Food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for almost 30% of household spending in Bulgaria at the end of 2025, highlighting the heavy weight of basic necessities on family budgets despite the country having the lowest overall consumer price level in the European Union.
Eurostat data on household consumption show that 46% of total household spending across the EU in January 2026 went to three major categories: food and non-alcoholic beverages, housing, water and energy, and transport.
The concentration of spending on essential goods and services is even more pronounced in Bulgaria. National Statistical Institute data show that in the fourth quarter of 2025, food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for 29.6% of all household expenditure per person.
Housing represented another 15% of spending, while transport and communications accounted for 11.3%. Together, those three categories made up roughly 56% of household expenditure in Bulgaria.
The figures from the NSI and Eurostat are based on different methodologies and therefore cannot be compared directly. Still, they illustrate how much of household budgets is absorbed by everyday expenses that are difficult to avoid or postpone.
