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.

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

Cost of Living Index by Country, 2024 Mid Year data Data scraped from Numbeo: www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings_by_country.jsp All credits to Numbeo: www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/

An index of 100 reflects the same living cost as in New York City, United States. As of 2024 Mid Year data, in NYC, A family of four estimated monthly costs are $6,074.40 without rent. A single person's estimated monthly costs are $1,640.90 without rent.

Hungary, Czechia, Poland, and Portugal were the countries in Europe where house prices increased the most between 2015 and 2024. The EMF house price index for all four countries measured more than 200 index points, indicating that home prices more than doubled since 2015 — the base year. Property prices are tightly connected with the supply of new homes. France, Poland, and Denmark are some of the countries with the most dwellings completed per 1,000 citizens in Europe.

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.

Table showing the country rankings based in the different metrics analysed

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.

Real wages in the Eurozone showed a negative trend for the second year in a row, as high inflation caused the real value of wages to decline by almost one percent. Real wage growth is measured by adjusting nominal wage growth - that is, the growth of wages in monetary values - for inflation, or changes in the average price of the basket of goods. This means that in 2023, a worker would be able to buy one percent less than they would have in 2022, assuming their wages grew by the 4.5 percent nominal wage growth which was seen across the Eurozone 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.

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.

This dataset provides insights into the cost of living and average monthly income across various countries and regions worldwide from 2000 to 2023. It includes critical economic indicators such as housing costs, taxes, healthcare, education, transportation expenses, and savings rates. The data is ideal for analyzing economic trends, regional comparisons, and financial planning.

Column Descriptions: Country: The name of the country where the data was recorded. Region: The geographical region to which the country belongs (e.g., Asia, Europe). Year: The year when the data was recorded. Average_Monthly_Income: The average monthly income of individuals in USD. Cost_of_Living: The average monthly cost of living in USD, including essentials like housing, food, and utilities. Housing_Cost_Percentage: The percentage of income spent on housing expenses. Tax_Rate: The average tax rate applied to individuals' income, expressed as a percentage. Savings_Percentage: The portion of income saved monthly, expressed as a percentage. Healthcare_Cost_Percentage: The percentage of income spent on healthcare services. Education_Cost_Percentage: The percentage of income allocated to educational expenses. Transportation_Cost_Percentage: The percentage of income spent on transportation costs.

European Study Costs 2023: Unveiling Affordability Insights

Introduction:

Welcome to the "European Study Costs 2023" dataset, a treasure trove of information for anyone intrigued by the dynamics of international education expenses across Europe. In this dataset, we delve into the nuanced details of the total yearly living costs, average tuition fees, and yearly student living costs in various European countries.

Key Highlights:

International Student Perspectives: Gain valuable insights into the costs associated with pursuing education as an international student in Europe.

*Regional Contrasts: Explore the distinct variations in study expenses between Eastern and Western European countries, uncovering intriguing trends that could shape future academic landscapes.

Affordability Factors: Understand the factors contributing to the affordability of education, from governmental support to cultural influences and economic conditions.

Outliers and Anomalies: Identify outliers like Luxembourg, offering a unique perspective and prompting further analysis into what sets certain countries apart.

Correlations and Trends: Investigate potential correlations between tuition fees and living costs, unraveling patterns that could influence student decision-making.*

Opportunities for Analysis:

Delve into comparative analyses, ranking countries based on overall affordability. Explore opportunities for feature engineering to enhance predictive models. Consider machine learning tasks such as predicting living costs or clustering countries based on affordability profiles.

Impactful Insights for Students and Analysts:

This dataset goes beyond numbers; it provides a roadmap for prospective international students to make informed decisions about where to pursue their education. Join the exploration, contribute your analyses, and uncover the intricacies of educational affordability in Europe for 2023.

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 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.

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

The Special Eurobarometer surveys on the social climate cover 15 areas and asks respondents to assess, for each of these areas, the current situation, how the situation has evolved over the past five years and how they expect it to change over the coming year. Three waves have been conducted: the first wave was conducted in 2009 (Special EB 315), the second wave in 2010 (Special EB 349) and the third wave in 2011 (Special EB 370) . Even though the impact of the crisis is still being felt, overall some improvement has been observed in 2011. Levels of optimism and the perception of change are assessed, alongside the evolution of opinion from the last waves of research. The survey consists of groups of questions, which break down as follows: 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 European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) collects timely and comparable multidimensional microdata on income, poverty, social exclusion and living conditions.

The EU-SILC collection is a key instrument for providing information required by the European Semester (_[1]) and the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the main source of data for microsimulation purposes and flash estimates of income distribution and poverty rates.

AROPE remains crucial to monitor European social policies, especially to monitor the EU 2030 target on poverty and social exclusion. For more information, please consult EU social indicators.

The EU-SILC instrument provides two types of data:

• Cross-sectional data pertaining to a given time or a certain time period with variables on income, poverty, social exclusion and other living conditions.
• Longitudinal data pertaining to individual-level changes over time, observed periodically over four‐or more year rotation scheme (Annex III (2) of 2019/1700).

EU-SILC collects:

• annual variables,
• three-yearly modules,
• six-yearly modules,
• ad-hoc new policy needs modules,
• optional variables.

The variables collected are grouped by topic and detailed topic and transmitted to Eurostat in four main files (D-File, H-File, R-File and P-file).

The domain ‘Income and Living Conditions’ covers the following topics: persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion, income inequality, income distribution and monetary poverty, living conditions, material deprivation, and EU-SILC ad-hoc modules, which are structured into collections of indicators on specific topics.

In 2023, in addition to annual data, in EU-SILC were collected: the three yearly module on labour market and housing, the six yearly module on intergenerational transmission of advantages and disadvantages, housing difficulties, and the ad hoc subject on households energy efficiency.

Starting from 2021 onwards, the EU quality reports use the structure of the Single Integrated Metadata Structure (SIMS).

_{([1]) The European Semester is the European Union’s framework for the coordination and surveillance of economic and social policies.}

The average for 2021 based on 165 countries was 105.854 index points. The highest value was in South Korea: 208.84 index points and the lowest value was in India: 58.17 index points. The indicator is available from 2017 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

We present here a new dataset of per capita disposable income for 42 European countries (and more than 120,000 administrative units at the subnational level), over the 2010-2020 period (with few additional years for some countries). This dataset was created by harmonizing disparate income data (net earnings, gross income, disposable income, etc.) gathered from national statistical institutes across Europe. Disposable income was converted to constant 2015 EU27 PPP€ to adjust for the costs of living and inflation across countries and to allow comparability over time. Total population and a measure of income inequality (Gini index) are also provided for subnational administrative units. Users can download the aggregated dataset covering the whole years (Disposable_Inc_DB.gpkg) or yearly files.

The Special Eurobarometer on social climate monitors perceptions of the economic situation of households, of the national economy and social protection. It covers 15 areas, e.g. personal financial situation, affordability of housing, health care provision, the way national governments address inequalities and poverty and the perceived changes to the cost of living. This is the 5th wave following the 1st conducted in 2009 (Special EB 315), the 2nd in 2010 (Special EB 349), the 3rd in 2011 (Special EB 370) and the 4th in 2012 (Special EB 391). The EU27 social climate index went down slightly in 2013 to reach the lowest figure since 2009, masking substantial differences between Member States. #####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/