Best-value EU countries: where your salary goes furthest

Last updated: 2026-08-21

“Cheapest” gets the clicks, but value is what you actually feel in your bank account at the end of the month. A country can have low rents and still feel tight if local wages are low, while a pricier country that pays well can leave you with more to spare. This guide ranks all 27 EU countries on how far typical local pay stretches against the cost of living.

Why value beats price

The number that matters is the ratio between what you earn and what you spend, not the raw price level. Two things decide it:

Local pay: salaries vary far more across the EU than prices do, so a strong job market can outweigh higher costs.
Cost of living: rent, tax, groceries and transport, which set the floor under your budget.

All 27 EU countries by value

Our value score below is simply local pay measured against the cost of living: higher means your money goes further on a local salary (illustrative scores only).

Country	Value*	Relative cost*
Luxembourg	40	88
Finland	36	72
Denmark	35	82
Ireland	35	80
Sweden	35	78
Netherlands	34	80
Belgium	33	70
Germany	33	75
Austria	31	74
France	31	70
Poland	29	45
Estonia	28	54
Czechia	27	52
Spain	27	60
Italy	26	62
Lithuania	26	50
Slovenia	26	58
Slovakia	25	48
Latvia	24	50
Portugal	24	55
Romania	24	42
Bulgaria	23	40
Croatia	23	48
Hungary	23	48
Malta	23	62
Cyprus	22	58
Greece	19	52

*MoveMap EU's rough relative scores, illustrative only, not official figures. Value = typical local pay relative to the cost of living (higher is better); relative cost is 0-100 (lower is cheaper).

The remote-income twist

If your income comes from abroad in a stronger currency, this whole table flips. You keep a high salary while paying low local costs, so the most affordable countries quietly become the best value of all. Earning locally? Then the value score above is the one to watch.

Value is personal

Your profession, family size and whether you rent or buy all change the picture, and so does what you want for your money: more savings, a bigger home, or a better lifestyle. The MoveMap check folds your income and spending into a ranking built for your situation, not an average.

Frequently asked questions

Which EU country gives the best value for money?

On our model, which divides a typical net salary by the cost of living, the leaders are Luxembourg, Finland, Denmark, Ireland and Sweden. That surprises people, because those are expensive countries. The point is that local wages outrun local prices there, which is what value actually measures.

What is the difference between the cheapest and the best-value countries?

Cheapest measures prices alone, so Bulgaria and Romania win. Best value measures what local pay buys, so the ranking almost inverts. The cheap countries fall down the value list because salaries drop faster than prices do. Which list matters depends entirely on where your income comes from.

Is it better to earn a high salary or live somewhere cheap?

If you will be paid locally, follow the value ranking: a high salary in a high-cost country usually leaves you better off than a modest one somewhere cheap. If your income comes from outside the country, ignore value entirely and follow the cost ranking, because only the spending side of the equation applies to you.

How these numbers are made

Updated 2026-08-21

The 0-100 figures in this ranking are MoveMap EU's own comparative estimates, not official statistics or a third-party index. They are built to rank the 27 countries against each other from public cost, wage, language and institutional data, and they are calibrated to be directionally right rather than precise to the point. Where a figure comes from a dated external dataset, such as the tax pages, the source and check date are named on that page.

The full weighting is written up on our methodology page. Published by Dobreon sp. z o.o., Krakow, Poland (VAT PL6772528744). Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

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