Eurostat: Bulgaria among the EU countries with lowest consumer price levels in 2021

In 2021, price levels for consumer goods and services differed significantly across the 27 EU Member States, according to results of a Eurostat survey, published on June 21.

The lowest price levels were found in Poland (60%) and in Romania and Bulgaria (both 56%).

Denmark and Ireland (each 140% of the EU average) have the highest price levels, followed by Luxembourg (132%), Sweden (128%) and Finland (126%).

The largest difference in price levels is in the "Restaurants and hotels" and "Alcoholic beverages and tobacco" groups.

Eurostat said that in 2021, the price level for restaurants and hotels was almost 3.4 times higher in the most expensive country than in the cheapest one.

Price levels ranged from 46% of the EU average in Bulgaria, 54% in Romania and 62% in Hungary, to 155% of the average in Denmark, 137% in Sweden and 133% in Finland.

In 2021, price levels in the 'Restaurants and Hotels' group are more than three times higher in the 'most expensive' country than in the 'least expensive' country. Price levels range from 46% of the EU average in Bulgaria, followed by Romania (54%) and Hungary (62%) to 155% of the EU average in Denmark, followed by Sweden (137%) and Finland (133%).

Alcohol and tobacco ranked second in terms of price level difference, with the lowest price levels registered in Bulgaria (64% of the EU average), Poland (72%) and Hungary (79%) and the highest in Ireland (205%), Finland (173%), Sweden (136%) and Denmark and France (both 134%).

It should be noted that the large price differences are mainly due to the different taxation of these products in the EU countries.

Price levels for the Food and non-alcoholic beverages group are lowest in Romania (69% of the EU average) and Poland (72%), and highest in Luxembourg (125% of the EU average), Denmark (120%) and Ireland (119%).

Clothing is another group of products where prices differed less among EU countries, ranging from 76% of the average in Bulgaria to 134% in Denmark.

Personal transport equipment also recorded a smaller price differences among EU member states, with Poland (81% of the EU average) cheapest and Denmark (138%) most expensive.

"Consumer electronics" is the product group where prices differ the least between EU countries, ranging from 88% of the EU average in Poland to 113% in the Netherlands.