In 2022, for consumer goods and the services in the composition of final consumption, the average amount at EU level was EUR100, EUR146 in Ireland and EUR58 in Romania.
In the European ranking, Romania is followed by Bulgaria (41% below the EU average) and Poland (38% below the EU average).
At the opposite end of the scale, the highest price level for household final consumption was observed in Ireland (46% above the EU average), being followed by Denmark (45% above the EU average), Luxembourg (37% above the EU average) and Finland (27% above the EU average).
Romania is the least expensive country for “Food and non-alcoholic beverages” (72%) being followed by Poland (73%), while Denmark and Luxembourg are at the opposite end of the scale for this group of products (121%).
At the same time, Romania has the lowest price level for “Items of furniture, household appliances and current home maintenance items” (70%) among the EU countries, alongside Bulgaria (71%)
Bulgaria records the lowest price level for the groups “Alcoholic beverages and tobacco” (66%), “Clothing and footwear” (80%) and “Home maintenance, water, electricity, gas and other fuels” (37%), followed by by Poland, for the groups “Alcoholic beverages and tobacco” (73%) and “Home maintenance, water, electricity, gas and other fuels” (40%).
Denmark has the highest price level for products included in the group “Clothing and footwear” (133%), and Ireland is the most expensive country in the EU for products in the groups “Alcoholic drinks and tobacco” (216%) and “Maintenance housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels” (212%).
Hungary remains the cheapest member state for the groups “Transport” (72%) and “Recreation and culture” (64%) and Bulgaria registers the lowest level of prices for the group accommodation and restaurant services (51%).
Luxembourg has the highest price level for “Items of furniture, household equipment and current home maintenance” (126%) among the EU Member States. Regarding the “Transport” group, Denmark (127%) and Sweden (126%) are the most expensive countries in the EU.
Denmark stands out from the rest of the Member States, being the most expensive country in the “Recreation and culture” group (141%) and in accommodation and restaurant services (156%).
Price level indices express how many units of the same currency are needed to buy an identical volume of goods and services in different countries, for each group of goods and services.