Geneva, Switzerland, was the most expensive city to buy an apartment in Europe in the first quarter of 2024. The square meter price in Geneva was nearly 15,650 euros in that quarter, about 2,000 euros higher than the second city in the ranking, Zurich. Cost of rent Rents across the major cities in Europe increased significantly in 2023. 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. Mortgage rates The average mortgage interest rates across Europe in 2023 were all under five percent, except in Czechia, Romania, Hungary, and Poland. On an individual level, a difference of one percent would most likely mean thousands of euros in interest on the mortgage a person is paying, making timing key in house purchasing. Mortgage interest rates tend to be lower in Nordic countries due to the financial stability and reliability of its borrowers. Other factors that influence the mortgage interest rates include inflation, economic growth, monetary policies, the bond market and the overall conditions of the housing market. More stable markets also tend to have higher average prices.

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

According to a mid-2024 index, *********** was the most expensive country to live in Europe, with an index score of ****.******** followed in the second place with around ** points less.

Luxembourg stands out as the European leader in quality of life for 2025, achieving a score of 220 on the Quality of Life Index. The Netherlands follows closely behind with 211 points, while Albania and Ukraine rank at the bottom with scores of 104 and 115 respectively. This index provides a thorough assessment of living conditions across Europe, reflecting various factors that shape the overall well-being of populations and extending beyond purely economic metrics. Understanding the quality of life index The quality of life index is a multifaceted measure that incorporates factors such as purchasing power, pollution levels, housing affordability, cost of living, safety, healthcare quality, traffic conditions, and climate, to measure the overall quality of life of a Country. Higher overall index scores indicate better living conditions. However, in subindexes such as pollution, cost of living, and traffic commute time, lower values correspond to improved quality of life. Challenges affecting life satisfaction Despite the fact that European countries register high levels of life quality by for example leading the ranking of happiest countries in the world, life satisfaction across the European Union has been on a downward trend since 2018. The EU's overall life satisfaction score dropped from 7.3 out of 10 in 2018 to 7.1 in 2022. This decline can be attributed to various factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic and economic challenges such as high inflation. Rising housing costs, in particular, have emerged as a critical concern, significantly affecting quality of life. This issue has played a central role in shaping voter priorities for the European Parliamentary Elections in 2024 and becoming one of the most pressing challenges for Europeans, profoundly influencing both daily experiences and long-term well-being.

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.

Table showing the country rankings based in the different metrics analysed

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 ** percent in Romania or around ** percent in Slovakia and Lithuania. These numbers were considerably higher than in France or Italy, where homeowners made up ** percent and ** 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.

Geneva stands out as Europe's most expensive city for apartment purchases in early 2025, with prices reaching a staggering 15,720 euros per square meter. This Swiss city's real estate market dwarfs even high-cost locations like Zurich and London, highlighting the extreme disparities in housing affordability across the continent. The stark contrast between Geneva and more affordable cities like Nantes, France, where the price was 3,700 euros per square meter, underscores the complex factors influencing urban property markets in Europe. Rental market dynamics and affordability challenges While purchase prices vary widely, rental markets across Europe also show significant differences. London maintained its position as the continent's priciest city for apartment rentals in 2023, with the average monthly costs for a rental apartment amounting to 36.1 euros per square meter. This figure is double the rent in Lisbon, Portugal or Madrid, Spain, and substantially higher than in other major capitals like Paris and Berlin. The disparity in rental costs reflects broader economic trends, housing policies, and the intricate balance of supply and demand in urban centers. Economic factors influencing housing costs The European housing market is influenced by various economic factors, including inflation and energy costs. As of April 2025, the European Union's inflation rate stood at 2.4 percent, with significant variations among member states. Romania experienced the highest inflation at 4.9 percent, while France and Cyprus maintained lower rates. These economic pressures, coupled with rising energy costs, contribute to the overall cost of living and housing affordability across Europe. The volatility in electricity prices, particularly in countries like Italy where rates are projected to reach 153.83 euros per megawatt hour by February 2025, further impacts housing-related expenses for both homeowners and renters.

