Household consumption: price levels in 2022

In 2022, price levels for household final consumption expenditure differed widely across the EU.

The highest price levels were recorded in Ireland (146% of the EU average), Denmark (145%) and Luxembourg (137%). Meanwhile, the lowest levels were recorded in Romania (58%), Bulgaria (59%) and Poland (62%). 

This information comes from data on price level indices published by Eurostat. The article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article.

Source dataset: prc_ppp_ind

Widest price gap for alcohol & tobacco

In 2022, the price level for alcohol & tobacco was around 3.3 times higher in the most expensive country than in the least expensive one. The lowest price levels for alcohol & tobacco were recorded in Bulgaria (66% of the EU average), Poland (73%) and Hungary (78%). Meanwhile, the highest levels were recorded in Ireland (216%), Finland (174%) and Denmark (138%). This large price variation is mainly due to differences in taxation of these products.

Restaurants & hotels ranked second in terms of price level difference, with the lowest price levels registered in Bulgaria (51% of the EU average), Romania (61%) and Hungary (62%) and the highest in Denmark (156%), Finland (132%) and Luxembourg (131%). 

Clothing was cheapest in Bulgaria (80% of the EU average), Hungary (83%) and Romania (84%), while it was most expensive in Denmark (134%), Sweden (117%) and Czechia (115%). 

Disparities were also recorded for food & non-alcoholic beverages (varying from 72% of the EU average in Romania to 121% in Denmark), personal transport equipment (varying from 87% in Poland to 132% in Denmark) and consumer electronics (varying from 92% in Italy to 115% in France).