Cost of Living in Lithuania
Eurostat puts consumer prices in Lithuania at 81.4 in 2025, where the EU average is 100, so about 18.6% below average. Housing and energy are far cheaper, at 60.5, while food is slightly above the EU level at 103.0. Prices rose 6.7% in the year to September 2026.
What does it cost to live in Lithuania? This page uses official figures only: consumer prices and city rents from the State Data Agency (Statistics Lithuania), forecasts from Lietuvos bankas, and price levels, house prices, electricity prices and housing cost burden from Eurostat. Where no official national figure exists, we leave the item out.
Rent and housing costs in Lithuania
Price levels in Lithuania against the EU average, 2023 to 2025
Rent in Lithuania
The State Data Agency (Valstybės duomenų agentūra) does not publish a national average rent in euros, so we do not show one. It does publish rent per square meter for the largest cities. Flats in Vilnius rented for an average of €155.09 per m² a year in 2025, against €124.35 in Kaunas and €113.46 in Klaipėda. These are city figures.
Rents are rising fast. Rents paid by tenants were 10.0% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier, against 2.6% in the euro area, and the flash estimate for October shows 8.6%. House prices rose 14.3% in the year to the second quarter of 2026, about 3 times the EU rate of 4.7%.
Housing is still cheap by EU standards. Eurostat puts the price level for housing, water, electricity and gas at 60.5 in 2025, where the EU average is 100. In 2025, 5.7% of people lived in a household spending more than 40% of its disposable income on housing, against 7.6% across the EU (provisional data).
Consumer prices and inflation
Consumer prices in Lithuania were 6.7% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier, according to the State Data Agency. On the harmonised index used for euro area comparisons, the rate was 6.1%, against 3.8% in the euro area, and the flash estimate for October 2026 is 6.1%. Energy and transport drove the rise. Transport was up 20.2% and housing, water, electricity and gas 15.9%. In October, petrol was 39.1% dearer than a year earlier, diesel 53.0% and heat energy 30.7%. Food went the other way: food and non-alcoholic beverages were 1.6% cheaper than a year earlier.
| Commodity group | Share of spending, 2026 | On a year (Sep 2025 to Sep 2026) | Since December 2025 | On the month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All consumer prices | 100% | +6.7% | +6.3% | +1.0% |
| Food and non-alcoholic beverages | 22.81% | -1.6% | -1.2% | +0.3% |
| Transport | 13.48% | +20.2% | +18.9% | +3.8% |
| Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels | 12.13% | +15.9% | +13.4% | +0.5% |
| Health | 8.96% | +5.7% | +5.2% | +0.8% |
| Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | 8.73% | +7.3% | +8.0% | +0.3% |
| Restaurants and accommodation services | 6.68% | +6.1% | +6.5% | +0.3% |
| Recreation, sport and culture | 5.85% | +5.1% | +7.7% | -0.8% |
| Personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods and services | 5.32% | +6.8% | +5.2% | +0.5% |
| Furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance | 4.63% | +1.7% | +0.2% | -1.6% |
| Clothing and footwear | 4.53% | -0.7% | -3.1% | +5.6% |
| Information and communication | 3.76% | +1.8% | +0.9% | 0.0% |
| Education services | 1.81% | +3.8% | +4.3% | +1.1% |
| Insurance and financial services | 1.31% | +7.3% | +4.7% | +1.6% |
Lietuvos bankas, the central bank, expects average inflation of 5.1% in 2026, easing to 3.1% in 2027 and 2.6% in 2028, as energy prices fall. Price levels are below the EU average overall. Eurostat puts prices for household consumption in Lithuania at 81.4 in 2025, where the EU average is 100, so about 18.6% lower. Food is the exception, at 103.0, slightly above the EU average. Transport stands at 82.2 and restaurants and hotels at 82.6.
