According to the latest data published on the website of the European statistical office, Eurostat, a significant portion of household consumer spending in the European Union is concentrated in three key areas: food and non-alcoholic beverages, housing costs (including water and energy), and transport. As of January 2026, these three categories account for a total of 46 percent of total consumption in the EU. Eurostat emphasizes that the prices of goods and services in these sectors have risen significantly in recent years, which explains their strong impact on overall consumer price inflation.
The situation in Bulgaria shows specific trends, with a total of 46.5 percent of family budgets in the country directed toward these same three main expense groups. Bulgarian households allocate 22.3 percent of their funds to food and non-alcoholic beverages, which significantly exceeds the European Union average of 16.3 percent. Regarding other domestic expenses, transport accounts for 14.3 percent, and housing needs—including electricity and water bills—make up 9.9 percent of expenditures. By comparison, the EU averages for these two categories are 14.7 percent for transport and 14.9 percent for housing costs, respectively.
The dynamics of expenditure in Bulgaria for the period from January 2025 to January 2026 outline the following changes in the structure of consumption:
- Spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 0.4 percentage points.
- Housing costs increased by 0.2 percentage points.
- Transport expenses saw a decrease of 0.7 percentage points.
At the European Union level, between January 2025 and January 2026, a different redistribution of funds was observed. Increases were reported in several categories:
- Recreation, sports, and culture – an increase of 1.2 percentage points.
- Restaurants and accommodation services – an increase of 0.3 percentage points.
- Education – an increase of 0.1 percentage points.
In contrast to the aforementioned sectors, other categories of expenditure within the EU saw a contraction. The most significant decline was reported in the share of spending on transport (a decrease of 0.4 percentage points), as well as in expenditure on information and communication products and services, where there was a decrease of 0.3 percentage points.