Households in the Czech Republic now pay among the highest electricity rates in Europe, according to data from Eurostat covering 39 countries.
Domestic users in Czechia paid approximately €317.9 per MWh (around 7,736 CZK including VAT) for the first half of 2025—placing the country sixth-highest in the ranking.
The figure covers all components of consumer electricity bills, including commercial charges, regulated fees, taxes and levies.
Czech authorities gather these figures through the Czech Statistical Office, which collects data from major energy suppliers covering over 90 % of small-consumer household customers.
Only Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Italy and Ireland recorded higher nominal household electricity prices in that period. At the same time, Czechia’s average exceeds the EU-wide average of about €287.2 per MWh (≈ 6,982 CZK) and approaches the euro-area average of roughly €300.6 per MWh (≈ 7,308 CZK).
That said, the comparison covers households of varying sizes and usage types. In Czechia, consumers who rely on electricity for heating and hot water pay a lower rate per MWh than those without those uses. If those households were excluded, Czechia’s ranking would drift down to 13th. In contrast, Austria and Germany make no such distinction in pricing between smaller and larger consumption bands.
Two main factors help explain why Czech households bear such a cost burden. First, the government ended broad assistance to household electricity bills in 2023. In prior years the state subsidised part of the commercial charge, covered distribution and transmission fees, and fully supported renewable-energy surcharges. With those supports withdrawn, Czech consumers now bear the full cost of market price plus all regulated charges.
Second, and perhaps less visible, is the role of households themselves. Experts point out that in countries where state regulation of household electricity prices remains strong—such as Slovakia, Hungary or France—final consumer prices are considerably lower.
In Slovakia for instance, households pay more than a third less than in Czechia (≈ €188.7 per MWh versus ~€317.9). The difference is explained by Slovakia’s state-owned supplier offering electricity below market prices in exchange for the state foregoing a special levy on excess profits.
Czechia also departs from some common relief measures used elsewhere. For example, its standard VAT rate on electricity remains 21 %, whereas many other EU states apply lower “reduced” rates for energy. Hungary’s rate is even higher at 27 %, but there it is offset by strict administrative price ceilings that mute the impact of the high VAT.
Energy-market analysts warn that absent state regulation or subsidies, households in Czechia will continue paying elevated prices despite drops in wholesale electricity cost.
