Energy, water, and waste: How much do Europeans pay for household bills?
According to Deutsche Bank's Mapping the World's Prices report, which covers 67 cities worldwide including 28 in Europe, basic utility costs in 2025 differ significantly across the continent. Monthly basic utilities include electricity, heating, cooling, water and garbage for an 85m2 apartment.
Europe clearly dominates the global list, with almost all of the top 20 most expensive cities for basic utilities located in the continent. Only two non-European cities make the top 20.
So, which cities have the highest and lowest bills? How does your city compare? And what about major cities outside Europe?
Germany is the most expensive country
Overall, monthly basic utility costs range from €24 in Cairo to €370 in Munich. In Europe, the cheapest city is Istanbul, where utilities cost just €68. Within the EU, Helsinki is the most affordable at €115.
It's not just Munich at the top. Two other German cities also rank third and fourth. This makes Germany the most expensive country for basic utilities. On average, residents pay €339 in Frankfurt and €333 in Berlin.
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Edinburgh ranks second in basic utility costs
Edinburgh ranks second among the most expensive European cities for utility bills. Residents pay €346 on average. Other UK cities are also costly. London ranks seventh and Birmingham eleventh overall. Basic utilities in London cost €295, and €270 in Birmingham.
The top 10 most expensive cities also include €327 in Warsaw, €304 in Vienna, €286 in Prague, €275 in Amsterdam, and €271 in Oslo.
Tel Aviv (12th, €245) and Hong Kong (19th, €211) are the only two non-European cities in the top 20.
Where are the lowest utility bills?
After Istanbul (€68) and Helsinki (€115), the lowest utility costs are found in Budapest and Lisbon (both €135), followed by Barcelona (€170) and Madrid (€180).
Average basic utility bills are also under €200 in Athens (€197) and Copenhagen (€182). In Italy, utility costs are right around the €200 mark: €200 in Milan and €202 in Rome.
In general, utility costs tend to be higher in Northern and Western Europe, while they are lower in Central, Eastern, and parts of Southern Europe.
San Francisco is the most expensive US city on the list, with utility costs at €202. In New York, the average is €181, though several other cities fall in between.
In Tokyo, utility costs average €151. In Toronto, they're €107, and in Beijing, just €52.
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How much have utility costs risen over the past five years?
Over the past five years, from 2020 to 2025, monthly basic utility costs in euros have risen significantly in many European cities. Stockholm tops the list with a 176% increase, followed by another Nordic city, Oslo, at 133%.
For cities where the currency is not the euro, looking at changes in national currencies may give a clearer picture, as part of the increase is due to exchange rate fluctuations.
The increase also exceeds 90% in several cities: Warsaw (112%), Brussels (97%), Birmingham (96%), and Edinburgh (93%).
Monthly basic utility costs have risen by around 50% in German cities, where residents already pay the highest bills in Europe.
In Europe, Copenhagen (-7%) and Budapest (-6%) are the only two cities where utility costs declined during this period, in euro terms.
Which cities spend the most on utilities as a share of salary?
The portion of average net salaries spent on basic utilities varies widely across Europe. It ranges from just 3.2% in Geneva and 3.3% in Zurich to 18.8% in Athens, closely followed by Warsaw at 17.6%.
Across all cities, Montreal (2.6%) has the lowest share of net salary spent on utilities, while Manila (25.9%) has the highest, with more than a quarter of income going to basic utilities.
In Europe, this is around 9–10% in several countries. These shares are influenced not only by utility costs but also by income levels.
In Europe, in 2025, Swiss cities have the highest average monthly net salaries: €7,307 in Geneva, closely followed by Zurich (€7,127). Istanbul has the lowest average salary at €855, while within the EU, Athens ranks lowest at €1,044.
People in the Northern and Western European cities are well-paid. The net salaries are above €4,000 in Luxembourg, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Frankfurt according to the report.
Euronews Business articles on electricity and gas prices across Europe comprehensively explain why energy prices differ so much. Differences in energy sources, pricing strategies, subsidies, and support measures all influence how utility prices are formed. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has also had a significant impact on energy prices across Europe.
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