The Cost Of Living In Bulgaria

Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union has invited thousands of tourists and potential ex-pats to the country for one main reason, a great lifestyle at an affordable price!

Bulgaria’s currency is called the Lev (plural: Leva) and at the moment this article was created Ј1 was the equivalent of 2.46 leva. To ensure you benefit from the best rate, try and change the majority of your money in the high street exchange shops in Bulgaria, as the currency exchange at the airports tend to charge a high commission and the banks in Bulgaria tend to offer a poorer rate.

The cost of living in Bulgaria is significantly lower than in Western Europe and as a rough guide, most things are around three times cheaper than in the UK, though there are exceptions. Mobile phone bills for example can be substantially more, however food and drink are much cheaper. A three course meal with a bottle or two of wine can cost just Ј12, resulting in the restaurants being filled on a regular basis.

With Natural gas uncommon outside the major cities in Bulgaria, electricity bills for heating and cooking, along with telephone bills tend to be the highest household bills.

Transport is much cheaper in Bulgaria, petrol costs are much lower than what you would be expected to pay in the UK. Petrol per litre is just a mere 81p and diesel just 64p.

The average household’s income is just over 5,300 leva which is around Ј2,150 and they tend to survive on around Ј900 per year, what some of us in the UK survive on in just a month. To live comfortably for a year in Bulgaria, you would need around Ј7,000 and that would ensure your bills are covered and you can experience dining out in fine restaurants two or three times a week.

 Anybody thinking of moving to Bulgaria needs to ensure they have sufficient funds behind them to enjoy the beautiful lifestyle that the Bulgarian’s have become so accustomed to.simplibulgaria.com