Bulgaria Has Some of the EU’s Highest Prices for Flour, Rice and Dairy Products

Flour, rice, and fresh milk are now some of the priciest goods in Bulgaria when compared to the rest of the European Union, according to a recent report by the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB). Presenting new monthly monitoring data on the so-called small consumer basket - which tracks the prices of 20 food products and one non-food item - CITUB revealed an annual increase of 7.1% in the total cost of these basic goods.

The steepest annual price hike was recorded for flour, which has gone up by 23%, said CITUB’s chief economist Lyuboslav Kostov. Bread has increased by 11%, while rice is up 10%. Sausages have surged by 28%, apples by 33%, and lemons by 20%.

Regional disparities also emerged. In Plovdiv, flour prices saw a 28% year-on-year jump. Sofia registered the highest bread prices with a 20% increase, and in Veliko Tarnovo, potatoes rose by 28%.

According to the CITUB, Bulgarian flour is the most expensive across the EU, reaching €1.07 per kilogram. No other EU country exceeds the one-euro mark. The situation is similar for rice, which costs €2.70 per kilogram in Bulgaria - again, above levels in countries like Romania, Germany, and the Netherlands. Fresh milk and sunflower oil also rank among the costliest items. For instance, while the average price for oil in the EU is around €1.55, in Bulgaria it exceeds €2.

Cheese and eggs are likewise notably expensive. The report states that only Spain and France have higher cheese prices than Bulgaria, while in the Netherlands and Germany, cheese costs 10–20% less. Altogether, milk, cheese, and eggs in Bulgaria are priced at about 125% of the EU average, making them some of the most expensive staples in the country relative to European peers.

At the same time, Bulgaria continues to have the lowest minimum wage in the EU. CITUB calculated how many times a minimum-wage earner can purchase the small consumer basket in various EU countries: in Bulgaria, it's only 9.7 times, compared to 17 times in Romania, 17.7 in Croatia, 21.2 in Spain, 26.6 in France, 31.3 in Germany, and 33.7 in the Netherlands.

In response to these disparities, CITUB is urging regulatory bodies to investigate the pricing of dairy products in particular. "It is unreasonable for our dairy prices to remain at 125% of the European average for years now. The Competition Protection Commission must trace the entire supply chain," said Kostov.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Ivanov, head of the State Commission on Commodity Exchanges and Markets, offered a different view during a press briefing. He stated that the current consumer basket sits at 107 leva, up from 105 leva a year ago. He attributed the change mainly to fruits and vegetables (+8 leva) and household essentials (+4 leva). According to Ivanov, the market remains stable, with no indications of manipulation or declining demand. Prices in restaurants have gone up slightly, reflecting current consumer behavior, he added.

However, CITUB’s data show the small consumer basket reached 111.04 leva by June 2025 - an 8-lev increase from a year earlier. Nearly a third of the products monitored remain among the most expensive when compared to six EU countries used as benchmarks, including Germany, France, and the Netherlands.

CITUB's analysis stems from a memorandum signed with the government, aimed at preventing unjustified price hikes and better informing consumers. “We're trying to empower consumers with information because their purchasing decisions are the strongest market force," said CITUB President Plamen Dimitrov.

Among the goods seeing the largest price increases over the past year, apples top the list with a 33% jump, followed by sausages (+28%). Meanwhile, gasoline prices have actually decreased by 8% year-on-year.

As part of their recommendations, CITUB proposes mandatory labeling on food products that discloses both the producer’s and importer’s prices. The union also calls for the Competition Protection Commission to open an independent investigation into the persistently high prices of dairy items.