The average household gas price in the European Union fell to EUR 11.03 per 100 kWh in the first half of 2026. It was 3.5% lower than a year earlier and the lowest since the second half of 2022. Consumers in seven countries nevertheless paid more than a year before.
Eurostat’s figures cover retail prices including taxes and levies. The EU average fell 10.2% from the second half of 2025.
Seasonal price patterns return
Eurostat points to the return of pre-energy-crisis seasonality: household prices are typically higher in the second half of the year. Year-on-year comparisons therefore better capture changes without those fluctuations.
The average was EUR 11.04 per 100 kWh in the first half of 2024 and EUR 12.44 in the second. In 2025 the corresponding figures were EUR 11.43 and EUR 12.28. The latest reading is therefore only slightly below two years earlier.
EU household gas prices
EUR per 100 kWh, including taxes and levies
Swedish prices exceed Hungary’s by more than six times
The highest prices were in Sweden at EUR 22.01 per 100 kWh, the Netherlands at EUR 16.22 and France at EUR 13.47. Hungary recorded the lowest at EUR 3.30, followed by Croatia at EUR 5.02 and Romania at EUR 5.94.
Bulgaria records the steepest decline
Compared with the first half of 2025, prices fell in 12 countries, rose in seven and remained broadly unchanged in four. Changes were measured in national currencies.
The largest declines were in Bulgaria at 14.5%, Greece at 11.3% and Spain at 10.0%. The largest increases were in Romania at 9.3%, Croatia at 8.9% and Slovakia at 6.6%.
Purchasing power changes the ranking
After adjusting for national price-level differences, Sweden remained the most expensive, followed by Portugal and the Netherlands. Prices expressed in purchasing power standards (PPS) were lowest in Hungary, Luxembourg and Croatia.
Taxes account for almost a third of the price
Taxes and levies represented 32.1% of the average EU gas price, against 31.1% a year earlier. A larger share does not by itself mean that tax rates increased. They accounted for 55.2% of the final price in the Netherlands, 50.4% in Denmark and 4.8% in Croatia.
The comparison covers households consuming 20–200 GJ of gas annually, with the EU average weighted by consumption. Poland’s data are confidential, preventing its ranking from being established. Cyprus, Malta and Finland do not report household gas-price data.
Source: Eurostat, first-half 2026 household gas-price statistics. Original Polish article. English editorial translation.
