Prices in Bulgaria: Your Guide to the Cost of Living in 2024

If you’re dreaming of a new life in Bulgaria, you’re not alone. Every year, thousands of people become new legal residents of Bulgaria. With a choice of places to live and work, you’ll find expat communities in every corner of the country. Whether you’re retiring, temporarily relocating, or moving to Bulgaria permanently, it’s helpful to have an idea of ​​what prices are like in Bulgaria. Here’s a quick guide.

In this article we have collected the most up-to-date information. We will learn how to save money and show from personal experience how much we spend per month living in Bulgaria. And also compare with the expenses for the past year.

You can find out the exact value of your money in Bulgarian leva using an online currency converter , here is a rough estimate:

Photo prices in Bulgaria

• 1000 leva = 552 US dollars
• 1000 leva = 510 euros

Why is Bulgaria better than other European countries?

And I wanted to show this part about the standard of living in Bulgaria objectively. I couldn’t find anything better than to take global indices and share their data. First, if we take the Democracy Index, which shows the level of democracy in the country based on 60 key indicators, then Bulgaria ranks 57th among all countries in the world. For example, according to this index, Norway is in 1st place, Germany is 14th, Romania is 61st, Belarus is 153rd.

Further on the Quality of Life index, Bulgaria is in 43rd place. Luxembourg is in first place. According to the Health Security index, Bulgaria is in 20th place. According to the Purchasing Power Index, Bulgaria has an index of 58 and is in 36th place. And the highest index is in the USA and its index is 75.9. The highest safety index is in Qatar – 85.7, and in Bulgaria – 62.5.

So let’s start with food products

Official inflation in Bulgaria has decreased over the year and is 5.8%. If you want to buy groceries, then in Bulgaria the most common are chain stores:

Kaufland, Lidl, Billa, Metro and BulMag. If we take basic products, the prices in the store are as follows:

Then I decided to focus strictly on vegetables. The prices in the stores are as follows:

In Bulgaria there is always plenty of fruit and this applies to any season. The prices for fruit here look like this:

If you take the prices of cereals, sugar and salt, you will see this price range. By the way, it is hard to find buckwheat in Bulgaria, not all stores have it, and the price for it here is “biting”.

Well, for lovers of dairy products, the store has prepared the following financial offer:

Is it possible to do without coffee and tea? This is the assortment in Bulgaria:

But what if you decide to eat not at home, but in a cafe or restaurant? Then the math will be different, of course. And naturally the amount for dinner or lunch will depend on the specific establishment. In general, the average bill per person will be 50-100 leva. One dish will cost an average of 8-20 leva. These are the prices in mid-level establishments.

I came to the local McDonald’s, the assortment here is standard, let’s see what their prices are.

So, a hamburger is 3.30 leva, a cheeseburger is 3.60 leva, a double cheeseburger is 8 leva, a Big Mac is 8.60 leva. And if you want to drink coffee, then here almost everywhere the price for a cappuccino will be 4-5 leva. And if you want to eat a cake or a piece of cake, that’s another plus.

Household goods

The next exhibit of our research I decided to make prices of personal care products and important household goods. A pack of toilet paper of 30 rolls costs 18.49 leva. Savex laundry detergent for 40 washes costs 14.89 leva.

It is difficult to calculate exactly how much is spent per month. We spend approximately 30 euros on household goods.

In total, our family spends 1000 leva per month on food and household goods.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is more expensive than the top iPhone last year. In general, smartphones in Bulgaria can be purchased from 159 leva (Nokia) to 3979 leva (iPhone). A large TV with a diagonal of 40 inches can be purchased in the following range: from 389 leva (Telefunken) to 7499 leva (Sony).
Laptops from 529 (Acer) to 5999 leva (Apple MacBook Pro).

Prices in Bulgaria. Rent of housing

Let’s move on to another, perhaps, the most important question: where to live? And what are the prices for renting an apartment in the major cities of Bulgaria. And at the same time, I will tell you how much it will cost to buy an apartment. So, as for the prices for renting an apartment, the prices here are quite different.

