The lowest price levels in the entire EU were found in Romania (55% of the EU avg), Bulgaria (56%), and Poland (58%). In Hungary, price levels for consumer goods and services stood at 62% of the EU average, the fourth-lowest rate among member states.
At the other end of the spectrum, Denmark (141% had the highest price level, followed by Ireland and Luxembourg (both 136%), Sweden (130%), and Finland (126%).
In 2020, the price level for restaurants & hotels was three times as high in the most expensive member stat as in the cheapest one. Price levels ranged from 46% of the EU average in Bulgaria, followed by Romania (53%) and Hungary (56%), to 154% of the average in Denmark, ahead of Sweden (138%) and Finland (131%).
Alcohol & tobacco ranked second in terms of price level difference, with the lowest price levels registered in Bulgaria (61%), Hungary (69%), and Poland (70%), and the highest in Ireland (187% of the EU average), followed at a distance by Finland (158%), Sweden (136%) and France (133%). This large price variation is mainly due to differences in taxation of these products among member states, Eurostat noted.
Food & non-alcoholic beverages were cheapest in Romania (66% of the EU average) and Poland (68%), while they were most expensive in Denmark (129% of the average), Luxembourg (126%) and Austria (125%).
Clothing is a group of products where prices differed less among member states, ranging from 73% of the average in Hungary to 130% in Denmark.
Personal transport equipment also recorded a smaller price disparity among member states, with Poland (80%) being the cheapest and Denmark (137%) the most expensive.
Price differences were also limited for consumer electronics, ranging from 87% of the average in Poland to 112% in the Netherlands and in Malta.
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