Transport Costs in Europe: How Much More Do Consumers Pay to Get Around Since 2021?
Cost of Living · Based on the data from the Consumer Conditions Scoreboard 2025
Getting to work, taking the children to school, doing the weekly shop – transport is part of daily life for almost everyone. So when transport costs rise, the effect is felt widely. This InfoCons Consumer Protection guide looks at how much transport prices have risen since 2021 and how they compare with other everyday costs.
InfoCons Consumer Protection Explains: What “Transport” Includes
“Transport” covers the costs of getting around: motor fuels, the purchase and running of vehicles, and tickets for buses, trains, trams and other public transport. The figures use January 2021 as the starting point, so +21.7% means transport was about a fifth more expensive than at the start of 2021.
Source: Eurostat (HICP). Based on the data from the Consumer Conditions Scoreboard 2025.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – How Much Transport Prices Rose (+21.7%)
Transport prices across the EU rose about 21.7% between January 2021 and December 2024. That is a real and noticeable increase – but it is the smallest rise of the four main cost groups, and well below the surge seen in energy and food.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – Transport rose the least of the main cost groups. Based on the data from the Consumer Conditions Scoreboard 2025.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – Transport vs Energy and Food: The Smallest of the Big Four
Set against the other groups, transport looks relatively contained: energy rose about 44.3%, food and non-alcoholic drinks about 31.9%, the overall basket about 23.1%, and transport about 21.7%. After the early spike in fuel prices, transport costs did not keep climbing as relentlessly as groceries.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – Why Transport Still Hurts Commuters
A smaller percentage rise does not mean transport is cheap. For people who must commute by car or public transport, these costs are fixed and unavoidable – they cannot simply be cut from the budget. That is why, in the wider survey, worry about affording transport to work stayed stubbornly steady.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – What This Means for You as a Consumer
Transport offers practical ways to save. InfoCons Consumer Protection encourages consumers to compare season tickets and travel passes against single fares, consider car-sharing or combining trips, keep vehicles well maintained to save fuel, and check entitlement to reduced fares or local transport subsidies. When buying tickets online, watch for extra fees added at the final step and know your rights to refunds for cancelled or delayed services.
Signature: InfoCons Consumer Protection Department