Family of four need 2,448 BGN per month for decent standard of living

BGN 2,448 is needed a month for a decent standard of living of a four-member family in Bulgaria. The cost of living has gone up by BGN 87 compared to last year, data of the trade union “Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria” (CITUB) shows. The average wage of Bulgarians is increasing, but the cost of living is also rising due to higher prices.

So far, data has showed that most households do not have enough money for heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. Today’s data shows one more risk “water”poverty added to the energy” poverty, as the prices of water are also going up, while the wages remain low. The lowest levels of wages are in Vidin, Blagoevgrad and Kyustendil.

Plamen Dimitrov from CITUB says that 2/3 or more of the Bulgarian employees work and receive wages below the national average.

BGN 2448 is needed for a normal standard of living for a family of four.

He added that every working person is about BGN 300 short.

The good news is that very slowly, but surely the number of people living below the poverty line is reducing. However, the gap between the richest and the poorest continues to widen. The richest receive almost 8 times higher income than the poorest. By this indicator, Bulgaria is ranked first in Europe.