Incomes of Europeans adjusted for cost of living: Spain is closer to the middle

Nominal incomes don’t mean much without considering prices. A new ranking by Eurostat and Voronoi shows how countries’ positions change when the average household income is adjusted for the cost of living. For example, in Switzerland, families earn an average of €178,553 per year, but after adjusting for prices, their real purchasing power drops to 100,777 PPS. In contrast, Turkey tells a different story: nominal income is just €22,880, but adjusted for cost of living, it reaches 72,731 PPS — almost on par with Ireland.

And what about Spain? With an average income of around €56,000 per year, the purchasing power of a Spanish household is estimated at 65,338 PPS — roughly the same level as Lithuania and slightly above Greece. This means that while prices in Spain are relatively moderate, income levels still lag far behind countries like Germany, France, or the Netherlands.