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The benchmark gas price for natural gas sales increases by 15.4% including tax on May 1, 2026, according to the Energy Regulatory Commission. This indicator, which has served as a reference since regulated tariffs ended in 2023, does not affect all customers in the same way. Indexed offers are the most exposed, while fixed-price contracts remain temporarily protected. In the background, the Middle East crisis is a reminder of how dependent households remain on swings in the global market.
A Sharp Increase in Gas Prices, but an Uneven Effect Depending on the Contract
The CRE announced on April 8, 2026, that the average benchmark gas price would rise from 139.12 euros per MWh including tax on April 1 to 160.54 euros on May 1. The increase is steep in percentage terms, but it should not be read as a uniform hike applied to all subscribers.
The benchmark gas sales price is not a tariff you can sign up for. Since regulated tariffs disappeared on June 30, 2023, it has mainly served as a comparison point for consumers. In addition, it is used as the indexing basis for certain offers marketed by suppliers. In other words, it sheds light on the market, but it is not itself a contract.
So it is mainly households whose offer is indexed to this benchmark price, or more broadly to wholesale markets, that will see the increase show up on their bill. By contrast, customers locked into a fixed-price offer do not directly experience this change during the period covered by their contract.
The CRE estimated that 10.34 million households had a natural gas contract as of December 31, 2025. It also stated that by the end of 2025, 27% of consumers were on fixed-price offers. This means that a large majority of households remains potentially exposed, to varying degrees, to movements in the benchmark price.
Why The International Crisis Shows Up On The May Bill
The CRE attributes this surge solely to the supply component of the benchmark price. The other components, such as delivery or taxes, do not change in this sequence. The mechanism is worth recalling, because it explains why the bill reacts to geopolitical news with a delay.
To set the May 2026 price, the commission relies in particular on market indices observed in advance. The monthly index used for supply is based mainly on prices recorded in March 2026 for delivery in May. That means the shock does not appear immediately on consumers’ bills: it first passes through wholesale markets, then through the benchmark price calculation formula.
According to the CRE, the ongoing crisis in the Middle East has driven gas prices up on the markets, with peaks where prices temporarily doubled over the period considered. The signal reaching French households is therefore not just a domestic one. It comes from a chain in which the geopolitical event, energy purchases, and calculation rules end up converging.
This point is essential to understanding household budget vulnerability. Even when gas use seems strictly domestic, for hot water, cooking, or heating, its price depends on an international market. In fact, that market is highly sensitive to external tensions.
Will The Gas Price Increase For All Households?
No. That is the main point to watch in this file. The May 1, 2026 increase first affects consumers whose offer follows the benchmark gas sales price. It also affects those on a similar formula tied to markets. For them, the increase will be visible on the bill. However, the exact amount depends on the contract, consumption profile, and sometimes the pricing zone.
The CRE estimates the average impact at 6.19 euros including tax on the May bill. This amount gives a useful ballpark figure, but it does not apply to every case. A household using gas only for cooking or heating water does not face the same increase. By contrast, a home heated with gas is affected differently. In fact, that is especially true in cold weather. The bill also depends on the structure of the offer. It includes a fixed subscription and a consumption price that do not weigh the same way depending on usage.
Spring, moreover, softens the immediate effect. In May, consumption generally falls compared with winter, which mechanically limits the monthly shock for gas-heated households. But this seasonal moderation does not change the underlying problem: as soon as markets heat up, household protection depends largely on the type of contract they signed.
This new episode also highlights a broader difficulty: many consumers still talk about the “gas tariff” as if there were still a single public price. In reality, this benchmark mainly serves to compare offers that are now freely set, with very different levels of exposure.
What Is The Gas Price In France Right Now?
As of May 1, 2026, the average benchmark price published by the CRE stands at 160.54 euros per MWh including tax, up from 139.12 euros a month earlier. Converted to kilowatt-hours, that comes to an average level of about 0.161 euro including tax, across all consumers, for areas served by GRDF.
However, this figure is not the exact price paid by each household. It is a reference average, designed to reflect the costs borne by suppliers. In fact, it concerns areas covered by GRDF, which account for most residential customers. In areas served by local distribution companies, the levels may differ.
Still, this benchmark remains central to understanding how the price of gas in France is evolving today. It makes it possible to track the market and measure the gap between two months. That way, you can quickly see whether an indexed offer is becoming more expensive or not. In that sense, it has become a tool for reading energy purchasing power.
The May 1, 2026 increase does not by itself signal a lasting trend for the coming months. But it highlights a more stable reality: after the end of regulated tariffs, a significant share of households remains directly or indirectly exposed to market swings. As long as gas is purchased in an unstable international environment, French households’ bills will remain sensitive. They will react to events playing out far beyond their meter.
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