Cost of Living For a Family of Three in Bulgaria Rises to 2,738 BGN per Month

As at the first quarter of this year, BGN 2,738 is the amount needed to sustain a household consisting of two adults and one child under the age of 14. Compared to the last three months of the previous year, this amount has increased by 3.2%, and on an annual basis, by 4.6%.

Inflation in February 2025 was 3.9% higher than in February 2024.

The support income required for a three-member family increased by BGN 122 in March compared to the same month last year. Additionally, 62% of all employed individuals in Bulgaria earn a social insurance income below the cost-of-living wage, which stands at BGN 1,960.

The consumer basket of 20 essential goods and services rose in price by 5% in March 2025 compared to March 2024. The most significant price increases were recorded for flour and some types of bread. Price hikes were also noted for cheese and certain vegetables, such as cucumbers and cabbage.

“With the minimum wage in Bulgaria, you can currently afford to purchase this small consumer basket nine times,” said Lyubomir Kostov, Director of the Institute for Social and Trade Union Research and Training and Chief Economist at CITUB.

He added that in neighboring Romania, the same basic basket of goods can be purchased 16.8 times with the minimum wage.

“A year ago, the figure in Romania was 15.2, while in Bulgaria it was only 8.2. This means that not only do we lag behind Romania in terms of the quantity of goods we can afford, but also in terms of the rate of change,” he explained.

“For a long time now, CITUB has been calling for a horizontal income policy—specifically, at least a 10% increase in all government-paid salaries—so that the private sector can follow suit in this highly competitive labor market,” said CITUB President Plamen Dimitrov.