Monthly Cost of Living for a Family of Three Reaches €1,438, Says Trade Union

A net monthly income of BGN 2,812, or €1,438, is now needed to cover the cost of living for a three-member household in Bulgaria – two working adults and one child under the age of 14. This is according to data published by the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB).

The union says the cost of living is rising faster than in the same period last year. One of the main reasons is the sharp increase in prices over the past year, particularly in the last two months. On an annual basis, the required income for basic living expenses has risen by 6%, while on a quarterly basis it has increased by 1%.

Among the key factors driving up the cost of living are higher prices for natural gas and electricity, but above all for food.

According to CITUB, Bulgaria is now among the top three countries in Europe with the highest food prices. Only Romania and Estonia rank ahead.

Plamen Dimitrov, President of CITUB, said people are increasingly feeling that prices are beyond their financial reach.

“People continue to feel more and more clearly that prices are not affordable for them. When a group of goods is twice as expensive compared to what you earn by any standard, that price cannot be considered normal. Wages have been rising at double-digit rates year on year, by around 14–15%. But the real increase since the Covid period, after adjusting for inflation, is just over 22% in total. At the same time, those goods whose prices are rising faster create the feeling that incomes are not growing at the necessary pace. That is why fewer than half of Bulgarians working full-time actually earn enough to cover the cost of living,” he said.