About PlainCostOfLiving

Our mission

PlainCostOfLiving exists because anyone weighing a move, a job in another country, or simply how far their money would go elsewhere deserves a clear, like-for-like comparison of living costs. Headline prices and salaries mislead across borders, exchange rates move and shopping baskets differ, so we build everything on Eurostat's comparative price-level indices, which price the same basket of goods and services in every country on one scale.

We believe cost-of-living data should be free and easy to read, not locked behind relocation-consultancy fees or opaque crowd-sourced estimates. Every country profile, ranking and comparison on this site is derived from official statistics, every methodology choice is documented, and every limitation is stated plainly.

Our data sources

Eurostat comparative price levels (HICP)

The core dataset is Eurostat's comparative price levels, built on the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP). It measures what a standardised basket of goods and services costs in each country, with the EU-27 average set to 100, broken down by category, rent and housing, groceries, transport, healthcare, utilities and dining. Source: Eurostat HICP and the comparative price-level indices.

Eurostat income statistics

To judge affordability rather than price alone, we pair price levels with median net household income from Eurostat's income statistics (ilc_di03). Dividing income by the local price level gives a best-value measure, how far a typical income actually stretches.

How we use the data

• Country profiles show each country's overall price level and its category breakdown, benchmarked against the EU-27 average of 100.
• Rankings sort countries by overall cost, by individual category, by income, and by best value (income ÷ cost).
• Comparisons place any two countries side by side across every category.
• The calculator scales an income you enter by the ratio of two countries' price levels to estimate the income you'd need to keep the same standard of living.

What the indices cover

Every country on the site carries an overall price level plus six category indices, all on the EU-27 = 100 scale:

• Rent and housing - typically the largest share of a household budget, and the biggest driver of the overall figure.
• Groceries - food and non-alcoholic beverages, the most frequently bought basket.
• Transport - fuel, fares and the cost of getting around.
• Healthcare - out-of-pocket costs, which vary with each country's public provision.
• Utilities - electricity, gas, water and heating.
• Dining - restaurants and hotels, a proxy for the cost of services.

Reading the categories alongside the overall index is what turns a single number into a real picture of life in a country: a place can be cheap to shop in but expensive to rent, or the other way around.

Data currency

The price-level indices reflect Eurostat's most recent comparative price-level release. Eurostat publishes these annually; we refresh the site when a new release lands. Prices change continuously, so treat the figures as the latest official annual snapshot rather than today's shelf price.

Editorial independence

Content is compiled by the PlainCostOfLiving editorial team. Raw Eurostat data is transformed into readable country profiles, rankings and comparisons by our pipeline and validated against the source before publication. We do not accept payment, sponsorship or promoted placement from relocation firms, governments or any organisation. Our only revenue is contextual display advertising; advertisers do not influence which countries we cover or how we present the data.

Limitations

• National averages: price levels are country-wide. Capitals and major cities typically cost more than the national figure.
• Not personal financial advice: the site is informational. Your own costs depend on housing, lifestyle and city; run your own numbers before any decision.
• European coverage: the comparative price-level programme covers EU and associated European countries, so coverage is European rather than global.
• Annual lag: figures reflect the latest annual Eurostat release and may not capture very recent price movements.

Contact

Questions, corrections or feedback? Email hello@plaincostofliving.com. We especially welcome reports of a figure that looks wrong, tell us the country and category and we'll trace it back to the source.