Romania had the European Union’s highest household electricity costs on a purchasing-power basis in the first half of 2026, at 46.9 purchasing power standard units per 100 kWh. The measure accounts for differences in national purchasing power, rather than comparing nominal tariffs alone, and indicates the relative cost burden for households.
Poland followed at 41.1 units per 100 kWh and the Czech Republic at 34.3, while Malta, Hungary and Luxembourg were among the least expensive markets on this measure. In national currency, Romanian household electricity prices were 51.6% above their first-half 2023 level. Across the EU, the average household electricity price fell 2.2% from the second half of 2025, from a level of around €0.28–€0.29 per kWh. Nominal prices ranged from €0.39 per kWh in Ireland, the highest reported, to €0.11 per kWh in Hungary.
Romania also recorded the largest annual increase in household gas prices in the EU, at 9.3%, followed by Croatia at 8.9% and Slovakia at 6.6%. Despite those rises, nominal gas prices were €0.06 per kWh in Romania, €0.05 per kWh in Croatia and €0.03 per kWh in Hungary, compared with €0.22 per kWh in Sweden.
EU household gas prices averaged about €0.11 per kWh after falling 10.2% from the preceding six-month period, and were 3.5% below their level a year earlier. Prices declined annually by 14.5% in Bulgaria, 11.3% in Greece and 10% in Spain.
The figures show an affordability divide between Southeast Europe and wealthier European markets, as nominal tariffs alone do not measure energy costs relative to household incomes. Regional policymakers face pressure to manage exposure to wholesale energy markets and contain electricity and gas charges relative to household incomes.
