Electricity in Europe: comparing prices at equal consumption
· BehindLines newsroom
Household electricity prices edged down in the European Union in the first half of 2026. In its publication of 30 October, Eurostat reports a 2.2% fall compared with the previous half-year. That average, however, still hides large gaps between countries and between categories of consumers. Eurostat announcement.
The detailed analysis puts the European price at 0.2832 euro per kilowatt-hour, taxes included. It covers households consuming between 2,500 and less than 5,000 kilowatt-hours a year. The precision matters: comparing price levels requires keeping the same consumption band. Method and European results.
In this consumption band, taxes included, Ireland comes first in the comparison, ahead of Germany and Belgium. The lowest levels are recorded in Hungary, Malta and Bulgaria. The ranking in euros describes nominal prices; Eurostat presents a separate comparison that takes purchasing power into account.
The German case helps explain why several figures can circulate for the same period. In its press release of 30 September, Destatis reports an average price of 37.97 cents per kilowatt-hour for all households. It indicates a fall of 6.4% over six months, yet a level still 16.4% above that of the first half of 2021. German press release.
In the European detail, Germany appears at 36.18 cents for the band from 2,500 to less than 5,000 kilowatt-hours. The 37.97 cents from Destatis cover a broader set of households: the two values do not describe the same population and cannot be compared directly.
To interpret these data, one therefore has to distinguish the European average, the country and the consumption level used. A half-yearly fall in the average price describes neither the amount of each bill nor the situation of every household. The data published this autumn cover the first six months of the year.