Cost of living in Bulgaria – 2015

Sofia, Bulgaria

> accommodation prices  -- 1050lv/mo (2bdr 2ba luxury apartment center of city with underground parking)

> public transportation fares -- 5-10lv taxi one way (pretty much anywhere in the city unless you go the tourist route then can go up to 20lv) that's with tip

> food prices 500lv/mo (that's going out to eat half the time the other half cooking at home, I like to get brands I know as much as possible but if you get local brands it will be significantly less)

> health prices -- haven't had the need to use it but from what I understand it's very affordable.

> energy prices -- heating bill during winter months about 180lv/mo, 150lv/mo for gasoline on average when I stay in Sofia

> common bills --
-Internet+TV 50lv/mo best package available
-Mobile phone (450min to any operator including US + 500mb), house phone (100min to US), card for iPad 3G (500mb) 50lv/mo
-Electricity summer months 120lv/mo (that's with A/C on most of the time) 40-50lv/mo during winter (would be a lot more if you are using electricity for heating)
-Water 20-30lv/mo

> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant -- 100lv dinner for 2 at a nice restaurant, 4-6lv meal for one at a local fast food

> price for a coffee or a drink -- 2-3lv for a coffee (sit down coffee shop), 4-8lv for a drink 50ml. (depending on where)

> price for cinema tickets -- 12lv for 3D movie tix

> gym membership -- 90lv/mo (Pulse gym, including spa, sauna, steam room, pool and jacuzzi)

From there you can add entertainment witch varies for everyone


Those are the basics, clothes are expensive for what you get so I recoment buying them else where same with shoes, a lot of fakes and poor quality. Same with electronics better to buy them from overseas.

Now with all that said can you live on a 600lv/mo budget? Yes, but as anywhere in the world you get what you paid for.

Hello Kris0x0,

Thank you for all this information. That's really great 

Shaazia
Expat.com Team

Cost of Monthly Living in a small Village 17ks from Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
Budget Month     For Year     2014   
Item             
             
Metro food Supplies         700   
Security                                     5   
Petrol                                   60   
Kaufland food Supplies         120   
Bar/Food                                   25   
Meal / day out                           60   
Hairdresser                           65   
Wood / Fire                         116   
Car Insurance                            24   
Council Tax                             4   
Telephones Mobile x 2           34   
Internet                                    15   
VPN                                             7   
Chicken food                             8   
Jabs Tablets for x 4 animals      60   
Council Tax                           22   
Electricity                                 160   
Water                                    22   
Vignette                                      5.58   
Eco Car Tax                             4   
Accounts                                    25   
Car Service                                 16.5   
MOT                                             2.5   
Total Lves                           1560.58   
             
           
           
Food supplies includes all food items + dog / cat food, Beer/Sprits, cleaning Items etc.
I have divided up yearly purchase's by monthly costs
House no Mortgage   
Hope this Helps

Hi, for how many people please?

Mine is for just me

Two, 3 dogs, 1cat & a Parrott, we do have a good life, you can get by on a lot less but we like to live well.

My Bulgarian husband, our baby and I are living in Sofia, Mladost. somehow our salary is finished when the month finishes or a little bit before or after. It depends if we have unexpected expenses

> accommodation prices
2 bedroom apartment in old communist block: 420 lv rent + 10 leva maintenance

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc.)
I have no clue how much we spend on a monthly basis, but considering that 1 ticket is 1 lev, I guess it adds up to +/- 60 lv/ month for us

> food prices (your monthly budget)
we go shop in HIT supermarket and I buy a lot of bio products and international brands. Also the babystuff (diapers etc) we buy mostly there and I spend easily 150 to 200 leva per shopping trip, which is at least once a week.

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance)
when we use the public services and "zdravna kasa" it's very cheap. However for some services I prefer private services and then it adds up quite fast. Dentist: 180 leva for one tooth fixed, +/- 2000 leva to give birth, ...

We also have pets (cats) and have had medical issues with them. Compared with Western prices, it's cheap here. At the central vet clinic it's a bit more expensive, but it's a very good clinic with specialists and good equipment.

> education prices (if you need to pay)
A few years ago I took a languagecourse at the university and paid 590 leva for 3 weeks. So again, it adds up quite fast

> energy prices (oil, electricity)
heating is somewhere between 40 leva (summer) to 150 leva (winter). electricity around 20 leva, water 12 leva, benzine and LPG for the car have similar unit-price as in other EU countries.

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)
our phonebills combined are a bit over 100 leva, internet is really cheap (+/- 12 lv/month)

> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant
As I am a vegetarian, I like to go to the vegetarian places. One dish is roughly between 7.5 and 12 leva, but ofcourse with drinks and desert it ads up to 25 to 35 leva per person

> price for a coffee or a drink
this really varies on the venue. In the local bar you can get beer, wine or rakia under 2 leva but in a fancy place in the center or in the malls you pay easily double if not tripple

> price for cinema tickets

N/A typo sorry!!

Thanks it helps a lot....but how many people in the house?

Read all the posts, everyone said how many ppl are living with them

Two adults, no children.

For 1 person, eating in inexpensive restaurants every night, and alcoholic drinks in moderation (pubs, not nightclubs), 5 nights a week, allow about £110pw.

Rent/utilities/car & any other extras not included.

Hope this helps.

appart 1050lv is furnished ??

Most apartments in Bulgaria are rented furnished. It is actually more difficult to find an unfurnished apartment.

Hi again would like to know if it is possible to get an appart in varna 1 bedroom or studio in good area for 400 € monthly ...thank

Absolutely... you could get a nicely furnished apartment in the center for 500 bgn (250 euro). Depending on the quality of furnishings you are seeking, it could be slightly less or slightly more... for 400 euro it should be some luxury penthouse style apartment. In the nice areas north of the city, it can be slightly more expensive. Other areas, away from the center should be around 300 bgn, depending on the length of your contract.

Thank you.  My contract will be for one year time to settle and find an appart for sale

Yes 1050lv furnished

Hi Kris would you give the name of the agency that helped to get the appatment ? thank you

Hi again the right salary to have a good life in Bulgaria for one person ?? thanks

3000-5000lv depending on your lifestyle

A "good" life depends on your definition of "good." If a good life involves a fancy new car and going out to the clubs every week, then you will need much more. However, my husband and I also have a good life earning 2000 bgn between us each month. Our 'good' life consists of occasional dining out and a lot of outdoor experiences. We have a comfortable, but not luxury apartment. We also have a small son that we spoil regularly. It depends on what is important to you. The same as the quality of the apartment you want.

Woopa quite: "Hi again the right salary to have a good life in Bulgaria for one person ?? "

In the summer I was spending under £130 (185E) in Varna, per week. This included dining out every night and drinking 5-6 pints in bars every every night.
It does not include accommodation, but you would get a very nice place for 400E p.m (longterm).
Usually 400 levs for a normal, 1 bed furnished apartment, near the centre.
An agency a lot of expats use for accommodation is opposite the Sundogs Bar. Sorry cannot remember the name of the place.

I'd say you can live quite cheaply, even in Sofia - after all, the vast majority of local people do, since they have no option thanks to low Bulgarian salaries!

We eat out very rarely but are lucky in having a couple of reasonable restaurants close by, so can walk home even after "one too many" drinks. We mainly cook at home as it's cheaper and the food is usually better

Our main expenses are petrol/LPG for the cars, electricity, and wood for heating at this time of year. I haven't dared to do a budget yet this year but certainly need to, especially with the major renovations we've done and are still doing!

do you use skype or other real-time media? I would like to chat with you regarding living in Sofia if you have the time, inclination. Thanks for your time  with this Max.