As of 2022, Israel had the highest price level index among listed countries, amounting to 138, with 100 being the average of OECD countries. Switzerland and Iceland followed on the places behind. On the other hand, Turkey and India had the lowest price levels compared to the OECD average. This price index shows differences in price levels in different countries. Another very popular index indicating the value of money is the Big Mac index, showing how much a Big Mac costs in different countries. This list was also topped by Switzerland in 2023.

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.

Sampling Procedure Comment: Probability Sample: Multistage Stratified Random Sample

Amsterdam is set to maintain its position as Europe's most expensive city for apartment rentals in 2025, with median costs reaching 2,500 euros per month for a furnished one-bedroom unit. This figure is double the rent in Prague and significantly higher than other major European capitals like Paris, Berlin, and Madrid. The stark difference in rental costs across European cities reflects broader economic trends, housing policies, and the complex interplay between supply and demand in urban centers. Factors driving rental costs across Europe The disparity in rental prices across European cities can be attributed to various factors. In countries like Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, a higher proportion of the population lives in rental housing. This trend contributes to increased demand and potentially higher living costs in these nations. Conversely, many Eastern and Southern European countries have homeownership rates exceeding 90 percent, which may help keep rental prices lower in those regions. Housing affordability and market dynamics The relationship between housing prices and rental rates varies significantly across Europe. As of 2024, countries like Turkey, Iceland, Portugal, and Hungary had the highest house price to rent ratio indices. This indicates a widening gap between property values and rental costs since 2015. The affordability of homeownership versus renting differs greatly among European nations, with some countries experiencing rapid increases in property values that outpace rental growth. These market dynamics influence rental costs and contribute to the diverse rental landscape observed across European cities.

Attitudes towards the European Union. Globalisation. Assessment of the economic and financial crisis, and the EU policy.

Topics: 1. Standard trends and attitudes towards the EU: general life satisfaction; assessment of the national and the European economic situation; assessment of the world economic situation; assessment of the personal job situation and the financial situation of the own household; assessment of the situation on the labour market in the own country and the situation in the environment in the own country; assessment of the national situation compared to the average of the European Union countries regarding the economic situation, the situation on the labour market, cost of living, energy prices, quality of life, and the situation of the environment; future expectations in the above fields; most important problems of the country; EU membership of the own country is a good thing; benefits from the own country’s membership in the EU; development of the own country, the EU, and the USA in the right direction; trust in institutions (media, internet, army, national legal system, political parties, national government, national parliament, European Union, United Nations, regional or local authorities, and NATO); positive or negative image of the EU; EU´s main features; knowledge test on the EU institutions: European Parliament, European Commission, Council of the European Union, European Central Bank; confidence in these institutions; attitude towards a European Monetary Union; attitude towards the enlargement of the EU; assessment of the speed of building Europe; the EU´s most important issues; knowledge test about the EU: number of member states, result of the Irish referendum; membership of Switzerland (Split A) and Iceland (Split B) in the EU; satisfaction with the democracy in the own country and in the EU; understanding of the processes of the EU; assessment regarding the consideration of national interests in the EU; assessment of the EU´s growth speed; citizens of different countries share more common characteristics than differences; lack of ideas for Europe; the EU must meet the global challenges.

1. The EU, the world, and globalisation: most important factors for the global influence of a country or of a group of countries; assignment of these factors to the EU; attitude towards globalisation (scale: opportunity for economic growth, increasing social inequalities, demand for global governance, identical interests of the USA and the EU in dealing with globalisation, protects from price increases, peacekeeping, threat to national culture, is profitable only for large companies but not for the citizens, leads to foreign investment in the own country, promotes the development of poorer countries, leading to more openness to other cultures, the EU has sufficient power to defend their economic interests, EU protects its citizens from the negative effects of globalisation (Split A) or enables European citizens to better benefit from the positive effects of globalisation (Split B); globalisation as an opportunity or as a threat to the national economy; comparison of the performance of the European economy with the American, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Russian and Brazilian economy; preferred orientation of the national society to meet global challenges.

