Just before the adoption of the regulation limiting margins in retail chains, the average Serbian family spent as much as 42.5 per cent of the average wage on food alone in August last year, Demostat writes. This is 1.5 percentage points more than at the beginning of the year, and the share of food in the average consumer basket is also one percentage point higher (it was 40 per cent in January and is now 41 per cent). The basket is calculated on the basis of the consumption of a three-member household.
In the region, according to calculations by local trade unions, only households in Montenegro spend a larger share of the average wage on food, around 47.7 per cent.
By this criterion, Slovenia is in the best position, where 16.1 per cent of the average wage is spent on food, while in Croatia, where hygiene products are also included on the list of necessities alongside food, 26.9 per cent of the average salary is allocated.
At the same time, all three countries calculate consumption based on the needs of a four-member household, Demostat notes.
“As a rule, in Serbia only in some of the recent months does it happen that employees on the average wage manage to cover average monthly costs, or that workers on the minimum wage manage to cover the minimum consumer basket. Generally, there is a shortfall of money. This is because in August last year the average wage amounted to 105,590 dinars (902 euros). The average basket ‘weighed’ 109,449 dinars (935 euros), and according to average consumption, 44,876 dinars (383 euros) went on food,” the text adds.
According to the latest comparable publication of regional statistics, in August 2025 Slovenia had an average net wage of 1,562 euros, while the minimum wage for the entire year amounted to 877 euros, plus compensation for meal costs during working hours, transport and business travel expenses (in Serbia, the amount of the paid minimum wage is reduced by these items). The minimum wage, which is determined no later than January for that year, must be between 20 per cent and 40 per cent above minimum living costs, to which an increase for the inflation rate is added.
In addition, in Slovenia, employers are obliged to pay all workers an annual allowance of at least the amount of the minimum wage, as well as a Christmas bonus of at least half of the lowest wage. This increases both average and minimum wages on a monthly basis by at least 112 euros. When it comes to costs, in Slovenia, spending on transport and communications, as well as housing costs, is more dominant than food.
How much does a comfortable life cost?
In Croatia, employees received an average of 1,446 euros for August, while the minimum wage was set for the entire year at 750 euros. On food, which also includes basic hygiene products, a three-member family spends 389 euros per month, which is 26.9 per cent of the average wage.
The average wage in Montenegro in August amounted to 1,015 euros, and four-member families spend 645 euros on food alone. This calculation was made by trade unions, which took over responsibility for this category of data from official statistics two years ago. If roughly recalculated for a three-member household, food expenditure is about 480 euros, or 47.7 per cent of earnings.
These figures should certainly include the seasonal factor, as in tourist centres in all three former Yugoslav countries, the prices of essential groceries can rise during the summer, which to some extent is reflected in the increased share of food in total household costs, Demostat reminds.
As for how much is actually needed for a “comfortable” life in this region, the portal Numbeo has calculated this. Their statisticians claim that to cover monthly costs, a four-member family in Belgrade would need to set aside 2,370 euros, or almost three, more precisely 2.7 average wages. Life would be cheaper in Podgorica, at 2,184 euros (slightly more than twice the average wage). In Zagreb, 2,811 euros are needed (around 80 euros less than two average wages), while in Ljubljana, 2,919 euros are required (two average wages exceed this estimated cost by about 200 euros).
Luxury and poverty
In contrast to this more “luxurious” version of expenses, the average consumer basket in Serbia contains a significantly more modest list of groceries and expenditures, while the need for a larger share of items such as education, healthcare and culture is completely ignored. There is no provision for annual holidays, nor for what is standard in Europe, namely that even in minimum consumption, at least five per cent should be set aside for savings.
In other words, even the average basket does not cover the real needs of families, and the calculation of the minimum consumer basket is even more absurd. It still exists in Serbia and is calculated on the basis of the consumption of the 800,000 poorest families. It is supposed to be “covered” by the minimum wage, but apart from testifying to poverty, this basket is also significantly lighter than the average one and is therefore often referred to as “the hunger basket”.
At the beginning of the year, Demostat wrote that, in addition to a different structure of groceries in the minimum basket, their quantities also differ significantly, and the share of food exceeds 47 per cent of the total value of consumption. The average basket includes 36 kilograms of grain products, 35.4 kilograms of vegetables, 12.2 kilograms of fruit, 14 kilograms of meat, 27.2 litres of milk and dairy products.
There is not enough bread in the minimum consumer basket as it contains 32.7 kilograms of grain products, traditionally dominated by bread, only 23.9 kilograms of vegetables, 7.3 kilograms of fruit, 7.9 kilograms of meat and meat products, and 18.6 litres of milk. Trade unions, sociologists and economists also point out that the minimum basket does not enable an escape from deprivation, and that such a high share of food in household expenditure, both in the “average” and the “minimum” category, indicates a low standard of living. By comparison, families in the United States spend six per cent of their consumption on food, in the United Kingdom eight per cent, and in Germany around 11 per cent.
(Nova Ekonomija, 05.02.2026)
https://novaekonomija.rs/vesti-iz-zemlje/demostat-hrana-u-srbiji-najveci-trosak