site.btaSeptember Monthly Cost of Living at BGN 1,427, 8.1% Up on Annual Basis

The net monthly income needed to support a working person living alone in September was BGN 1,427, according to the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB). The trade union presented Thursday the results of the monitoring of consumer prices and wages.

The calculations show that BGN 2,568 is the total cost of living for a family of three, including two working adults and one child under 14.

The cost of living has increased by 1.8% on a quarterly basis and 8.1% on an annual basis.

More than two-thirds of workers earn less than the living wage, CITUB said. 

CITUB President Plamen Dimitrov said that 41.3% of workers were paid less than BGN 1,000 in September. He added that a year ago that share was larger. "The number of people who are paid these low wages, is decreasing," he said. 

In September 2023, the total value of 20 goods from the small consumer basket increased by 15.2% from this time last year, said the director of CITUB's Institute for Social and Trade Union Studies, Luboslav Kostov.

Eggs were 1.6% cheaper in the last quarter, but prices rose by 24.7% year-on-year. Milk saw a slight decrease in the range of 1.2% to 1.4%, but remained higher than prices in the same period last year. There was a 1.6% quarter-on-quarter and 11.2% year-on-year decrease in animal and vegetable oils. Sunflower oil is down 5.3% quarter-on-quarter and 26.6% year-on-year.

The prices of pork, chicken and beef went up. The increase follows rising wholesale prices of feed and the shrinking of meat production. The price of minced meat has risen by 38%, Kostov added.

Flour is the most expensive in Bulgaria compared to other countries in Europe and cow's cheese is the third most expensive.

A comparison with the other EU countries shows that Bulgarians earning the minimum wage can buy a basket of basic foods seven times a month. In Spain with one minimum wage, a person can buy 25 such baskets, 28 in France, 29 in the Netherlands and 34 in Germany, CITUB said.

CITUB insists on a nominal increase in average wages by at least 15% for 2024. They also insist that the government make a commitment to transpose the EC directive on adequate and fair minimum wages as soon as possible.