Eurostat’s 2025 data put a calculated monthly benchmark at 150% of national median income between €1,023 in Romania and €6,256 in Luxembourg for one adult equivalent, showing wide country-to-country variation.
For the European Union as a whole, median equivalised net income was €22,939 a year. Multiplying that amount by 1.5 and dividing by 12 gives about €2,867 a month. Although labeled 2025, the survey figures generally use income from 2024, the preceding calendar year.
The 150% cutoff comes from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s income classification. The OECD places the middle-income group between 75% and 200% of a country’s median, with the upper-middle band starting at 150%. That cutoff describes a household’s position in the income distribution; it does not show whether the household can afford a particular standard of living.
Applying the same calculation to national medians gives monthly estimates of €3,611 in Germany, €3,307 in France, €2,758 in Italy and €2,546 in Spain. These are calculated figures, rounded to the nearest euro, rather than separate income thresholds set by Eurostat.
The measure is not an individual salary. Eurostat totals household income after taxes and social contributions, then scales it according to household size and composition. Its scale gives the first adult a weight of 1.0, each additional person aged 14 or older 0.5, and each child under 14 a weight of 0.3. Using those weights, the EU monthly benchmark works out to about €4,301 for a couple and €6,021 for two adults with two children under 14.
Eurostat also reports median income in purchasing power standards (PPS), which adjust comparisons for price-level differences between countries. The EU median was 22,638 PPS a year in 2025; applying the 150% calculation gives about 2,830 PPS a month. PPS expresses price-adjusted values for comparing countries; it is not a currency paid to households.
National medians also conceal differences within countries. Eurostat’s 2025 figures put median equivalised net income at €23,722 a year for city residents and €20,994 for rural residents.
