German cost of living slightly above EU average

The cost of living in Germany was slightly higher than the average level in the European Union last year, official data showed on Monday. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the price level in the largest European economy was 1.8 percent above the average of the 27 EU states in 2012. Among Germany's neighbors, only Poland and Czech Republic had lower costs of living. People in Denmark had the highest price of living, 41.9 percent higher than the EU average, said Destatis. Sweden and Finland were in the second and third place, with price levels 28.4 percent and 24 percent higher than the EU average respectively. Prices in Bulgaria were the lowest within the EU at half the bloc's average for a representative basket of goods.