Note N04. Published on 29 September 2026. Theme: Trade and dependencies. Lens: Europe from within.
Household electricity costs 31.5% more than in early 2021
An average EU household pays 29 cents per kWh. In Ireland, 40; in Hungary, 11. Taxes are 28.9% of the price; in Denmark, almost half.
In the second half of 2025, an EU household with average consumption paid 28.96 cents per kWh for electricity, taxes included. The gaps between countries are wide: in Ireland, 40.42 cents, 3.7 times as much as in Hungary (10.82). Germany, Belgium and Denmark round out the four highest prices. Spain, at 26.69 cents, is below the average.
Household electricity in Ireland costs 3.7 times as much as in Hungary
Household electricity price, second half of 2025, in euro cents per kWh
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Taxes account for part of the gap: in the EU they make up 28.9% of the price. In Denmark they are 49.1%: before taxes, its electricity is cheaper than the European average; after taxes, it is the fourth most expensive. The Netherlands and Luxembourg are the opposite case: allowances and support exceed taxes.
Since the first half of 2021, before the energy price surge, household electricity has become 31.5% more expensive in the EU, in current euros. It has risen in 26 of the 27 countries; in Malta it has barely changed. In the Netherlands it has almost doubled, and in Romania, Czechia, Poland, Latvia and Estonia it has risen by more than 70%. Spain is among the smallest increases: 14.9%.
Since 2021, household electricity has become more expensive in 26 of the 27 countries; in the EU, by 31.5%
Household electricity price including taxes, first half of 2021 and second half of 2025, in euro cents per kWh
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