2. Economic and financial crisis: expected worsening or recovery of the economic crisis; expected development of the individual financial situation of the household in the next months; most important actors to combat the crisis; positive or negative associations with the following terms (image): company, welfare state, competitiveness, free trade, protectionism, globalisation, liberalisation, trade union, reforms, public administration, flexibility, competition, security, and solidarity; attitude towards a free enterprise economy (scale: too strong intervention of the state in the lives of the individuals, economic growth prior to environmental protection (Split A) or environmental protection prior to economic growth (Split B), free competition is a guarantee of prosperity); attitude towards a reduction of the value of material possessions; approval of increased development of new technologies; impression of loss of personal purchasing power; expected change in the living conditions of future generations; suspected improvement of the lives of the young generation in the country by emigrating to another country; most important personal values; values that represent best the EU.

3. Subsidiarity: European, national or local level has the most impact on the own living conditions; sufficient consideration of regional interests in decisions of the European Union.

Only in EU 27 was asked: awareness of the current Swedish presidency of the EU; awareness of the change of presidency to Spain; optimism for the future of the EU; better protection against the economic crisis by maintaining the old currency; mitigation of the negative impact of the...

Rising prices, inflation, and the cost of living were seen by almost half of the people in the European Union as being one of the two most important issues facing their country in 2023. Among EU member states, the top three countries concerned with rising inflation were Croatia, Austria, and Bulgaria, while their counterparts in Sweden, Denmark, and Italy were the least concerned with inflation, compared to other issues.

• Degree of information about the European Union and interest in news related to it.
• Frequency with which you travel outside Spain.
• Work or residence outside Spain for more than six months.
• Assessment of the effect for Spain of membership of the European Union: in general and on various socio-economic aspects.
• Assessment of the assumption that Spain does not belong to the European Union.
• Europeanist sentiment.
• Comparison of the feeling of closeness towards Europe/Ibero-America.
• Attitude towards the European Union.
• Feelings about a hypothetical dissolution of the European Union.
• Degree of agreement with sentences on the effects for Spanish workers of the implementation of the free movement of workers within the European Union.
• Degree of confidence that the European Union will solve the employment problem. Institution, Spanish Government or European Union, which trusts more to solve this problem.
• Knowledge of the name of the future European currency.
• Degree according to the replacement of the peseta by the euro.
• Opinion on the effects that the introduction of the euro will have on the ratio of household income to prices and on the ratio of costs to benefits for member countries.
• Assessment of the effect on Spanish interests of the introduction of the euro: in general and on various aspects of the cost of living.
• The phrase with which it most agrees on the moment of entry into force of Economic and Monetary Union: on or after the planned date until all countries meet the requirements.
• Opinion on whether Spain will meet the requirements to join the Economic and Monetary Union by the expected date. Phrase with which he agrees more about the importance for Spain of incorporation on that date.
• Personal desire to live in one of the member countries of the European Union.
• Opinions on the free movement of people within the European Union, opportunities for Spaniards: rights and obligations, exercise of the profession, carrying out studies.
• Assessment of professional training in Spain to be able to compete on equal terms in other countries.
• Opinion on matters of the European Union which should be dealt with exclusively by the national governments of the member countries or by common decisions.
• Image of the European Union for the year 2010.
• Political ideology scale of the interviewee.
• Remembrance of vote in general elections in March 1996.

