Prices compared: Bulgaria's inflation runs well above Germany's

Living costs in Bulgaria continue to rise much faster than in Germany. According to Bulgaria's National Statistical Institute (NSI), consumer prices in September were 5.7% higher than a year earlier, up from 5.1% in August, data released on Oct. 14, 2026, showed. Under the EU-wide harmonized index (HICP), the rate was 5.6%. In Germany, inflation was 3.3% in September, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the highest since December 2023. Over five years, since September 2021, prices in Bulgaria have risen 42.4%, the NSI said.

Transport is the main driver in Bulgaria: according to an analysis by UBB bank dated Oct. 21, 2026, it cost 16.4% more in September than a year earlier, while restaurants and hotels rose 9.4%. From August to September alone, potatoes rose 36.5%, cucumbers 22%, A95 gasoline 6.4% and diesel 5.5%, NSI data showed. At the end of the season, package holidays fell 15.8% and accommodation 11.6%. In Germany, food prices were only 0.4% above the previous year, but fuel was 37.1% higher, according to Destatis.

For low-income households in Bulgaria, the increase is smaller, according to the NSI: the so-called small basket, which reflects consumption by the poorest 20% of households, rose 2.1% over the year. On a monthly basis, however, it climbed 0.4% while the overall index fell 0.2%, driven by food, which rose 1.1% for this basket.