A three-member household in Bulgaria now needs a net monthly income of €1,491 to meet basic living expenses, while a single working adult requires €828, according to new data released by the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) for the second quarter of 2026.
The figures, presented by CITUB's chief economist Lyuboslav Kostov, show that the income required to cover basic living costs increased by 1.3% compared with the previous quarter. On a quarterly basis, the monthly amount needed rose by €18 for a family of three and by €10 for a single worker.
Compared with a year earlier, the required income increased by 6.1%, equivalent to an additional €84 per month for a family and €48 for an individual.
Kostov said the current net minimum wage represents only 55% to 60% of the income needed to maintain a basic standard of living. According to CITUB's calculations, a single employee would need to earn a gross monthly salary of more than €1,067 to avoid poverty and cover essential expenses. In a household with two adults and one child under the age of 14, each working parent would need a gross monthly income of around €961.
CITUB attributed the higher cost of living to rising natural gas, electricity and oil prices, as well as higher producer prices for metals, chemicals, vehicles and energy.
