Kyiv took first place among 33 European capitals in terms of the lowest cost of electricity for households in September 2026. The cost of one kilowatt-hour, including taxes, in the capital of Ukraine was 8.4 euro cents, according to the data of the international Household Energy Price Index (HEPI), which was published by Euronews Business on October 14.
Budapest took second place with an indicator of 10.3 euro cents per kWh, and Podgorica came in third, where electricity cost 11.3 euro cents. The five cheapest capitals also included Belgrade (11.6 euro cents) and Valletta (12.3 euro cents).
The average cost of electricity in the capitals of the European Union was 27.2 euro cents per kWh. Thus, electricity in Kyiv was about 69.1% cheaper than the EU average, in Budapest - by 62.1%, in Podgorica - by 58.5%, and in Belgrade - by 57.4%.
The most expensive electricity for the population was recorded in Brussels, where the price reached 41.3 euro cents per kWh. Berlin (39.6), Dublin (38.7), Bern (38.6) and London (38.3) were next.
Among other European capitals, high tariffs were recorded in Rome (36.6 euro cents), Vienna (34.4) and Prague (34.3). In Madrid, electricity cost 28.3 euro cents per kWh, in Paris - 28.1 euro cents.
The difference between the most expensive and the cheapest capitals was almost five times: 41.3 euro cents in Brussels versus 8.4 euro cents in Kyiv.
According to HEPI, from the beginning of February to the beginning of September 2026, the average cost of electricity for households in the capitals EU increased by 4.2%. At the same time, natural gas prices increased by 12% during this period.
Differences between European capitals are explained by the structure of the energy balance, dependence on imported energy carriers, tariff policy, taxes and state mechanisms for supporting the population.
At the same time, researchers emphasize that the comparison of nominal tariffs does not fully reflect the availability of electricity for the population. When purchasing power is taken into account, the rating changes significantly, since household incomes and the general level of prices in European countries differ significantly.
The Household Energy Price Index study has been conducted monthly since 2009 with the participation of the Austrian energy regulator Energie-Control, the Hungarian regulator MEKH and the international consulting company VaasaETT. It covers 33 European capitals and takes into account supplier tariffs, network charges, taxes and government subsidies.
