Cheapest country to live in Europe: official price levels
North Macedonia has the lowest price level in the wider Eurostat comparison for 2025; Bulgaria is lowest in the EU. These are national price averages, not a personal relocation budget.
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What is the latest official comparison?
The latest annual period available when checked on 25 October 2026 is 2025. Eurostat’s release of 18 June 2026 puts Bulgaria lowest in the EU, followed by Romania and Poland. The wider comparison includes countries outside the EU. Statistics Norway’s Eurostat-sourced table puts North Macedonia lowest among those participants.
The table below uses the wider table’s figures to one decimal place. It shows the lowest-price participants and selected countries with guides on this site. It is a selection, rather than a complete ranking.
What does the price index measure?
A price level index compares the cost of household goods and services across countries using purchasing power parities, a way of comparing what money buys. The EU average is set to 100. A lower value indicates a lower national price level relative to that average.
Eurostat’s comparative price report, data extracted 17 June 2026, covers 36 participating countries. The UK is outside this comparison. It cannot establish the cheapest country among every European state or a saving against UK living costs.
Why is this not a personal cost-of-living budget?
National consumption averages do not price a particular flat or a household’s chosen spending. City, housing type and the balance between local and imported purchases can change an individual’s costs. The index also does not adjust for differences in wages or income, as Eurostat’s release of 18 June 2026 explains.
Tax residence, visa eligibility and healthcare need separate checks. A low price index does not establish that someone can live or work in the country. These results describe prices; they do not recommend a destination.
Where can you check countries in more detail?
Read the Portugal guide, Spain guide and Greece guide for country-specific checks. The country guide hub covers the available destinations. The stay or go tool compares its checked employee salary models under separate assumptions; it does not turn this index into a relocation budget.
How do selected European price levels compare?
| Country | Price level index | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| North Macedonia | 54.8 | Outside the EU |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 59.2 | Outside the EU |
| Türkiye | 59.6 | Outside the EU |
| Bulgaria | 62.5 | EU |
| Romania | 65.1 | EU |
| Poland | 73.3 | EU |
| Portugal | 86.6 | EU |
| Greece | 87.4 | EU |
| Spain | 91.6 | EU |
| Italy | 97.1 | EU |
Eurostat, reproduced by Statistics Norway (SSB). Published . Checked .
Preliminary 2025 results. Final figures are published in December. Values describe national household-consumption price levels, not monthly spending, wages or tax bills.
What else do readers ask?
Is Bulgaria the cheapest country in Europe?
It is lowest in the EU in this household-consumption comparison. North Macedonia is lower in the wider participating-country table. The ranking does not cover every country in Europe.
Is this a monthly budget for someone moving from the UK?
No. The index compares national price levels for household consumption. It does not quote your rent, tax, healthcare costs or monthly spending.
Does a lower price level mean greater spending power?
Not necessarily. Eurostat says these comparisons do not adjust for income or wage differences. Local earnings and your own income still matter.
Are these figures final?
The June 2026 release gives preliminary 2025 figures. Statistics Norway says final results are published in December. This page records the release and check dates.
Where can I explore this further?
stay or go tool. Full sourced leavers tracker. Articles and tracker roundups.
Sources
- Eurostat: Household consumption price levels across the EU in 2025, .
- Eurostat: Comparative price levels of consumer goods and services, .
- Statistics Norway (SSB): Comparison of price levels in Europe, Eurostat data, .