Bulgaria Remains Among EU Countries With Lowest Prices.

Bulgaria remains the country with the lowest prices in the EU, but the gap with average European levels is gradually narrowing. After the pandemic, and especially during the period of high inflation following the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the process of price convergence accelerated, with the country no longer having the lowest average price level in 2025.

The price level index shows how average annual prices in individual countries compare with the notional average price level in Europe, but it does not measure price increases or decreases within the year — that is the function of the consumer price index. There are visible differences between individual groups of goods and services: housing costs, public transport and healthcare remain far cheaper than the EU average, while food, communication electronics and household appliances are already approaching average European prices.

The comparison for the past four years reflects the effect of differing price dynamics during the period of high inflation after 2022. The average European price level lies between those of Italy and France, while most Western European countries, with the exception of Italy, Spain and Portugal, are above it. By contrast, Bulgaria and Romania have the lowest average prices — 63% and 65% of the European average, respectively. This means that prices in the two countries are more than one third lower than the average level for the EU as a whole.