site.btaUPDATED Net Monthly Living Income for 3-Member Family Is BGN 2,738 in First Quarter of 2025 - Trade Union

In the first quarter of 2025, the net living income necessary for a working person who lived alone was BGN 1,521 per month. The net living income for a family of three (two working adults and an under-14 child) was BGN 2,738 per month, according to data released on Tuesday by the Institute for Social and Trade Union Research, Education and Training (ISTURET) with the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB).

The net monthly living income necessary for a working person who lived alone increased by 3.2% quarter on quarter and 4.6% year on year. In gross value, the necessary income was nearly BGN 2,000, CITUB President Plamen Dimitrov told a news conference.

Dimitrov said prices in Bulgaria have increased at a double-digit rate over the last two years. Although the average wage in the country has gone up too, it remains the lowest in the EU and fails to offset inflation, he noted, adding that by February 2025 the contributory income of 1.57 million people was still below the living wage.

The steepest price hikes have been reported for bread, cereals, coffee, cocoa, and butter from cow’s milk, while the price of eggs has gone down, CITUB data show. ISTURET Deputy Director Violeta Ivanova pointed to what she called a “disturbing” rise of 16.2% in production prices in just a quarter.

Rice, milk, sunflower oil and cucumbers in Bulgaria are among the most expensive in the EU, said ISTURET Director and CITUB Chief Economist Lyuboslav Kostov. According to him, the minimum wage in the country is nine times the cost of the small consumer basket, compared with 16 times in Romania.

CITUB calls for an official formula for setting the living wage, rapid transposition of EU pay transparency directives into Bulgarian legislation and an at least 10% income boost. Plamen Dimitrov warned of further protests in public transport, the public service media and child healthcare until underfunding is addressed successfully in these sectors.