On Friday, 30 October, Eurostat published data on household electricity prices in the first half of 2026. Adjusted for purchasing power, Poland has the second most expensive electricity in the Union, behind Romania.
According to the Eurostat statement, the average household electricity price in the EU fell by 2.2% in the first half of 2026, to 0.28 euro per kWh, from 0.29 euro in the second half of 2025. Prices remain clearly higher than before the 2022 energy crisis. Rzeczpospolita, citing the Polish Press Agency (PAP), reported in its headline that electricity in Poland had become more than 17% more expensive; we did not find this figure for Poland in the available Eurostat text, so it should be treated as information from that outlet.
Poland in second place in the PPS ranking
Eurostat also compares prices in the so-called purchasing power standard (PPS), which takes into account the price level and earnings in a given country. The highest electricity prices were recorded in Romania (46.9 PPS per 100 kWh), Poland (41.1) and Czechia (34.3). The lowest were in Malta (13.8), Hungary (14.7) and Luxembourg (15.5).
In nominal terms, in euro, the most expensive electricity was paid by consumers in Ireland (0.39 euro per kWh), followed by Germany and Belgium (0.36 euro each). The cheapest was in Hungary (0.11 euro), and in Malta and Bulgaria (0.13 euro each). Six countries had prices above 0.30 euro per kWh, and five had prices below 0.20 euro.
Largest increases and decreases
Compared with the first half of 2025, in national currencies electricity became most expensive in Romania (+51.6%), Ireland (+19.8%) and Finland (+18.4%). The largest decreases were recorded in Denmark (-31.7%) and Luxembourg (-24.1%). According to PAP, the share of taxes and levies in the final price across the EU fell from 28.9% to 28.4%.
Where the increase in Poland comes from
In its methodology notes, Eurostat points out that in 2025 Poland applied a maximum electricity price for household consumers (500 PLN/MWh net, excluding excise duty and VAT), and that in 2026 the limits from 2025 no longer apply. This is one of the factors affecting comparisons with earlier periods. Already a year ago, Eurostat noted that in the first half of 2025 prices in Poland rose by 20.0% year on year, and in the PPS ranking Poland was then second (34.96).
What it means
For Polish households, the data mean that, measured against earnings, electricity is among the most expensive in the EU, although in euro terms it is cheaper than in Ireland, Germany or Belgium. Rzeczpospolita writes that on Thursday the Minister of Finance and Economy, Andrzej Domański, spoke about several solutions the government is considering that would protect households from rising energy costs. The details of these proposals are not known. Eurostat’s data concern average prices for the half-year, not current tariffs, and are not a bill for any specific household. Eurostat publishes them twice a year.
