EU household gas prices fall to lowest level since 2022

Average gas prices for European Union households dropped to €0.11 per kilowatt-hour during the first half of 2026, according to Eurostat data. This represented a decrease of 10.2 per cent compared with the second semester of 2025 and a decline of 3.5 per cent compared with the first semester of 2025. Such figures mark the lowest average price of gas recorded across the European Union following the first semester of 2022. At the same time, seasonal fluctuations resumed the established pattern that was clearly visible before the onset of the 2022 energy crisis. When examining variations in household gas prices across EU member states during the opening six months of 2026, Sweden recorded the highest gas prices for households at €0.22 per kilowatt-hour. That highest figure was followed by the Netherlands at €0.16, alongside France and Portugal where households both paid €0.13. Conversely, the lowest prices across the bloc were observed in Hungary at €0.03 per kilowatt-hour, Croatia at €0.05, and both Romania and Slovakia at €0.06. When compared with the same period of 2025 and measured in national currencies, prices decreased in 12 countries with available data, increased in 7, and remained broadly stable in 4. The largest decreases were registered in Bulgaria at minus 14.5 per cent, Greece at minus 11.3 per cent, and Spain at minus 10.0 per cent. Meanwhile, the largest increases were recorded in Romania at plus 9.3 per cent, Croatia at plus 8.9 per cent, and Slovakia at plus 6.6 per cent. When expressed in purchasing power standard, abbreviated as PPS, the highest natural gas prices for households were observed in Sweden at 17.7 per 100 kilowatt-hours, Portugal at 15.0, and the Netherlands at 13.8. The lowest prices based on this purchasing power standard metric were found in Hungary at 4.3, Luxembourg at 6.6, and Croatia at 6.8.