If you want to rent an apartment, then most often they search for it here: Imot.bg, OLX , Bazar.bg, Alo.bg. Here you can find the desired option both from a realtor and from the owner. And the most important thing on these sites is that you can immediately estimate the price. One nuance that is worth remembering is that in Bulgaria, apartments are locally called apartments. Also, a one-room apartment is a studio. A two-room apartment is our one-room, that is, an apartment with one bedroom.

Welcome to the Bulgarian apartment. By Bulgarian standards, this is a three-room apartment, here it is considered a two-room apartment. This is a good area of ​​Varna , the area of ​​the apartment is 70 m². The apartment has all the necessary furniture and household appliances. An electric boiler for hot water will not surprise anyone here, in Bulgaria this is a common occurrence. But the peculiarity of this apartment is the presence of a shower cabin, which is a rarity in Bulgaria and here it is considered an above-average apartment. Rent of such an apartment will cost 1200 leva.

If you rent a studio apartment in Varna, i.e. without a separate room, then you can rent such an apartment for 350-1200 leva.

Another nuance of Bulgaria is that there is no central heating in apartments, except for some areas of the capital Sofia and some gated communities. Heating is carried out, most often, by electricity. These are air conditioners, convectors, heaters, etc. Particularly thrifty residents do not heat their apartments at all, the savings are significant, fortunately the winters are not cold and the sun warms decently even in winter. Therefore, if the windows face the south, then the apartment has time to warm up on a sunny day. And on winter nights, an electric blanket will help.

The price for renting an apartment depends on the city and the area. But prices have increased significantly over the past year. In Sofia, prices for renting a 1-room apartment now start from 550 leva, for a 2-room apartment from 600 leva, and for a 3-room apartment from 900 leva per month.

In Sofia we found a 1-room studio apartment in the Bykston area for 550 leva. This is not the center of Sofia. The apartment is 30 meters in area, located on the 2nd floor of a six-story building. The shower is just a drain hole in the floor, there is no shower stall. Such a bathroom is standard for Bulgaria.

And the price of a 2-room apartment in the Mladost-1 quarter is 700 leva. Again, this is not the center. The apartment is 45 meters, 2nd floor of a six-story building in a new building. There is a metro station nearby. Here the shower is already represented by a shower cabin, which is a rarity in Bulgaria. Another unique feature of this apartment is the presence of central heating.

These prices are given for long-term rental of housing with a contract for 1 year.
When concluding the contract, in addition to the rent, an additional deposit in the amount of a monthly payment for housing is immediately paid. If you use the services of a realtor, you will also have to pay extra for his services. In Sofia, this amount will be 100% of the monthly rent, in Varna 50%. Thus, if renting an apartment costs 500 euros, then you will have to immediately pay 1,500 euros if this apartment is in Sofia. Or 1,250 euros if the apartment is in Varna.

Short term rental housing

For short-term rent, the prices are up to you. As a rule, the price will be much higher, maybe even 2 times higher than usual. Also, foreigners are not very willing to rent housing. And if you have an animal, then the task of finding housing becomes more difficult, and the price tag increases accordingly.

The cost of renting a house in Bulgaria usually includes only the rent itself. Electricity, water supply and the so-called support fee, similar to rent, are paid separately.

If you want to buy an apartment, you should keep in mind that apartment prices have continued to rise. So, the cost of studio apartments in Sofia starts from 65,000 euros, 2-room apartments start from 75,000 euros. These will be apartments on the outskirts of the capital, not in the center.

Prices in Bulgaria. Utility costs

In January, our family consumed 110 leva of electricity. This is despite the fact that we have a two-tariff meter “day/night”, energy-saving lamps, and we hardly used the heater. The main consumers of electricity are: boiler, microwave, electric kettle, computer, and heating the apartment with electrical appliances. To save electricity, you can turn on the boiler only during the night tariff. If the boiler is of sufficient volume, then its supply of hot water should be enough for the whole day. The price in Bulgaria for 1 kW of electricity during the day is 27 stotinki, at night – 15 stotinki. Also, utilities in Bulgaria sometimes include the so-called support fee, which includes maintenance of the building, the elevator, if there is one. The price varies depending on the house management company, as a rule, there is none at all, but in our case it is 26 leva per month.

