What is the cost of utilities in the new currency?

Based on 2026 data, the cost of utilities (including heating, electricity, and water) for an 85m² apartment is generally around €70–€80 per month. However, these costs can vary significantly based on consumption and location.

Here is a breakdown of estimated utility costs in the new currency (Euro) as of early 2026:

1. Monthly Utilities (85m² flat, 2 people): ~€70 - €80 (approx. 146 leva).
2. Small Studio (45m², 1 person): ~€49 per month.
3. Electricity: Generally €20–€50 per month, increasing to over €50 if heating is electric.
4. Natural Gas (Jan 2026): Approx. €31.15 per megawatt-hour (excluding transmission/taxes).
5. Water: Rates vary, with some areas seeing increases (e.g., ~€2 per cubic meter in Sofia).
6. Internet: Roughly €10–€15 per month.

Fixed exchange rate of 1.95583 BGN to 1 EUR.

My ENERGOPRO electricity bill for December arrived with prices in EUR. I checked the unit rate for electricity. It's the same cost, a direct conversion from the previous BGN price to EUR.

It was quite a big bill, but not due to the EUR, I don;t think. I just used a lot more. We're still not living full tie in the house, I stayed longer than usual in December, and I had electric heating on more as well.

@janemulberry

Was the bill in both BGN & EUR?

There is an app you can download that enables you to check if the price you're quoted in euros matches the official Leva conversion. You can scan barcodes etc - and you can report the seller to the authority overseeing the change directly from the app. The app (and the authority) is called КЗП

@janemulberryWas the bill in both BGN & EUR? - @SimCityAT

Bills are supposed to show both currencies until around August.

The bill was in EUR with the BGN amount in brackets. Epay only gave the option to pay in EUR, which was fine with me because Wise automatically changed my BGN bank balance to EUR.

My latest bill was what I expected, showing both currencies.

My rule of thumb for converting lev to euro is devide by 2. It's not perfect but mental maths not far off.

If paying anything other than cash the currency has to now be euros, levs in cash payment I believe will finish end of this month.

From February 1, 2026, the Euro will be the only legal tender, meaning shops and businesses will no longer accept Lev banknotes or coins.

Banks & Post Offices: You can exchange Lev cash for Euros free of charge at commercial banks and Bulgarian Posts for six months (until June 30, 2026).

Bulgarian National Bank (BNB): The central bank will exchange Lev banknotes and coins for Euros free of charge, in unlimited amounts, and without a time limit.

@SimCityAT

Useful to know, thanks

@mickg

good to know

@janemulberry

Yes I use Wise too

@JimJ

super!

@Mrs Homemaker

I have had an horrendous bill but it will have to wait till we get over to sort out. It’s been paid but cant think why its so high.

Only a small one level house, and we have had two separate bills. The total €223 and definitely not leva.

@Mrs Homemaker
I have had an horrendous bill but it will have to wait till we get over to sort out. It’s been paid but cant think why its so high.
Only a small one level house, and we have had two separate bills. The total €223 and definitely not leva. - @jeanmandredeix

2 different bills? For electricity? For how many months was €223 for?

@jeanmandredeix

It's possible that a neighbour has been "borrowing" your supply....

Ouch! That's a lot, especially as you weren't there all the time. I was thinking the same thing as @JimJ -- you might want to check for any unusual wiring.

Do you know why there were two bills? That shouldn't be normal, AFAIK.

I had two for December, but that was only because I finally got around to putting it into my name, and there was one for the previous owner in the previous account number and one for me in the new account number. For some reason I'd assumed the sellers (a well-known agent doing pay monthly) took care of it, but it turned out I'd misunderstood. Only the current owner can do it. I've been paying the bills on epay since buying the house, but the water and electric were still in their name till last year.

My total bill for December was 61 EUR, and I was there three weeks and used the electric heaters a lot. I do expect when we're living there full time winter electricity bills will be 100 EUR or more. But what they billed you sounds way excessive.

Did you check the dates on the bills, the meter number -  and compare the consumption with what's on the meter? Is one bill perhaps an estimate and the other a catch-up after the meter was read?

@SimCityAT

One month. Not sure what’s happened but it’s annoying.

@JimJ

Thats my thoughts.

@JimJ

Both dated for December. Same guys name at bottom of bill. We had a highish bill in November but we had been using a lot of power tools and had electric heating on 24/7 to warm it through as it was extra cold from being empty .