Since the early 1970s the European Commission´s Standard & Special Eurobarometer are regularly monitoring the public opinion in the European Union member countries. Principal investigators are the Directorate-General Communication and on occasion other departments of the European Commission or the European Parliament. Over time, candidate and accession countries were included in the Standard Eurobarometer Series. Selected questions or modules may not have been surveyed in each sample. Please consult the basic questionnaire for more information on country filter instructions or other questionnaire routing filters. In this study all question modules are in the standard Eurobarometer context: 1. Standard EU and trend questions, 2. Financial and economic crisis, 3. Europe 2020, 4. Globalisation, 5. European Citizenship.
Topics: 1. Attitude towards the EU (standard EU and trend questions): general life satisfaction; frequency of discussions about national, European and local political matters; personal opinion leadership; assessment of the national, the European economy and of the economy in the world; evaluation of the personal job situation and of the financial situation of the household; assessment of the employment situation in the own country and the situation of the environment; assessment of the national economy, the national employment situation, the cost of living, energy prices, the quality of life and the situation of the environment in comparison with the average of the EU countries; expectations for the future regarding the personal life situation, the economic situation of the country, the financial situation of the household, the employment situation of the country, the personal job situation, the economic situation in the EU and in the world, and the environmental situation in the country; most important problems of the country and impact on the respondent personally; the country´s membership in the EU as a good thing; favorability of the country´s membership in the EU; main reasons for the perceived benefits and disadvantages of the EU membership; development of the country, of the European Union and of the United States in the right direction; trust in institutions (in the political parties, the national government, the parliament, the European Union, the UN and local public authorities; positive or negative image of the EU; meaning of EU for the respondent; awareness of European institutions such as European Parliament, European Commission, Council of the European Union, European Central Bank, European Ombudsman, Committee of the Regions, European Council, Court of Justice of the EU, European Economic and Social Committee, and trust in these institutions; knowledge test on the European Union (the number of Member States, direct election of Members of the European Parliament, target of the Lisbon Treaty, Switzerland is a member of the EU); support of the single currency (euro) and of an enlargement of the EU; attitude towards a common foreign policy; priorities for future strengthening of the EU; preferred decision-making level (country or EU) in the areas of fighting crime, unemployment and terrorism, taxation, defense and foreign affairs, immigration, educational system, pensions, environment, health, social welfare, agriculture, consumer protection, research, support for regions facing economies difficulties, energy, competition, transport, economy, fighting inflation; satisfaction with democracy in the country and in the EU; consideration of national interests in the EU; knowledge how the EU works; optimism about the future of the European Union; awareness of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union; importance of the Spanish presidency.

1. Financial and economic crisis: the impact of the crisis has reached its peak; assessment of the current situation of the own household; most important actor to tackle the economic and financial crisis (split: extension of the response categories on the closed question and change of the question text); better protection of the country while keeping the former national currency; impact of the euro on the financial crisis; preferred initiatives to improve the performance of the European economy; preferred measures of the EU to address the financial crisis; attitude towards the reform of the economic system (scale: Financial crisis makes it easier (Split A) or more difficult (Split B) to adopt reforms, promoting reforms to relieve future generations, demand for more reforms in the country (Split A), and the adopted reforms are already sufficient (Split B), demand for increased cooperation among the EU Member States, willingness to lower standards of living to secure the future of the next generations, measures to reduce the public deficit are primarily (Split A) or are not a priority (Split B); demand for a rapid reduction of public debt; it is necessary to increase public deficits to create jobs; effectiveness of selected measures...

This report presents the results of a Eurobarometer survey on social climate, collecting views of some 1,000 people in each country. This survey not only measures how Europeans perceive the current recession and its social impact, but also reveals interesting differences between countries which seem to reflect the strengths and weaknesses of national policies and institutions. The first wave of this special Eurobarometer was conducted one year ago, eight months after the start of the financial and economic crisis. 1. The first group concerns the personal situation of the respondents including their satisfaction with life in general, with the area where they live, with their personal job situation and with the financial situation of their households. 2. The second set covers the general situation of the country and includes the cost of living, the affordability of energy and of housing, the quality of public administration, and the general employment and economic situation. 3. The third set focuses on social protection and social inclusion in the country and contains questions on health care provision, pensions, unemployment benefits, the way inequalities and poverty are addressed and relations between people from different cultural or religious backgrounds. #####The results by volumes are distributed as follows: * Volume A: Countries * Volume AA: Groups of countries * Volume A' (AP): Trends * Volume AA' (AAP): Trends of groups of countries * Volume B: EU/socio-demographics * Volume C: Country/socio-demographics ---- Researchers may also contact GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences: http://www.gesis.org/en/home/

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 *** 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 ***** index points.

Questions concerning the European Union. Effects of globalisation. European integration. Construction of Europe, European Parliament and Elections. International conflicts: Georgia. Mobility. EU budget. Representation of the levels of public authorities in the EU.

