Which European countries are most affected by the rising costs of living?
Cost of Living News Europe - Here are the Top 10 European countries where citizens are the most affected by the rising costs of living, according to the EIB report dated November 5, 2026. Six out of ten Europeans (60%) say rising energy prices have significantly cut their purchasing power over the past 12 months, while more than a third of Europeans (38%) say they have cut everyday spending on food or health. More than half of Europeans (55%) want Europe to build its own clean-technology industry, even if that takes longer than rolling out the energy transition with imported technologies, and nearly six out of ten Europeans (59%) favour pooling EU resources to finance the energy transition. The study was conducted by Ipsos bva among 23,000 people across all 27 EU Member States, at a time when rising energy prices have significantly cut the purchasing power of six out of ten Europeans.
Here are the Top 10 European countries where citizens are the most affected by the rising costs of living:
1 - Romania
Romania ranks No. 1 country where citizens are the most affected by the rising costs of living with 80% of citizens stating that their purchasing power fell significantly with energy prices squeezing budgets, according to the EIB report dated November 5, 2026.
2 - Greece
Greece ranks 2nd country where citizens are the most affected by the rising costs of living with 78% of citizens stating that their purchasing power fell significantly with energy prices squeezing budgets, according to the EIB report dated November 5, 2026.
3 - Bulgaria
Bulgaria ranks 3rd country where citizens are the most affected by the rising costs of living with 74% of citizens stating that their purchasing power fell significantly with energy prices squeezing budgets, according to the EIB report dated November 5, 2026.
4 - Cyprus
Cyprus ranks 4th country where citizens are the most affected by the rising costs of living with 72% of citizens stating that their purchasing power fell significantly with energy prices squeezing budgets, according to the EIB report dated November 5, 2026.
5 - Ireland
Ireland ranks 5th country where citizens are the most affected by the rising costs of living with 71% of citizens stating that their purchasing power fell significantly with energy prices squeezing budgets, according to the EIB report dated November 5, 2026.
6 - Italy
Italy ranks 6th country where citizens are the most affected by the rising costs of living with 70% of citizens stating that their purchasing power fell significantly with energy prices squeezing budgets, according to the EIB report dated November 5, 2026.
7 - Portugal
Portugal ranks 7th country where citizens are the most affected by the rising costs of living with 68% of citizens stating that their purchasing power fell significantly with energy prices squeezing budgets, according to the EIB report dated November 5, 2026.
8 - Germany
Germany ranks 8th country where citizens are the most affected by the rising costs of living with 66% of citizens stating that their purchasing power fell significantly with energy prices squeezing budgets, according to the EIB report dated November 5, 2026.
9 - France
France ranks 9th country where citizens are the most affected by the rising costs of living with 66% of citizens stating that their purchasing power fell significantly with energy prices squeezing budgets, according to the EIB report dated November 5, 2026.
10 - Austria
Austria ranks 10th country where citizens are the most affected by the rising costs of living with 65% of citizens stating that their purchasing power fell significantly with energy prices squeezing budgets, according to the EIB report dated November 5, 2026.
