Europe · Cost of living

Average cost of living in Europe per month, 2026

By Leonard Chioveanu · Updated 2 November 2026 · 7 min read

A single person renting a one-bedroom flat outside the centre needs roughly €1,000 a month in Bucharest, €1,900 in Berlin or Lisbon and €3,500 in Zurich. Rent makes the biggest difference: everyday prices in Lisbon are 20% lower than in Berlin, but rents are higher, so the monthly total ends up about the same.

How we worked it out

• Everyday costs (food, transport, utilities, phone, eating out, clothes): we start from a modest budget of €900 a month at EU-average prices and scale it by each country’s 2025 price level from Eurostat (EU = 100). Denmark is 140, so the same basket costs €1,260 there; Romania is 65, so it costs €580.
• Rent: the typical rent for a one-bedroom flat in the main city, from our rent calculator (Wise 2026 data, converted to euros).

These are estimates for comparison, not a quote. Your own costs depend on how you live: change the €900 to your own budget and the ratios still hold.

Monthly cost for a single person, 2026

Rent: one-bedroom flat outside the centre; a central flat adds about €100 to €730 a month (most in Zurich and Amsterdam). Price level: Eurostat, household final consumption, 2025, EU-27 = 100. The UK is not covered by Eurostat any more; in London a one-bedroom flat outside the centre costs about €2,000.

What stands out

• Cheapest: Bucharest, Tirana and Athens, all under €1,350 a month with a flat outside the centre.
• Most expensive: Zurich, Dublin and Amsterdam. Zurich is dear for everything; Dublin and Amsterdam mostly because of rent.
• Southern Europe isn’t always cheap: Lisbon and Madrid now cost as much as Berlin or Vienna once you pay rent.
• Food prices vary less than rent. Eurostat puts food in Albania and Greece above the EU average, even though overall prices there are lower.

What a couple or family pays

For a couple, everyday costs roughly go up by 60–70%, not 100%, because you share energy, internet and much of the cooking. Use the rent calculator for 2- and 3-bedroom flats, then add your everyday budget.

Compare with what you would earn

Costs only matter next to your income. €2,000 a month is comfortable on a Zurich salary and a stretch on a Lisbon one. Check net pay for the same job with our salary calculator.

Check rents in 34 cities →

Compare net salaries →

This guide is general information based on the tax rules we could verify for 2026, not tax or financial advice. Rules change and personal situations differ, so check with the tax authority or a qualified adviser before you act. Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected].