In short: In the second half of 2025, households in the EU paid on average €28.96 per 100 kWh of electricity and €12.28 per 100 kWh of natural gas, including taxes (Eurostat, the most recent half-year published by October 2026). Prices differ enormously between countries: electricity costs from about €11 per 100 kWh in Hungary to over €40 in Ireland, gas from about €3 in Hungary to about €21 in Sweden. For anyone weighing a boiler repair against a heat pump, the ratio between the two prices matters more than either price on its own: below a ratio of roughly 2.7, a heat pump with a seasonal efficiency of 3 produces heat more cheaply than a gas boiler.
Last reviewed: October 2026. All prices: Eurostat datasets nrg_pc_204 (electricity, household consumption band 2,500–4,999 kWh) and nrg_pc_202 (gas, band 20–199 GJ), second half of 2025, all taxes and levies included. Ratios and heat-cost calculations are our own. Your own tariff can differ considerably from the national average.
Household energy prices by EU country
| Country | Electricity (€ per 100 kWh) | Natural gas (€ per 100 kWh) | Ratio electricity / gas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 32.72 | 12.21 | 2.7 |
| Belgium | 34.99 | 8.98 | 3.9 |
| Bulgaria | 13.55 | 6.48 | 2.1 |
| Croatia | 16.52 | 5.43 | 3.0 |
| Cyprus | 27.74 | n/a | – |
| Czechia | 32.17 | 9.61 | 3.3 |
| Denmark | 33.12 | 12.57 | 2.6 |
| Estonia | 23.03 | 7.60 | 3.0 |
| Finland | 22.54 | n/a | – |
| France | 25.61 | 14.36 | 1.8 |
| Germany | 38.69 | 12.23 | 3.2 |
| Greece | 23.81 | 9.18 | 2.6 |
| Hungary | 10.82 | 3.35 | 3.2 |
| Ireland | 40.42 | 13.00 | 3.1 |
| Italy | 29.66 | 14.81 | 2.0 |
| Latvia | 24.52 | 8.26 | 3.0 |
| Lithuania | 19.55 | 6.84 | 2.9 |
| Luxembourg | 26.65 | 8.91 | 3.0 |
| Malta | 12.96 | n/a | – |
| Netherlands | 25.51 | 17.14 | 1.5 |
| Poland | 27.09 | n/a | – |
| Portugal | 24.35 | 14.05 | 1.7 |
| Romania | 28.93 | 5.66 | 5.1 |
| Slovakia | 18.53 | 6.08 | 3.0 |
| Slovenia | 21.21 | 8.71 | 2.4 |
| Spain | 26.69 | 9.55 | 2.8 |
| Sweden | 27.11 | 20.92 | 1.3 |
| EU average | 28.96 | 12.28 | 2.4 |
Source: Eurostat, second half of 2025, prices including all taxes. n/a: Cyprus, Malta and Finland do not report household gas prices; data for Poland are confidential. Ratio: own calculation.
What drives the differences
Taxes and levies explain a large part of the gap. According to Eurostat, taxes and levies made up 28.9 % of the average EU household electricity bill in the second half of 2025. For gas, the share ranged from 51.8 % in the Netherlands and 48.9 % in Denmark to 4.8 % in Croatia. Several countries also regulate retail prices, which keeps them low but does not mean energy is cheap to produce there.
Purchasing power changes the picture again. Measured in purchasing power standards, which correct for income levels, Romania, Czechia and Poland had the highest electricity prices in the second half of 2025, and Sweden, Portugal and Italy the highest gas prices.
Change over time is uneven too. Compared with a year earlier, household electricity prices in national currency rose most in Romania (+58.6 %), Austria (+34.3 %) and Ireland (+32.7 %), and fell most in Cyprus (−14.7 %), France (−12.5 %) and Denmark (−11.9 %). Average EU gas prices rose from €11.43 to €12.28 per 100 kWh between the first and second half of 2025.
Gas boiler or heat pump: what a kWh of heat costs
A modern condensing gas boiler turns about 90 % of the gas into useful heat. A heat pump with a seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) of 3 turns 1 kWh of electricity into 3 kWh of heat. Our own calculation with the EU averages:
- Gas boiler: €12.28 / 0.9 = about 13.6 cents per kWh of heat
- Heat pump (SCOP 3): €28.96 / 3 = about 9.7 cents per kWh of heat
The break-even point is a price ratio of about 2.7 (3 × 0.9). In countries with a ratio well below that, such as Sweden, the Netherlands, Portugal, France or Italy, a heat pump is clearly cheaper to run. In countries with a ratio above 3, such as Romania, Belgium, Czechia, Germany or Hungary, a gas boiler is often cheaper per kWh of heat at today's prices, unless a special heat-pump tariff applies or the heat pump reaches a higher efficiency. The real efficiency depends heavily on flow temperature and radiators; see Heat pump with radiators.
From 2028 this balance will shift: the EU's second emissions trading system puts a carbon price on gas and heating oil, not on electricity. See ETS2 and heating costs from 2028.
Lowering your bill without replacing the system
- Fix faults that waste energy. A failing circulation pump, a scaled heat exchanger or a faulty temperature sensor raises consumption without you noticing.
- Bleed radiators and check pressure. Cold spots and low pressure make the boiler run longer; see Radiators stay cold and Boiler pressure dropping.
- Use working thermostats. Replacing a stuck thermostat or thermostatic head is one of the cheapest savings.
- Compare tariffs. In liberalised markets, switching supplier often saves more than any single technical measure.
Spare parts for common boiler and heat pump brands are in our spare parts catalogue and on the brand pages, for example Vaillant, Bosch, Viessmann, Ferroli and Daikin.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average electricity price for households in the EU?
According to Eurostat, €28.96 per 100 kWh in the second half of 2025, including taxes and levies. That is about 29 cents per kWh.
Which EU country has the most expensive electricity?
In the second half of 2025 Ireland (€40.42 per 100 kWh), Germany (€38.69) and Belgium (€34.99) had the highest household electricity prices. Hungary, Malta and Bulgaria had the lowest.
Which EU country has the most expensive gas?
Sweden (€20.92 per 100 kWh), the Netherlands (€17.14) and Italy (€14.81) had the highest household gas prices in the second half of 2025. Hungary, Croatia and Romania had the lowest.
When is a heat pump cheaper to run than a gas boiler?
Roughly when the electricity price is less than about 2.7 times the gas price, assuming a heat pump with a seasonal efficiency of 3 and a condensing boiler at 90 percent. A higher heat pump efficiency or a special heat pump tariff moves that point in favour of the heat pump.
Why are the newest figures from 2025?
Eurostat publishes household energy prices per half-year, a few months after the period ends. The second half of 2025 was the most recent period published when this guide was last reviewed in October 2026.
Sources
- Eurostat, EU household electricity prices second half 2025: ec.europa.eu/eurostat
- Eurostat, EU household gas prices second half 2025: ec.europa.eu/eurostat
- Eurostat datasets nrg_pc_204 and nrg_pc_202: Eurostat data browser