The cost of living in Bulgaria has risen by over 80% since the beginning of the new millennium. Data from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) show that between 2000 and 2017 prices grew by 84.6%, placing our country in 5th position in the European Union (EU) by growth. The highest appreciation of life for this period accounts for Romania - 257%, followed by Iceland (108,3%), Hungary (98%) and Latvia (86,7%). In the last two decades, the most significant leap has been in the prices of alcohol and cigarettes. These goods have risen by over 400% between 2000 and 2017, the calculations show. According to this indicator, Bulgaria ranks second in the EU after neighboring Romania, where the growth is over 726 per cent.

Secondly, education spending has increased by 214.5%, placing Bulgaria in third place in the EU right after Romania and the UK. More than double the leap in the prices of medical services, rental and utilities, as well as those for restaurants and hotels. On the other hand, prices in the field of communications are the lowest. Eurostat estimates 9.7 percent growth in telephone and postal service costs. With a little more spending on furniture and household goods, as well as on culture and entertainment. Concerning food and non-alcoholic beverages, prices grew by 87.10% between 2000 and 2017, while the increase in transport, which includes both private cars and public transport, is 55.2%.

In all categories, with the exception of medical services, Romania is at the forefront of increased spending, with the jump in our northern neighbor three-digit. On the other hand, in terms of total living costs, the least increase for the period under consideration was recorded in Germany - 28.6%, with an EU average of 36.5%. In the Member States, the largest leap is in education spending, over 90 per cent, followed by alcohol and cigarettes. A reduction of over 20% is in the field of communications.

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