Latvia vs Estonia

Compare PPP-adjusted average wages, long-term wage trends and consumer price levels using consistent OECD data.

Country A

Country B

Wage data: 2025 · Price data: 2024

Comparison Overview

Latvia

Average wage (2025)

$44,709

1-year change: +3.3%
5-year change: +12.3%

Overall price level (2024)

52.2 (United States = 100)

Latvia's latest PPP-adjusted average wage is approximately 9.0% higher than Estonia's.

Estonia

Average wage (2025)

$41,019

1-year change: +1.4%
5-year change: +1.6%

Overall price level (2024)

63.6 (United States = 100)

Latvia has the higher latest average wage of the two, by 9.0% on a PPP-adjusted basis. Over five years Latvia shows the stronger change (+12.3% against +1.6%). Overall consumer prices are higher in Estonia, at 63.6 against 52.2 on the United States = 100 scale — a gap of +11.4 index points. Both wage figures are for 2025 and the price levels for 2024, so the two economies are read at the same point in each series.

Wage History

See how PPP-adjusted average annual wages have changed in both economies.

PPP-adjusted annual wage (USD)

LatviaEstonia

USD PPP, constant 2025 prices

Wage Key Facts

Metric	Latvia	Estonia
Latest wage	$44,709	$41,019
Latest year	2025	2025
1-year change	+3.3%	+1.4%
5-year change	+12.3%	+1.6%
10-year change	+38.8%	+27.6%
Historical peak	$44,709	$42,741
Peak year	2025	2021
Change from peak	0.0%	−4.0%

How the Wage Trends Compare

Current Position

Latvia records the higher figure: $44,709 against $41,019, a gap of 9.0%. The gap is clear enough to rank the two, though it says nothing about how the figure is distributed within either economy.

Both figures are for 2025, so this is a like-for-like comparison of the same year rather than of two different latest points.

Both use the same basis: PPP-adjusted US dollars at constant prices. That conversion strips out the price level differences between the two economies, which is what makes the two figures comparable at all — neither is a local-currency salary, and neither is what an employer in that country would write on a contract.

Recent Momentum

Latvia had the stronger latest year (+3.3% against +1.4%).

Both moved up in the latest year, which leaves the ordering between them unchanged.

Widening the window to five years, the stronger of the two is Latvia: +12.3% against +1.6%.

For both economies the latest year points the same way as the five-year change, so the recent movement reads as continuation rather than a turn.

Long-Term Direction

Across ten years both series are up — +38.8% for Latvia and +27.6% for Estonia. Over this horizon the two share a direction, and the difference between them is one of pace.

Latvia is at its historical peak in the latest year, while Estonia sits 4.0% from its high of 2021. One has recovered its previous ground and the other has not.

The gap has been widening rather than closing over the five-year window: the economy that already reported the higher wage is also the one growing faster.

Consumer Price Level Comparison

Compare eight consumer price categories with the United States benchmark of 100.

United States = 100
Missing values are shown as -

All differences are shown in index points. United States = 100.

Category	Latvia	Estonia	Difference (LVA − EST)	LVA vs U.S.	EST vs U.S.
Overall	52.2	63.6	−11.4	−47.8	−36.4
Food	90.2	91.2	−1.0	−9.8	−8.8
Clothing	92.5	105	−12.5	−7.5	+5.0
Housing	31.1	54.9	−23.8	−68.9	−45.1
Health	31	41.4	−10.4	−69.0	−58.6
Transport	86.4	98.5	−12.1	−13.6	−1.5
Recreation	70.9	83.8	−12.9	−29.1	−16.2
Restaurants & Accommodation	75.4	80.7	−5.3	−24.6	−19.3

Overall
Latvia52.2
Estonia63.6
Difference−11.4
LVA vs U.S.−47.8
EST vs U.S.−36.4
Food
Latvia90.2
Estonia91.2
Difference−1.0
LVA vs U.S.−9.8
EST vs U.S.−8.8
Clothing
Latvia92.5
Estonia105
Difference−12.5
LVA vs U.S.−7.5
EST vs U.S.+5.0
Housing
Latvia31.1
Estonia54.9
Difference−23.8
LVA vs U.S.−68.9
EST vs U.S.−45.1
Health
Latvia31
Estonia41.4
Difference−10.4
LVA vs U.S.−69.0
EST vs U.S.−58.6
Transport
Latvia86.4
Estonia98.5
Difference−12.1
LVA vs U.S.−13.6
EST vs U.S.−1.5
Recreation
Latvia70.9
Estonia83.8
Difference−12.9
LVA vs U.S.−29.1
EST vs U.S.−16.2
Restaurants & Accommodation
Latvia75.4
Estonia80.7
Difference−5.3
LVA vs U.S.−24.6
EST vs U.S.−19.3

Latvia and Estonia in Detail

Current Wage Position

Latvia reports a PPP-adjusted average annual wage of $44,709 for 2025, and Estonia $41,019 for 2025. That puts Latvia ahead by 9.0%.

Both figures are PPP-adjusted: converted using purchasing power parities rather than market exchange rates, and expressed in constant prices so different years stay comparable.

This matters for reading the gap. A market-rate conversion would move with currency markets and would not reflect what the money buys in each economy. These figures are built to compare purchasing power, not to tell you what a currency transfer would be worth.

Recent Wage Momentum

In the latest reported year Latvia changed by +3.3% and Estonia by +1.4%. A single year is a narrow window, so it is worth reading alongside the five-year figure rather than on its own.

Over five years, Latvia records the larger change at +12.3%, against +1.6% for Estonia. That is the difference in how far each series has travelled over the medium term, in real PPP-adjusted terms.

Short-term and five-year movement point the same way for both economies, so neither is currently being pulled against its own medium-term direction.

Long-Term Wage Direction

Across ten years the changes are +38.8% for Latvia and +27.6% for Estonia. This is the longest horizon the data covers, and it is the one least affected by any single year's movement.

Latvia reached its highest recorded value of $44,709 in 2025, and the latest figure sits 0.0% from that high.

Estonia peaked at $42,741 in 2021, leaving its latest value 4.0% away from that point.

Both long-term series move the same way, so the difference between these two economies is one of degree over ten years rather than of direction.

Consumer Price Profile

Against the United States benchmark of 100, overall consumption sits at 52.2 in Latvia and 63.6 in Estonia — −11.4 index points apart.

The categories that separate them most are Housing (−23.8) and Recreation (−12.9).

Food is where they are nearest, at 90.2 and 91.2.

Across the categories with data, Estonia is the more expensive of the two more often than not.

How to Interpret the Comparison

These are average wages, not median wages, and not take-home pay. An average is pulled by the whole distribution, so it does not describe a typical individual, occupation, city or employer in either economy.

The wage figures are already PPP-adjusted and in constant prices. They are not local-currency salaries and not amounts convertible at a market exchange rate.

The price levels are relative indices against United States = 100. They describe how price levels compare, not what a household actually spends.

Wages and price levels should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better. This page is for understanding how the two wage trends and price structures differ — nothing further follows from it.