well as consumer expenditures, like medical and health care expenses paid by employers. It is meant to show how expensive housing is compared to the way of living in a country. Home ownership highest in Eastern Europe The home ownership rate in Europe varied from country to country. In 2020, roughly half of all homes in Germany were owner-occupied whereas home ownership was at nearly 97 percent in Romania or around 90 percent in Slovakia and Lithuania. These numbers were considerably higher than in France or Italy, where homeowners made up 65 percent and 72 percent of their respective populations.For more information on the topic of property in Europe, visit the following pages as a starting point for your research: real estate investments in Europe and residential real estate in Europe.

The house price to income index in Europe declined in almost all European countries in 2023, indicating that income grew faster than house prices. Portugal, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands led the house price to income index ranking in 2023, with values exceeding 125 index points. Romania, Bulgaria, and Finland were on the other side of the spectrum, with less than 100 index points. The house price to income ratio is an indicator for the development of housing affordability across OECD countries and is calculated as the nominal house prices divided by nominal disposable income per head, with 2015 chosen as a base year. A ratio higher than 100 means that the nominal house price growth since 2015 has outpaced the nominal disposable income growth, and housing is therefore comparatively less affordable. In 2023, the OECD average stood at 117.4 index points.

Consumer Price Index CPI in European Union increased to 131.92 points in February from 131.33 points in January of 2025. This dataset provides - European Union Consumer Price Index (CPI) - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar.

In the first quarter of 2024, Amsterdam was the most expensive city to rent a furnished one-bedroom apartment among the 23 leading European cities surveyed. At 2,300 euros per month, rent in Amsterdam was more than twice as high as in Brussels. Amsterdam was also the most expensive city to rent a private room.One of the main factors driving high rents across European cities is the same as any other consumer-driven business. If demand outweighs supply, prices will inflate. The drive for high paid professionals to be located centrally in prime locations, mixed with the low levels of available space, high land, and construction costs, all help keep rental prices increasing.

This indicator is defined as the percentage of the population living in a household where the total housing costs (net of housing allowances) represent more than 40% of the total disposable household income (net of housing allowances) presented by income quintile.

This indicator is defined as the percentage of the population living in a household where the total housing costs (net of housing allowances) represent more than 40% of the total disposable household income (net of housing allowances) presented by poverty status.

In 2024, rising prices, the cost of living, and the economic situation were the key issues driving voter turnout in the European Parliament elections. Conversely, the digitalization of the European economy was the least motivating topic for voters.

What are the intergenerational resource transfer contributions of parents and non-parents in Europe? Using National Transfer Accounts and National Time Transfer Accounts for twelve countries around 2010, we go beyond public transfers (net taxes) to also value two statistically much less visible transfer types in the family realm: of market goods (money) and of unpaid household labour (time). Non-parents contribute almost exclusively to public transfers. But parents additionally provide still larger private transfers: mothers mainly time, fathers mainly money. Estimating transfer stocks over the working life, the average parental/non-parental contribution ratio flips from 0.73 (public transfers alone) to 2.66 (all three transfers combined). The tax rates implicitly imposed thereby on rearing children are multiples of the value-added tax rates in place on consumption goods. The magnitude of these invisible transfer asymmetries carries multiple implications for policy debates. For instance, it raises the question whether European societies unwittingly tax their own reproduction too heavily. Methods We have not collected data but utilized the European microdata infrastructure. Specifically, we used the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), the harmonized European Household Budget Surveys (HBS), the Harmonized European Time Use Survey (HETUS), and for health-related data, the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS). These comparative datasets are collected by the national statistical agencies of the Member States of the European Union (EU) under the supervision of the EU’s statistical agency, Eurostat. The protocols of the surveys in question go through ethical checks concerning information and consent of respondents as well asanonymization of released data. Macro data used in this paper can be downloaded from the site of the statistical agency of the European Union, Eurostat. Variable names are indicated in the paper. Microdata are publicly available upon request from Eurostat, (contact via ESTATMicrodata-access@ec.europa.eu) but cannot be transferred to a third party. To apply for access to Eurostat's microdata, a researcher's organization must first be recognized as a research entity “ a university, research institution, or research department in a public administration, bank, statistical institute, etc. Applications for research entity recognition should be sent to ESTATENTITIESASSESSMENT@ec.europa.eu. A full replication package, including codes, is provisionally available athttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MKuwxXE_erfSeo3o-Hv6FK_HZo8rR3cU?usp=sharing and this will accompany the paper as an additional supplementary material upon acceptance.

