BGN 2,855 per month is needed to support a family of three, according to the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB). BGN 1,438 is the necessary net monthly income to support the life of one person. For one year, the two amounts have jumped by BGN 156 and BGN 87, respectively. "The cost of living continues to rise. In 2023, it jumped by 17%. Currently, there is a continuing increase on an annual basis by 6.4 percent." This is what Violeta Ivanova, Deputy Director of the Institute for Social and Trade Union Studies of CITUB, said on the air of NOVA NEWS. According to her, Bulgarian consumers are still feeling the spike in inflation. However, incomes are also gradually increasing. "But in November, 64 percent of workers received an income for labor lower than the means needed for maintenance," Ivanova said. According to the union, more than 1 million people have a net monthly salary of about BGN 1,000.
According to the economic adviser at BIA Shteryo Nozharov, our country is a champion in the rate of income growth in the EU. "We start from a lower starting point, but our prices are much lower. The minimum wage has risen by 19.6%," he said. Nozharov noted that income and expenses in Sofia are different from those in Montana, for example, and it is incorrect for the figures to apply to the whole country.
