Euronews Business calculated the net monthly income required to reach 150% of a country’s median income in Europe in 2025. According to the calculation, a single adult in the European Union (EU) needs 2 867 euro per month.
How much a single adult needs
The median equivalent income in the EU in 2025 was 22 939 euro per year, or 1 912 euro per month. The median is the middle value in the income distribution, meaning half earn more and half earn less.
To have 150% of this median figure, a single adult needs a net income of 2 867 euro per month.
Variations across countries and family thresholds
In 34 European countries the figure for a single person ranges from 603 euro per month in North Macedonia to 6 491 euro in Switzerland. Within the EU these values vary from 1 023 euro in Romania to 6 256 euro in Luxembourg.
For a couple in the EU the threshold is 4 301 euro per month, and for a couple with two children under 14 years old it is 6 021 euro per month. The figure exceeds 4 000 euro per month in Norway (5 240), Austria (4 568), Denmark (4 524), Ireland (4 392) and the Netherlands (4 308).
Purchasing power standard and expert views
Figures in euro do not take into account differences in prices between countries. The purchasing power standard (PPS) is an artificial currency that removes these differences; the threshold for a single person in the EU is 2 830 PPS per month.
In PPS the threshold ranges from 1 031 PPS in Albania to 4 709 PPS in Luxembourg. Within the EU the lowest threshold is 1 495 PPS in Hungary, which reduces the gap compared with measurement in euro.
“A household should be able to afford adequate housing, food, energy and transport, participate in social life, enjoy leisure and save. And, above all, it should be able to cover unforeseen expenses or a temporary loss of income without immediately falling into financial difficulty,” experts said.
Dr Marcus M. Grabka of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) noted: “Income above 150% of the median provides financial security only in combination with a certain level of private wealth,” he said.