This scatter chart displays urban population living in areas where elevation is below 5 meters (% of total population) against expense (% of GDP) and is filtered where the continent is Europe. The data is about countries.

The threshold is set at 60 % of the national median equivalised disposable income (after social transfers). It is expressed in Purchase Parity Standards (PPS) in order to take into account differences in cost of living across EU Member States.

Rising prices, inflation, and the cost of living were seen by almost a quarter of the people in the European Union as being one of the two most important issues facing their country in 2023. Prior to the most recent month, concern about rising prices and inflation was highest in 2022, when between 53 and 54 percent of people in the EU stating this was an important issue. Concerns over rising prices have slightly declined among EU citizens in 2024, with 33 percent stating it was one of the two most important issues facing their country.

During 2018, Paris was the most expensive European city to rent an Apartment, at 2.85 thousand U.S. dollars per month. London had an average rental cost of over 300 U.S. dollars less than the Capital of France. Cities within Western Europe have a higher rental price than their Eastern counterparts with Moscow seeing the average cost of rent over one thousand U.S. dollars per month lower than Paris.

Supply and demand

One of the main factors driving high rents across European cities is the same as any other consumer driven business. If demand outweighs supply, prices will inflate. The drive for high paid professionals to be located centrally in prime locations, mixed with the low levels of available space, high land and, construction costs all help keep rental prices increasing.

Renters now outweigh home owners

In London, the number of private renters has increased dramatically from 2008. Increasing house prices as well as standard costs of living have seen more and more people unable to get on to the property ladder, and are therefore forced onto the rental markets for longer. This being said 2019 has become a great time for first-time buyers as interest rates remained historically low.

European Discount Retail Market size was valued at USD 41.92 Million in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 55.2 Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 3.5% from 2024 to 2031.

European Discount Retail Market Drivers

Economic Sensitivity: Economic changes and growing living costs encourage people to seek out low-cost purchasing solutions. European discount shops respond to this demand by delivering lower-priced goods that appeal to cost-conscious buyers and those impacted by economic downturns, giving them a competitive advantage in the market.
Consumer Preference for Value: The growing emphasis on value for money has aided the expansion of bargain businesses. Shoppers are more price-sensitive and prefer businesses that give the best bargains and lowest costs on everyday things, which has fueled the development of discount formats across Europe.
Expansion of Product Ranges: Originally limited to basic goods, several bargain merchants have expanded their product range to include quality and organic items at competitive costs. This technique appeals to a broader customer base, including middle-class consumers looking for high-quality products at a reasonable price.
Efficient Supply Chain Management: Discount retailers use extremely efficient supply chain and inventory management systems to cut operating expenses. By improving these processes, businesses can provide cheaper costs to customers, preserve larger profit margins, and increase their market presence compared to traditional retail models.

Determining cost of living and cost of production in selected industries in the US and several European countries. Sources of income / family composition / detailed occupation of the household head / detailed expenditures for food and non-food items / characteristics of dwelling / interviewer description of living condition. Background variables: basic characteristics/ residence/ housing situation/ household characteristics/ occupation/employment/ income/capital assets

Household furnishings, consumer habits, evaluation of country image and general attitude to the EEC.

Topics: 1. consumption and furnishing questions: assessment of personal as well as national economic situation in the last 5 years; relative assessment of the standard of living in one´s country, compared with the other countries; detailed recording of type, age and repeated acquisition of durable economic goods; country image regarding product, price and fashion; judgement on the quantitative product selection from abroad; residential furnishings; having a yard; type of film used for camera and film use in the last year; flash pictures.

1. questions on car: possession of delivery vehicle and car, organized according to number, brand, model, type of vehicle, displacement and year of manufacture; new purchase or used car; car radio possession and kilometers driven annually; getting gas self-service; personally conducting vehicle maintenance and use of car cleansers as well as car polish; possession of bicycle.

2. detailed recording of drinking habits with softdrinks, beer, wine and schnapps.

3. attitude to the EEC: knowledge about the member countries of the EEC; countries that should join the EEC; countries that have drawn the the greatest or the least benefit from the EEC; EEC membership for the benefit of the country and to raise the standard of living; most important political goals of the EEC.

