Bulgaria food prices compared to Serbia, Greece, and Italy

A comparative analysis of food prices in Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and Italy reveals that while absolute prices for staples like eggs, butter, and meat are often similar across these nations, the primary burden on Bulgarian consumers stems from lower purchasing power relative to European averages.

In Bulgaria, the consumer basket is valued at approximately 16.55 euros. While some food items remain at 80–85% of average European levels, dairy and egg prices can reach 130% of the average. Experts note that the gap between European-level prices and Eastern European wages creates a persistent sense of high living costs.

Dimitar Margaritov, former chairman of the Commission for Consumer Protection, highlighted structural issues in the supply chain, noting that multiple intermediaries can cause markups of up to 150% between the producer and the retail shelf. Additionally, Bogomil Nikolov from the Active Consumers association pointed to global inflationary trends and the impact of VAT structures, noting that Bulgaria and Denmark are among the few EU countries with uniform VAT rates across all goods.