How much do you need to earn for a comfortable life in Europe: calculations across 34 countries

How the calculation was made and what it showed

How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Europe? The question has no precise answer: the notion of 'comfort' is subjective, prices differ between countries and within them, and income alone says nothing about accumulated wealth or home ownership. Nevertheless, Euronews Business used an indicator that allows at least a rough estimate of the scale: 150% of the median equivalised disposable income — the lower bound of the 'upper middle' tier in the OECD's middle-class classification. OECD senior economist Sebastian Königs told the outlet that, based on income data alone, one could assume that most households above this threshold have the means for a relatively comfortable life. Other researchers, however, note that such an income by itself does not guarantee financial resilience.

A range from €603 to €6,491

In 2025, the median equivalised disposable income in the EU stands at €22,939 per year, or €1,912 per month. That gives a benchmark for a single adult of €2,867 per month. Across 34 European countries the threshold ranges from €603 in North Macedonia to €6,491 in Switzerland; within the EU, from €1,023 in Romania to €6,256 in Luxembourg. The figure also exceeds €4,000 per month in Norway (5,240), Austria (4,568), Denmark (4,524), Ireland (4,392) and the Netherlands (4,308). Among the four largest EU economies, Germany leads with €3,611, followed by France (3,307), Italy (2,758) and Spain (2,546): a single adult in Germany needs €1,065 more per month than in Spain. The threshold is below €1,000 in Albania (723), Turkey (755), Montenegro (825) and Serbia (975) — all five countries, together with North Macedonia, are candidates for EU accession. In another 11 EU countries the figure is between €1,000 and €1,900, including Portugal (1,808), Poland (1,799), Greece (1,463), Bulgaria (1,108) and Hungary (1,099).

Couples and families: multipliers, not doubling

A couple without children does not need twice the income of a single person: since they share rent and utilities, Eurostat assumes a coefficient of 1.5. In the EU, a couple needs €4,301 in net monthly income to reach the benchmark, while a couple with two children under 14 needs €6,021. The ranking of countries does not change, since the same multipliers are applied to all countries: 1.5 for a couple and 2.1 for a family with two children.

What the purchasing power adjustment reveals

Euro amounts do not reflect price differences between countries. Converting into purchasing power standards (PPS) — a notional currency that removes these differences — narrows the gap but does not eliminate it: the benchmark for a single adult in the EU is 2,830 PPS per month, with a range from 1,031 PPS in Albania to 4,709 PPS in Luxembourg — roughly a 4.6-fold difference compared with 10.8-fold in euros. Within the EU, Hungary has the lowest figure at 1,495 PPS, so the Luxembourg threshold exceeds it by just over three times, versus six times in euros. Koen Caminada, a professor at Leiden University, told the outlet that the same relative position in the income distribution translates into very different living standards across countries, and that national averages mask regional differences, especially in housing costs. Königs added that in many OECD countries there are also large regional differences in both incomes and the cost of living.

Income is only part of the picture

Experts agree that income does not reflect the whole picture. Königs pointed to the sharpness of wealth inequality, above all access to home ownership: some people manage quite well on low incomes because they own their home and live where prices are lower. Caminada added that a household with a moderate income and accessible savings can often cope more easily with an unexpected bill or job loss than a family with a higher income but no savings and large debts. Dr. Markus M. Grabka of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) put it this way: income exceeding 150% of the median level provides financial security only in combination with a certain amount of private assets. Caminada also warned against treating 150% or 200% of the median as an established threshold for a comfortable life: the OECD classification describes a household's relative position in the income distribution, not the adequacy of its budget. In his view, a 'comfortable life' means not only the ability to pay bills, but also being able to afford decent housing, food, energy and transport, take part in public life, rest and set money aside, while withstanding unexpected expenses without immediate financial hardship.