600 leva rent for an average 2-room apartment + 110 leva electricity (450 kW) + 60 leva water supply + 26 leva maintenance fee.

So the total utilities are: 796 leva per month.

Prices in Bulgaria. Transport

The next expenses that cannot be avoided are transportation. Special attention in Sofia, Varna and Bulgaria in general should also be paid to means of transportation. Over 10 years of living in Bulgaria, I have realized one thing: wherever you are, there will definitely be someone or something that will help you go in the desired direction. In order to cover any distances in the city and beyond, you can call a taxi or get behind the wheel of your own car.
But you can also buy a 30-day travel card for 50 leva, personalized, or 60 leva, regular. This will give you the opportunity to travel on any type of transport throughout the city. It should also be noted that public transport in large cities in Bulgaria is generally new.

Trams, regular buses, electric buses take you along the desired route and very often adhere to the schedule. On the boards at the stops or in the application on the phone, you can track any route in real time. As for taxis, they will cost on average 1.10 leva per kilometer, regardless of the company.

But, the most popular type of transport in Bulgaria is your own car. The famous words: “a car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation” have become reality in Bulgaria. Here, families often have 2, 3 or more cars. In Bulgaria, everyone drives cars: from high school students to old people.

The number of cars per 1000 people in Bulgaria is higher than in countries such as Romania, Hungary, Latvia and Turkey. In order not to buy a car, you can rent a car. But this is not very profitable, especially in the summer, when rental prices rise almost 2 times.

You can buy a used car in Bulgaria quickly and inexpensively, because there is no customs clearance, and a large number of cars are imported into the country.

If you want to find a car, then most often they search for it here: Mobil.bg , Cars.bg, OLX, Bazar.bg, Alo.bg. Here you can find the desired option, both from the seller’s company and from the owner. And most importantly, on these sites you can immediately estimate the price.
And only after that you can directly buy a car on such large sites, called here “autokishti”.

For example, such Mercedes R320 12900 lev. Dacia Duster 2013 12900 lev. And Ford C-Max 2013 9900 lev. Fiat Punto 6000 lev.

If you have your own car, then for a liter of A-95 gasoline you will pay about 2.71 leva, and for a liter of diesel fuel – 2.81 leva. It is also worth remembering about mandatory car insurance. For 30 days it will cost from 45 leva. And for 12 months from 255 leva, depending on your car and insurance company.

If your car has Bulgarian license plates, then you need to pass a technical inspection for 40-50 leva, and pay an annual car tax (from 70 leva). The amount of tax depends on the city of registration and the car.

Also, to drive on roads outside of populated areas, you must buy a vignette. For a month, 27 leva. It is best to buy one for a whole year – 87 leva. If you leave the city without a vignette, even for a short time, you will be stopped and will have to pay a large fine, because cameras are everywhere.

Prices in Bulgaria. Medicine and other insurances

In addition to the basic expenses, you should also add health insurance. In Bulgaria, having insurance is mandatory. What kind of insurance it is depends on your official status in Bulgaria. If you have a residence permit, then you will need to buy insurance. Such insurance only covers emergency cases. It is usually purchased for 1 year. The price is from 160 leva per year per person, the price depends on the insurance company and the age of the client.
If you have a permanent residence status or Bulgarian citizenship, then you need to connect to the health insurance system and pay monthly contributions (NZOK). The amount of such contributions is 8% of your income. If you do not have an income in Bulgaria, you still need to pay a minimum payment of 32 leva every month. The good news is that for children, if they go to school, such insurance is paid for by the school.