Topics: 1. Frequency of political discussions with friends and own opinion leadership; life satisfaction; assessment of the current economic situation in the own country, in Europe, and in the world, assessment of the personal job situation, the financial situation of the own household, the employment situation, and the situation of the environment in the own country; assessment of the current situation in the own country regarding: residential area, health care, pensions, unemployment benefits, cost of living, relations between migrants, dealing with inequalities and poverty, affordability of energy and housing, as well as the way the public administration runs; future expectations concerning: the own life, the national economic and employment situation, the situation of the environment in the own country, the personal job situation, the economic situation in the EU, and in the world; comparison of economic and employment situation, cost of living, energy prices, quality of life, and environmental situation in the own country with the average of the European countries; most important problems in the own country; most important problems facing the respondent; existing or future membership of the own country in the EU as a good thing; benefits from the country’s membership in the EU; development of the own country and the European Union in the right direction; trust in institutions (justice, political parties, public authorities, national government, national parliament, EU, UN, NATO); assessment of the EU; importance of the EU for the respondent: more stable economy through the EU membership of the country; only in EU 27 countries in the euro area: more stable economy through the affiliation of the country to the euro area; EU 27, Macedonia, Croatia, Turkey, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus: attitude towards the following statements: own political efficacy in the EU as well as in the own country, and political efficacy of the own country in the EU, understanding how the EU works, EU imposes its views on the own country, national government is sensitive to concerns of the own citizens, national government cares about the concerns of European citizens; knowledge of the selected bodies of the EU (European Parliament, European Commission, Council of the European Union, European Central Bank); assessment of the importance of these institutions as well as confidence in these institutions; assessment of the current speed of building Europe, and desired speed (card, figures); changes in the purchasing power of the own household in the past five years; financial difficulties at the end of the month; assessment of the prospects for the lives of today’s children compared with the own generation; expected improvement of the prospects for living in the own country; knowledge test about the EU (member states, presidency); only EU 27: preferred level of political decision-making: national government or jointly within the EU regarding selected issues (fighting crime, unemployment and terrorism, taxation, defence and foreign affairs, immigration, educational system, pensions, environment protection, health, social welfare, agriculture and fishery, consumer protection, research, support of structurally weak regions, energy, competition, transports, economy, and combating inflation); again all: attitude towards selected propositions: European monetary union with the euro as the common currency, common foreign and defence policy of the EU member states, EU enlargement, higher speed of building Europe in some countries; preferred issues to be emphasized to strengthen the EU; awareness of the current presidency of France and the future presidency of the Czech Republic in the EU Council.

1. Effects of globalisation: attitudes towards globalisation (good opportunities for national companies versus threat to employment and companies in the own country); attitude towards the statement: EU protects its citizens from the negative effects of globalisation (Split A), or enables European citizens to better benefit from the positive effects of globalisation (Split B); European Union or national government as the most appropriate institution to protect from negative effects...

The sporting goods manufacturing industry has benefitted from rising health consciousness over the past decade, which spurred an uptick in sports participation, driving demand. However, inflationary pressures plagued the industry in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak, resulting in people cutting discretionary spending. Revenue is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 2.6% over the five years through 2025 to €10.8 billion, including an estimated jump of 1.8% in 2025. Profit is also expected to edge upwards to 12.2% in 2025 as higher interest rates cool inflation and ease input cost pressures. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, pent-up demand and supply chain disruptions incited inflationary pressures, ratcheting up living costs. This resulted in many people’s real household disposable income’s plummeting, forcing them to cut discretionary spending on goods like sporting equipment. Despite central banks across Europe raising interest rates to curb rising prices, inflation persisted in the two years through 2023, hurting demand. However, rising sport participation and health consciousness have supported revenue in recent years, driven by effective government initiatives. This includes the Erasmus+ Sport programme, which supports grassroots sports projects across Europe. According to a 2022 survey from the European Commission, Finland tops the list of countries most likely to exercise at least once a week, at 71% of respondents. Import competition has impacted the industry with consumers opting for cheaper alternatives from low-cost production countries amid the cost-of-living crisis. This forced manufacturers to focus their efforts on premium, performance-focused gear, maintaining revenue growth. Revenue is forecast to swell at a compound annual rate of 5.8% over the five years through 2030 to €14.3 billion. Sporting goods manufacturing will welcome declining costs as inflationary pressures subside in the short term. However, uncertainty surrounding Trump’s tariffs policies will hamper GDP growth due to businesses delaying investment projects which would have potentially aided demand for sports goods manufacturers. This will force manufacturers to diversify into faster-growing or tariff-free markets like Asia. Sport participation will continue to rise, supported by robust funding towards promoting exercise as governments seek to slow down rising obesity across Europe. Yet, countries like France facing budget pressures have slashed funding aimed at promoting sports, hindering demand for sports goods manufacturers.