Price level for consumer goods and services, 2005

Iceland most expensive

Iceland stands out in the survey with a comparative price level for furniture far above the average of the (then) 25 EU countries (EU25). Usually among the most expensive countries in such surveys, Norway and Switzerland are close to the average in Europe. Our neighbouring countries Sweden, Finland and Denmark also come out with average price levels for furniture. Figure 1 indicates that the general price level differences for furniture in the EU are considerable, from Latvia (38 per cent below average) to United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy (15 per cent above average). This means that in the countries with the highest price level for furniture , prices are almost twice as high as in the cheapest countries.

In this context, furniture mainly comprises kitchen, bedroom, living room and dining room furniture and furnishings. The survey covered 31 European countries and was carried out within the framework of the European Comparison Programme in November 2005. The survey covered a total of about 140 comparable products. The price material has later been adjusted to annual average prices and weighted with expenditure values from the national accounts of each country.

Read more in Eurostat's 'Statistics in Focus'

Tables:

• Table 1 Relative price levels for furniture. Europe 2005. EU25=100