How much money you need to live in Bulgaria

A few years ago, I came across a statement about the cost of living in Bulgaria:

On my own example, I can say that a family of two adults and one child, on average, need about 1000 euros per month to live a normal life, not saving on food and clothes, and taking into account trips once a month to a concert or theater, once a week in a restaurant, once every three months to go to relax on the water or the sea.

And I could not agree with him due to the fact that the author claimed that it was all without saving, and even with trips, and trips to theaters and restaurants.

Therefore, I took and counted.

And that's what happened with me in 2013 for the status of a residence permit

Living on 1000 euros for three with a child in Sofia is possible, but subject to savings. On all. About any nishtyak speech simply can not be!

I will not waste time on trifles, but I will take the compulsory expenses without which anywhere, even burst!

1. Confirmation of the status for three with all the dances, transfers, taxes and taxes will result in 3,000 leva (1,538 euros) - there is nothing to argue about a pair of Levchik. If it is cheaper rejoice - buy yourself a beer for the savings, not more. We do not forget that for the police, each time the docks are submitted, it is necessary to show a bank account with cash of about 4000 levs (2051 euros) for each adult.

No matter where you take these 2 thousand euros. We scatter 3,000 levs of annual expenditure for 12 months: 250 levs (128 euros) must be set aside per month. (UPD: in 2017, these taxes decreased five times)

2. If your child is not a baby, then he needs a school, kindergarten or various educational institutions. A Russian school costs a month from $ 160, which is on average 240 leva, depending on the course, upper classes are more expensive.

Bulgarian school for Russian VNZhistov 800 euros per year - the law on our free education does not work yet.

173 BGN per month.

(UPD: A couple of years ago, Russian immigrants won a court of human rights and sued themselves for free education in the BG, but rumors circulate that the decision of the court is not always respected.)

I don’t know the kindergarten, but people on the forums are voicing breathtaking sums from 400 leva (200 euros) per month. In the villages, of course cheaper, but we are talking about Sophia.

Music, drawing, sports sections without consumables in the form of uniforms, tools, paints and easels - from BGN 7 per lesson, we have BGN 65 (EUR 33.3) per month. Russian teachers are exactly twice as expensive

3.Rent of a decent apartment (not luxurious), in a decent area (near the center), with a clean repair (without luxury, with cheap attributes) and average fashionable furniture, average square, costs from 400 leva (200 euros) per month, plus utilities costs. This is the national average. Of course, you can find cheaper or free. In this life, everything happens.

In winter, the most expense is steam - about 6 months, in summer they don’t take money for it. About steam heating: even with austerity, we pay for it very much about 112.10 levs (66 euros). "It came up to 200 levs (100 euros) - there were terribly cold two winters - below zero and snow.

Electricity in the summer is spent as well as in the winter, if not more: on the boiler and on the air conditioner. Accounts are pretty big. For example, last month we paid 97 levs (49.74 euros), but sometimes there are 150 levs (76.92 euros).

Water (cold) consumes more in the summer - about 30-40 leva (15-20 euro). I take three people who are not inclined to be pigs, but nevertheless without paranoia on purity.

4. Transportation. If you have a car, then the average cost of gasoline 95th costs 2.59 lev per liter (UPD 2017: 2 levs (1 euro). Do not forget about maintenance, repairs and taxes with vintages.

If you use public transport, all three of them have to spend 6 levs per day on a round-trip, or have three travel cards of 50 levs each (25 euros). There are options too, definitely cheaper than own cars, but also not free. We consider 130 levs per month for the transport needs of pedestrians per month per family. Because you can buy three different nameless travel and exchange. (UPD 2017: from 2016 the price for travel increased to 1.6 BGN)

5. Connection! Unlimited Internet costs 20 levs per month. We do not have television, but people also pay for it. The money for mobile communication is generally a topic, because it’s expensive here and everyone is buying corporate money. My husband is sitting on this one - we don’t use the child at all, so we spend 10 levs on room support. Husband spends on his phone about 30 lv. The fact is that he rarely uses it. We fully communicate with all through the Internet.

We have 40 levs for phones + 20 for the Internet. 60 levs (30.76 euros) per month.

And now I have counted our personal expenses on the aforementioned positions, based on our needs, and yes even averaged them (that is, underestimated). It turned out 1285 BGN (686 euros) per month. It is without medicine and visiting doctors, without food, restaurants and theaters, without walking on weekends, without clothes.

We recall that the most 1000 euros - this is 1950 levs, we take away from it, the obligatory sum of 1285 levs that I counted. There are 665 levs left (341 euros).

What do you think, after we don’t deny ourselves anything with this money (665 levs), we will have to put it aside so that “once in three months we go to rest on the water or the sea”? Yes, we will not even have enough for food in the fridge. Well, for those that you want, and not the economy option and chicken soup set. And about any clothes, simple soap-rylny accessories, let alone cosmetics, a restaurant (once a week) and theaters are out of the question here. And holidays, and birthdays, gifts? And yes - forget about cigarettes. A pack of Philip Morris here costs 5 leva (2.56 euros).

I also remind you that someone who does not know that an adult spends less than a child on clothes. Each parent knows that children's things cost as much as adults, and sometimes more expensive, and they need to be bought every season - a child physically cannot wear one jacket for three seasons, unlike an adult. I am silent about shoes. Decent boots for a boy (winter) cost an average of 100 levs (50 euros). How many shoes should a boy buy in a season? And the girl? And if it is orthopedics?

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This is a report for 2013. Therefore, in the text are marked on the changed prices. As you can see, the rates for status, gasoline and transport have changed. Something cheaper, but something has risen in price. Products rose in price a little, but I didn’t cheat them here.

I have to add that living on a permanent residence is cheaper due to the absence of some mandatory expenses for an immigrant. But then the "saved" money will go to something else.

Thank you for your time and attention.

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All photos in this blog are taken by me unless otherwise attributed.

With love from Bulgaria @varya-davydova

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