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.

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.

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

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.

Table showing the country rankings based in the different metrics analysed

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Consumer Price Index CPI in European Union increased to 134.49 points in October from 134.17 points in September of 2025. This dataset provides - European Union Consumer Price Index (CPI) - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar.

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.

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.

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 expense (% of GDP) against life expectancy at birth (year) in Western Europe. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

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.

This scatter chart displays life expectancy at birth (year) against expense (% of GDP) in Europe. The data is about countries.

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