What households spend
The weights in the consumer price index show how households split their spending in 2026. Food and non-alcoholic beverages take the largest share, 22.81%, followed by transport at 13.48% and housing, water, electricity and gas at 12.13%. Alcohol and tobacco take 8.73% and health 8.96%. The last Household Budget Survey covers 2021, before the recent price rises, so we do not show its euro amounts.
Transport
Transport prices were 20.2% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier, the fastest rise of any group, while the price level for transport stood at 82.2 against the EU average of 100 in 2025. There is no national fare table. In Vilnius, a 30-day public transport ticket costs €38.00 at full fare and a 30-minute ticket €1.00, according to JUDU, the city's transport organizer. See our guide to cost of living in Vilnius.
Energy and local costs
Households paid €0.2162 per kWh for electricity in the first half of 2026, taxes included, for a typical use of 2,500 to 4,999 kWh a year. That is 10.6% more than in the second half of 2025, but about 23.7% below the EU average of €0.2832. On the harmonised index, electricity, gas and other fuels rose 25.1% in the year to September 2026, against 9.4% in the euro area. Real estate tax is set by each municipality, and we found no official national average for heating bills or local taxes, so we do not show one.
What it means for pay and hiring
Average gross monthly earnings in Lithuania were €2,411.40 in 2025 and €2,616.00 in the second quarter of 2026, according to the State Data Agency. The minimum wage is €1,153 a month in 2026. Lietuvos bankas expects wages to rise 9.4% in 2026 and 7.6% in 2027, ahead of its inflation forecasts. With prices 6.7% higher on a year and rents rising faster than in the euro area, budget for pay reviews, especially for hires in Vilnius. See Lithuania minimum wage and our city guides to hiring in Vilnius and average salary in Vilnius.
Employers pay 1.77% in social contributions on top of gross pay in 2026, as our guide to hiring in Lithuania explains. Hiring in Lithuania? We do placement. We source, screen and interview remote professionals across Europe, then deliver a shortlist of 3 candidates within 21 days for a flat $6,500, or your deposit back. Prefer to run the search yourself? Post a job for $299. See how placement works or browse remote jobs in Lithuania.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and collective agreements can set different terms. Confirm with a local accountant or lawyer before you hire.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lithuania expensive compared with the rest of the EU?
No. Eurostat puts the price level for household consumption in Lithuania at 81.4 in 2025, where the EU average is 100. Housing and energy stand at 60.5, while food is slightly above the EU average at 103.0.
What is the average rent in Lithuania?
No official national average rent in euros is published. For cities, the State Data Agency puts the average rent for a flat at €155.09 per m² a year in Vilnius and €124.35 in Kaunas in 2025. Rents paid by tenants were 10.0% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier.
What is the inflation rate in Lithuania?
Consumer prices were 6.7% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier, according to the State Data Agency. The harmonised rate was 6.1%, and the flash estimate for October 2026 is 6.1%. Lietuvos bankas expects 3.1% on average in 2027.
What do households in Lithuania spend most on?
Food and non-alcoholic beverages, at 22.81% of consumption spending in the 2026 price index weights, then transport at 13.48% and housing, water, electricity and gas at 12.13%.
Are house prices rising in Lithuania?
Yes. House prices were 14.3% higher in the second quarter of 2026 than a year earlier, against 4.7% across the EU, according to Eurostat.
Sources
- Eurostat, Price level indices, prc_ppp_ind_1. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Harmonised index of consumer prices, prc_hicp_minr. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- State Data Agency, Consumer price changes in September 2026, 8 Oct 2026. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- State Data Agency, HICP flash estimate for October 2026, 28 Oct 2026. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, House price index, prc_hpi_q. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Housing cost overburden rate, ilc_lvho07a. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Electricity prices for household consumers, nrg_pc_204. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- Lietuvos bankas, Macroeconomic projections, September 2026. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- State Data Agency, Average annual rent price for flat and average earnings (indicator database). Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- JUDU, Ticket types and prices. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
