Bulgaria Tops Affordability Rankings, Yet Grocery Costs Higher Than in Four EU States

Bulgaria continues to rank as the lowest-priced country in the European Union in terms of overall household consumption in 2025, according to Eurostat’s latest flash estimates cited by the National Statistical Institute. The country’s price level stands at 63% of the EU average, placing it at the bottom of the bloc in terms of general affordability. Romania follows with 65% of the EU average, while Poland reaches 73%. At the opposite end of the scale are Denmark at 140%, Ireland at 136%, and Luxembourg at 132%, reflecting the highest price levels across the EU. However, broader regional comparisons show that Bulgaria is not the cheapest country in Europe overall. Outside the EU, North Macedonia records a lower level at 55%, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina at 59% and Turkey at 60%. Meanwhile, Albania (73%), Serbia (68%), and Montenegro (66%) all remain more expensive than Bulgaria despite staying well below the EU average. A key detail in the data concerns food and non-alcoholic beverages, where Bulgaria does not rank among the cheapest EU countries. Prices in this category reach 93% of the EU average, placing the country significantly above several EU peers. Cheaper food prices are recorded in Romania (80%), Slovakia (83%), and both Poland and the Czech Republic (90%). This means that although Bulgaria offers the lowest overall cost of living in the EU, grocery prices remain relatively close to the European average. At the top end of food pricing, Luxembourg records 122% of the EU average, followed by Denmark at 121%, Ireland at 116%, and Malta at 113%. The divergence between categories is driven by major differences in other spending areas. Housing costs, which carry the highest weight in household budgets, are just 41% of the EU average in Bulgaria, the lowest level in the bloc. By contrast, Ireland reaches 190%, the highest in the EU. Restaurant and hotel prices in Bulgaria stand at 56% of the EU average, again among the lowest levels in Europe. Only North Macedonia (48%) and Albania (53%) are cheaper outside the EU, while Switzerland (163%) and Denmark (142%) sit at the top. Alcohol and tobacco products also remain significantly cheaper in Bulgaria at 70% of the EU average, with lower levels recorded mainly in non-EU countries such as Turkey, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the upper end of the European price spectrum, Iceland reaches 174% of the EU average and Switzerland 171%, meaning living costs in these countries are nearly three times higher than in Bulgaria. The figures are based on Eurostat and OECD purchasing power parity calculations, which compare prices of more than 2,000 goods and services across Europe.