This Is the Average Salary in the European Union (2023 Update – All Countries)

We’re looking today at the average salary in the EU countries in 2023, as I consider this data extremely important for those who are looking to move to a specific country in the European Union or are planning to travel here.

My general rule of thumb is that you can estimate costs of living by knowing the average monthly wages in a country: in theory at least, if you have that amount available each month, you could live a middle class life while there. Which is not bad at all!

Of course, there are many other factors to consider when it comes to the actual cost of living, but even so, a country’s average salary can be used as a clear indicator of the prices there: the lower it is, the lower the prices should be and the less money you would need to have on you when traveling.

The opposite is not necessarily true, as higher salaries don’t automatically mean a much inflated cost of living, but a higher quality of life.

So, as I said, this is just one indicator and not the only thing to consider in the big picture.

In the end, it doesn’t matter why you are interested to know the average salary in the European Union countries in 2023: for statistics, for satisfying your curiosity or for planning your next move to one of these countries.

The thing is that I have these numbers to share with you below and I hope that they will be useful.

Important note: The economy changes constantly and the research I am doing to gather all this information regarding the average wages in all these countries might end up with slightly incorrect values (as they change from month to month throughout the year).

Take everything with a pinch of salt, as the real average salary in a country might be a bit different than the numbers shared below as they also vary by city and influenced by other factors.

However, for informational purposes, the data below is better than no data at all and it can still be considered an average over the year – and not reflecting just one good month (or a bad one).

It’s also important to note that the economy has been hit badly in 2022 (after the crazy years of 2020 and 2021), but despite all these, the average salaries earned by citizens of the European Union kept rising, usually on par with the huge inflation.

This also reflects in major increases in the minimum salaries in the EU, so if you’re planning to relocate and find a job here, the timing is great!

I personally believe that salaries will remain pretty much flat throughout 2023 (if not for longer), but time will tell. However, at the moment, the data shows that in most EU countries, if you do earn an average salary, you can live at least a decent life.

It’s really interesting to look at the values below – I started tracking this data in 2019 and the numbers have grown a lot since then and there are no signs of them stopping, although they did slow down a bit in the second half on 2022.

With all these in mind, let’s check out the average salary in all EU countries in 2023 (we’re talking about the monthly take-home or net salary, with numbers in EUROS – even though some of the countries in the EU use a different currency):

1. Luxembourg: €3,650
2. Denmark: €3,500
3. Netherlands: €3,150
4. Ireland: €3,075
5. Sweden: €3,000
6. Austria: €2,900
7. Finland: €2,850
8. Germany: €2,750
9. France: €2,650 (tie)
10. Belgium: €2,650 (tie)
11. Spain: €1,850
12. Italy: €1,820
13. Cyprus: €1,800
14. Czechia: €1,520
15. Malta: €1,350
16. Slovenia: €1,350
17. Estonia: €1,300
18. Greece: €1,280
19. Portugal: €1,210
20. Lithuania: €1,195
21. Slovakia: €1,130
22. Poland: €1,050
23. Croatia: €1,000
24. Hungary: €930
25. Latvia: €890
26. Romania: €880
27. Bulgaria: €735

If we are to do the math, the overall average wage in the European Union in 2023 would be:

1856 Euros / Month

Compared to the 2022 numbers, the average wage in the European Union increased by just around 50 Euros per month. From 2021 to 2022, for example, it grew by 150 Euros. And the year before that, only 49 Euros.

However, as you can see for yourself in the table above, there are huge differences in Europe and countries toward the end of the table are earning up to 4 times less than those at the top.

For example, the average wage in Luxembourg is almost 6 times higher than what people in Bulgaria are earning. The drops in the average salary are also substantial even in the top 10: a massive, €1,000 difference, between the 1st and the 10th placed!

All in all, salaries have increased greatly in the European Union in 2022, with some major gains recorded by the lower ranked countries, including Estonia or Malta and most importantly, the difference between the bottom ranked and the EU’s average are shrinking.

But, as I said in the intro, these average wages in all the countries in the European Union might not reflect actual salaries that one would get if they just started to work in one of these countries.

Wrapping up

As we see that the average throughout all countries in Europe is €1,923, yet half of the countries in the EU earn a lot less, the same goes on a country by country basis: some industries will pay a lot more than others, and time spend with a job will have an effect on the wage as well.

So don’t expect to instantly get hired for the average wage listed above, even there’s still a chance you might.

However, for guidance and estimations, this is a good starting point and an interesting list to look at and since these are the actual average salaries in the said countries, you’ve got bigger chances at earning that much than not.

Note: I receive many messages from people linking to a Wikipedia article (this one), claiming that the numbers in that article are actually the correct ones.

However, if you look at the table in that article, listing the salaries for all countries, you will see that the data there is up to several years old in some cases. So it’s no longer accurate!

This means that these numbers I have shared are (in my opinion at least and based on hours of research) as close to reality as possible and more up to date.

But, of course, it doesn’t hurt to check Wikipedia also, as it might get updated before I get the chance to update my article.

It would still be great if people living in the various countries of the European Union listed above could confirm the data that I managed to gather, so that we can have a clearer, updated view of the actual values.

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