Prices in Bulgaria. Internet, TV and mobile communications

And for a complete picture, we need to add a few more figures. Home Internet 14 leva per month. Cable TV from 11 leva per month. And if you want to watch our TV channels, then you can subscribe to Internet TV and watch TV channels using a set-top box connected to the TV. Mobile communication with the Internet from 10 leva per month for one phone number. The main mobile operators in Bulgaria: Yettel (former Telenor), Vivacom, A1. The prices offered by the operators are approximately the same: plus or minus a few leva.

But the main thing is that prepaid SIM cards are offered , which give freedom of choice and do not bear financial risks and contracts. But keep in mind that the contract is concluded for 2 or less often for 1 year. It is almost impossible to terminate the contract early without financial sanctions. If the monthly payment for the contract is not paid, the number is quickly disconnected even for incoming calls.

Major cities in Bulgaria are covered by 5G network.

So, mobile communication for 4 phone numbers plus home Internet and television.

Total: 65 lev.

Prices in Bulgaria for leisure

As for the prices for leisure, the figures will be as follows. One cinema ticket will cost 15 leva. A visit to the SPA will cost 25-51 leva. Massage 35-75 leva. Entrance to the museum 5-10 leva. Prices for a men’s haircut start from 6 leva. If you visit a fitness room, add another 60 leva per month per person. A train ticket Varna-Sofia from 23 leva. A room in a three-star hotel in Varna from 50 leva.

Work in Bulgaria. Salaries

Well, now it’s time to share with you one of the most desired topics of this video. About your potential income in Bulgaria. Next I will tell you who earns here and how much and we will also find out what the unemployment rate is here.

The first thing to say is that not all categories of people living in Bulgaria have the right to work. The right to officially work has: citizens of Bulgaria and EU countries, persons with permanent residence, temporary residence permit and people with a rare specialty, for whom the employer has issued a Blue Card. Persons with a temporary residence permit cannot work officially. But for them there is an option – to open their own company and already on behalf of the company provide some paid services.

Here in Bulgaria, as a rule, there are vacancies where knowledge of the Bulgarian language is required. And this is obvious. Of course, there are vacancies where it is not required. But of course, in any case, it is worth learning Bulgarian and even necessary. Because if you stay here to live, then you will be more comfortable, and Bulgarians will also appreciate your work. If you want to find a job, then most often they look for it here: jobs.bg , OLX, Bazar.bg, Alo.bg.

The average salary in Bulgaria is 2072 leva, which is about 1060 euros. For example, the salary of a cashier-consultant at a gas station will be 1600-1800 leva. A waiter in a restaurant is about 2000 leva. A taxi driver gets (excluding fuel costs) about 3000 leva. A salesperson in a large grocery chain store gets about 2000 leva. A salesperson in a mobile phone store gets here from 1800-3100 leva. And a nanny gets from 1300 leva.

The unemployment rate varies greatly from city to city. Sofia has the lowest unemployment – 1.5%, followed by Varna – 2.1%, and in the country as a whole 5.3%. What the unemployment situation looks like in other EU countries you can see in the photo above.

Residence permit costs

Living in Bulgaria with a residence permit status will also incur additional administrative costs. This is an annual extension of the residence permit and obtaining a personal card. In total, these costs amount to 550 leva per person per year.

How much does a family of 4 spend in 1 month

To calculate, I collected all the receipts for the previous month and got this amount: 2150 leva per month

These are the expenses that we spend on a family of 4 for 1 month. Of course, these are not all the expenses, I did not take into account school supplies, clothing costs, various little things, I will not take these expenses into account, because this is very individual. But we calculated the main expenses for living in Bulgaria.

How to save money?

How can you save up to 20-30% of your monthly budget? Firstly, chain stores have weekly promotions, as they call them here. They give discounts on goods.
For example, Tchibo Gold coffee, the regular price is 12.99 levs. and today with a discount it is 8.99 levs. Secondly, you can get a discount card, they are also available as an application on your smartphone, just do not forget to activate additional discounts at the checkout.
Each chain store has weekly brochures where goods with real discounts are posted, all this information is duplicated on the Internet on the websites of stores. And in this way you can really save up to 20-30% of your family budget.
I hope this information was useful. Write comments, if possible, I