Electricity costs EU households 29% more than in 2021. In Malta it costs the same
A typical European household now pays 28.3 cents per kilowatt hour. Malta’s fixed tariffs keep it at 12.7 cents, the second-lowest in the EU.
- 28.3c
- EU: price per kWh, first half of 2026
- +29%
- EU: change since the first half of 2021
- 12.7c
- Malta, second-lowest in the EU
- −1%
- Malta: change since 2021
Key findings
- Households in the EU paid an average 28.3 cents per kWh of electricity, taxes included, in the first half of 2026, 29% more than the 22.0 cents of early 2021.
- Prices are highest in Ireland (38.7c), Germany (36.2c) and Belgium (35.8c), and lowest in Hungary (11.4c), Malta (12.7c) and Bulgaria (13.4c).
- Only Malta and Denmark pay less than in 2021. Prices nearly doubled in Poland (+94%) and the Netherlands (+90%).
In the first half of 2026 a typical European household paid 28.3 cents for each kilowatt hour of electricity, taxes included. That is 29% more than in the first half of 2021, before gas prices began to climb and Russia invaded Ukraine, according to Eurostat.
The range across the EU is wide. Irish households pay 38.7 cents, three times as much as Hungarians (11.4 cents). Malta, at 12.7 cents, is the second cheapest.
IE 
DE 
BE 
AT 
IT 
SE 
PL 
CZ 
RO 
EU 
CY 
FI 
ES 
FR 
NL 
LV 
EL 
DK 
PT 
LT 
EE 
SI 
LU 
SK 
HR 
BG 
MT 
HU Who paid more since 2021
Prices rose in 25 of the 27 countries. They nearly doubled in Poland (+94%) and the Netherlands (+90%), and rose more than 50% in Romania, the Baltic states, Czechia, Finland and Ireland. Only two countries pay less than five years ago: Denmark, where prices spiked in 2022 and then fell to 18% below their 2021 level, and Malta.
Where the money goes
Less than half of what an EU household pays is for the electricity itself. In 2025 energy and supply made up 12.5 cents of an average 28.9 cents per kWh. Networks, the cables that carry power to homes, added 8.2 cents, and taxes and levies 8.3 cents, of which VAT was 4.4.
How Malta keeps it at 12.7 cents
Malta’s price has hardly moved because it is set by the government. Household tariffs were cut by a quarter in 2014 and have been held since, with the state covering the gap when energy costs rise. The 2027 budget, presented on 26 October, sets aside €400 million to keep energy and fuel prices stable for another year.
Taxes are part of it too. In 2025 taxes and levies added 0.8 cents to a Maltese kilowatt hour, against 8.3 cents across the EU. Even before tax, Maltese households paid 12.0 cents for energy and networks, against 20.6 cents on average in the EU.
Questions readers ask
How much does electricity cost in Malta compared with the EU?
12.7 cents per kWh for a typical household in the first half of 2026, taxes included, against an EU average of 28.3 cents. Only Hungary is cheaper.
Why is electricity so cheap in Malta?
Household tariffs were cut by a quarter in 2014 and have been held fixed since, with the government paying the difference when energy costs rise. Taxes are also low: VAT on electricity is 5%, and taxes and levies add 0.8 cents per kWh, against 8.3 cents across the EU.
Which EU country has the most expensive electricity?
Ireland, at 38.7 cents per kWh in the first half of 2026, followed by Germany (36.2c) and Belgium (35.8c).
How we did this
Prices: Eurostat electricity prices for household consumers, band DC (2,500–4,999 kWh a year), all taxes and levies included, euro per kWh, half-yearly (nrg_pc_204), first half of 2021 and first half of 2026. Breakdown: Eurostat price components for household consumers, same band, annual 2025 (nrg_pc_204_c). Malta’s 2026 figure is provisional.
Sources
- Eurostat: Electricity prices for household consumers, bi-annual (nrg_pc_204)
- Eurostat: Electricity prices components for household consumers, annual (nrg_pc_204_c)
- MaltaToday: Reduced energy tariffs applicable as from tomorrow (2014)
- Italpress: Energy subsidies to continue in Malta budget 2027 (26 October 2026)
The tables behind our charts are in the Data Room. To cite this article: Jake Aquilina, “Electricity costs EU households 29% more than in 2021. In Malta it costs the same”, Signal and Noise, 3 November 2026, https://signalandnoise.xyz/stories/electricity-prices-2026/.