Cost-of-living rankings · Eurostat PLI 2024

Most Expensive Countries to Live In

The priciest countries by overall price level, EU-27 average = 100.

By ·Eurostat source →

#1 Most expensive
Switzerland (184)
Average index
105
Top–bottom spread
127
Countries ranked
31

The verdict

According to Eurostat, Switzerland leads on cost index at 184 (EU-27 = 100), ahead of Iceland at 173; the Top 5 cutoff is 141, with a 127-point spread down to Bulgaria.

184
#1 Switzerland
173
#2 Iceland
141
Top 5 cutoff
127
Top–bottom spread

Every figure is rendered live from the same Eurostat 2024 ranking query as the table below, no AI summaries, no synthetic statistics.

Top 5 - Most expensive Horizontal bar chart of the top 5 items by value (index). Top 5 - Most expensive 1. Switzerland 184 2. Iceland 173 3. Luxembourg 151 4. Denmark 143 5. Ireland 141 Bar to make this Top 5 = 141 (EU-27 = 100). Full list of31 countries below.

Top 10 - Most expensive

Most Expensive Countries to Live In (top 10)

1. 🇨🇭 Switzerland1842. 🇮🇸 Iceland1733. 🇱🇺 Luxembourg1514. 🇩🇰 Denmark1435. 🇮🇪 Ireland1416. 🇳🇴 Norway1347. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom1298. 🇫🇮 Finland1279. 🇸🇪 Sweden12310. 🇳🇱 Netherlands121

Each value is the price level relative to the EU-27 average of 100. Above 100 is pricier than the EU norm.

Full ranking, all 31 countries

What this shows: each bar's length is this country's cost index relative to the highest value in the table (184); hover or tap a bar for its share of the #1 leader and exact rank.

Rank Country Cost index
1 🇨🇭 Switzerland
184
2 🇮🇸 Iceland
173
3 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
151
4 🇩🇰 Denmark
143
5 🇮🇪 Ireland
141
6 🇳🇴 Norway
134
7 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
129
8 🇫🇮 Finland
127
9 🇸🇪 Sweden
123
10 🇳🇱 Netherlands
121
11 🇦🇹 Austria
120
12 🇧🇪 Belgium
119
13 🇩🇪 Germany
109
14 🇫🇷 France
108
15 🇮🇹 Italy
98
16 🇪🇪 Estonia
97
17 🇨🇾 Cyprus
95
18 🇲🇹 Malta
93
19 🇸🇮 Slovenia
91
20 🇪🇸 Spain
91
21 🇵🇹 Portugal
85
22 🇬🇷 Greece
83
23 🇸🇰 Slovakia
81
24 🇨🇿 Czechia
80
25 🇱🇹 Lithuania
78
26 🇱🇻 Latvia
77
27 🇭🇷 Croatia
73
28 🇵🇱 Poland
70
29 🇭🇺 Hungary
68
30 🇷🇴 Romania
57
31 🇧🇬 Bulgaria
57

Wide most expensive gap: Switzerland → Bulgaria

Comparative price levels, EU-27 = 100. Spread from Switzerland (184) to Bulgaria (57) is 127 index points - a wide everyday-cost gap. Cross-check affordability on best-value .

Mid-table Estonia (97) is far from both poles, the favourable end is a different cost world from the tail. Open any country profile for the full per-category breakdown.

Affordability companions

Cheapest overall →Best value →

What to do with this ranking

Switzerland and Bulgaria anchor the two ends of this most expensive table -- open either profile for the full per-category breakdown, or compare them side by side.

Rankings reflect national averages, not a personal budget -- a country's largest cities typically run above its national figure.

Source: Eurostat, comparative price levels (prc_ppp_ind) and median equivalised net income Price-level indices, EU-27 = 100, 2024.

Sources: Eurostat comparative price levels (prc_ppp_ind) · Eurostat median equivalised net income (ilc_di03) · 2024. Methodology

Compiled from official public sources by the publisher. · Editorial policy