4. socio-cultural attitudes: attitude to law-breakers; social justice; social and ethnic tolerance; general attitude to young people and older people.

5. attitude to advertising: purchase of a watch during the last five years and price paid for it; activities and jobs conducted oneself in the household; attitude to fashion (scale); social prestige of selected occupations; church attendance on Christmas Day; desire for a life 50 years from now; number of rooms with carpeting.

6. leisure time and further education: knowledge of a foreign language; television habits and reading habits with magazines; total reading times and whereabouts of the magazines; number of books read and bought in the last year; book price; manner of book purchase (mail-order or bookstore); pet possession and manner as well as extent of obtaining feed; participation in further education courses and motives for this; vacation behavior; vacation destinations abroad; package tours; relatives and friends traveling along; trip duration; trip costs; means of transport used; trips by airplane; scheduled or charter flight; frequency of trips to the hairdresser; (among women: use of toiletries and cosmetics); (among men: use of washing and shaving utensils; custom-made or off-the-shelf suit; type of store and price of last suit purchased); use or provisions of nutrition and semi-luxury foods, tobacco and alcohol; use of dish-washing liquids and household cleansers or cleaning products; use of community washing machines or use of a laundry; age of one´s own washing machine; forms of assets and bank account possession; second home; Readers´ Digest subscriber.

Demography: age; sex; religious denomination; occupational position; employment; company size; household income; possession of durable economic goods; composition of household; respondent is head of household; characteristics of head of household; housing situation; residential status; degree of urbanization.

Interviewer rating: social class of respondent; weekday of interview.

Household furnishings, consumer habits, evaluation of country image and general attitude to the EEC.

Topics: 1. consumption and furnishing questions: assessment of personal as well as national economic situation in the last 5 years; relative assessment of the standard of living in one´s country, compared with the other countries; detailed recording of type, age and repeated acquisition of durable economic goods; country image regarding product, price and fashion; judgement on the quantitative product selection from abroad; residential furnishings; having a yard; type of film for camera and film use in the last year; flash pictures.

1. questions on car: possession of delivery vehicle and car, organized according to number, brand, model, form of vehicle, displacement and year of manufacture; new purchase or used car; car radio possession and kilometers driven annually; getting gas self-service; personally conducting vehicle maintenance and use of car cleanser as well as car wax; possession of bicycle.

2. detailed recording of drinking habits with softdrinks, beer, wine and schnapps.

3. attitude to the EEC: knowledge about the member countries of the EEC; countries that should join the EEC; countries that have drawn the greatest or the least benefit from the EEC; EEC membership for the benefit of the country and to raise the standard of living; most important political goals of the EEC.

4. socio-cultural attitudes: attitude to law-breakers; social justice; social and ethnic tolerance; general attitude to young people and older people.

5. attitude to advertising: purchase of a watch during the last five years and price paid for it; activities and jobs conducted oneself in the household; attitude to fashion (scale); social prestige of selected occupations; church attendance on Christmas Day; desire for a life 50 years from now; number of rooms with carpeting.

6. leisure time and further education: knowledge of a foreign language; television habits and reading habits with magazines; total reading times and whereabouts of the magazines; number of books read and bought in the last year; book price; manner of book purchase (mail-order or bookstore); pet possession and manner as well as extent of obtaining feed; participation in further education courses and motives for this; vacation behavior; vacation destinations abroad; package tours; relatives and friends traveling along; trip duration; trip costs; means of transport used; trips by airplane; scheduled or charter flight; frequency of trips to the hairdresser; (among women: use of toiletries and cosmetics); (among men: use of washing and shaving utensils; custom-made or off-the-shelf suit; type of store and price of suit last purchased); use or provisions of nutrition and semi-luxury foods, tobacco and alcohol; use of dish-washing liquids and household cleansers or cleaning products; use of communal washing machines or use of a laundry; age of one´s own washing machine; forms of assets and bank account possession; second home; Readers´ Digest subscriber.

Demography: age; sex; marital status; religious denomination; occupational position; employment; company size; household income; possession of durable economic goods; composition of household; respondent is head of household; characteristics of head of household; housing situation; residential status; degree of urbanization.

Interviewer rating: social class of respondent; weekday of interview.