@jeanmandredeix

I'm a bit lost here; so the bill isn't in your name?  It seems a bit strange to have two bills for the same.month unless unless one is a catch-up for previous estimated bills. Who supplied the meter readings, are both bills for the same meter and if so,.is that the meter for your property? Have you checked the meter seals are intact and there are no dodgy extra connections?

The bills are in my name. Both sent through on the same email, both for the same account. They read the meter from the post. I can’t check anything as we came back on 14 December and can’t return till we collect our visas. I should be able to get someone in the village to check the seals. I have sent a copy to a Bulgarian neighbour to see if she can help.

I realised why you asked about name. The name is of the guy who signed off the bill at the bottom 😀😀

@jeanmandredeix

My goodness that's a Shocker alright , hopefully you'll get it sorted soon. straightened out , so that it doesn't happen again .

last year I had a weeks cold weather bill for 47 lev  . Which is reasonable . Only my bill this year for a shorter non winter stay was 49 euro . So  now wondering this as left me wondering  how regulated our future utility expenditures will be🤔

@Mrs Homemaker

If you compare the two bills they will state the rate per unit. If the electricity provider doesn't send you a bill electronically, check in epay by clicking the magnifying glass button beside aech bill and it should bring up the full detailed bill. Has that unit rate gone up?

Mine looks different because it's in EUR not BGN, but when I did the conversion, the December unit rate I paid for in January is the same as bills earlier last year.

Our last monthly bill was around 350 Leva, about 100 more than usual.

Have you been using more heating? I recall you saying Zlati was feeling the cold more now.

@janemulberry

Not really. She feels the cold a lot more than she used to and her daily "procedure" takes several hours as the wounds around her stoma still show no signs of healing. So she needs to keep her room heated 24/7, but that's been happening for quite a few months..

I'm sorry things are so  difficult for her.

@janemulberry

thanks

@Mrs Homemaker

Apparently there's a massive protest going on over the exorbitant increases in electricity and water bills. They've been protesting on the streets in Sofia.

Our electricity bill during January 2025 was around 200 Leva (€102.50), this year for the same month it's €175!. 

So, yes, join the complaints club for high bills.

Ouch! That's a big jump!

I can't compare my total bill to last year's as this is the first winter the house has been renovated enough that we've been able to visit through the colder weather. I did note that the cost per Kw didn't seem to have changed from the pre-euro bill, but perhaps my next bill it will be different. I hope not!

Given that BG and Malta are always vying for the 2nd and 3rd places on the Cheapest EU Electricity Prices podium, I don't think we have much to complain about here. Hungary is usually the gold medallist, but that's because Orban subsidises electricity as a handy vote-buying strategy.

That said, our electricity bill for January 2025 was 277 Leva; for the same period this year it was 403 Leva... 😥

@Mrs Homemaker

Metering method    Periods within the day    Price, BGN/kWh    Price, EURO/kWh

With two rates    Day                                                        0,29310       0,17348

Night                                                                                   0,14986       0,08870

With one rate    —    0,29310    0,14986

prices electric 2026 Feb

My bill was 60 lev less than the same time last year

I have data going back to 2015 and keep an eye on my consumption            

Given that BG and Malta are always vying for the 2nd and 3rd places on the Cheapest EU Electricity Prices podium, I don't think we have much to complain about here. Hungary is usually the gold medallist, but that's because Orban subsidises electricity as a handy vote-buying strategy. - @JimJ

He needs people to pay for the Russian built nuclear power station he's upgrading. No-one knows how much it will cost as it's a state secret and the EU said it was financed by illegal state aid. They also removed the solar subsidy to force people to use the nuclear power.

We do not find it that cheap. North of 130 Euro a month.

@Mrs Homemaker
Metering method  Periods within the day  Price, BGN/kWh  Price, EURO/kWh
With two rates  Day                            0,29310   0,17348
Night                                         0,14986   0,08870
With one rate  —  0,29310  0,14986
prices electric 2026 Feb

My bill was 60 lev less than the same time last year

I have data going back to 2015 and keep an eye on my consumption        - @roywebb58

Hmmm...charging an EV overnight would cost about 7 EUR then for 50kWh.   That seems pricey.   

Main problem I see is electricity prices are being linked to oil prices.  This makes no sense if it's wind, solar or nuclear generated.  Natural resource is essentially free.

@Mrs HomemakerMetering method Periods within the day Price, BGN/kWh Price, EURO/kWhWith two rates Day              0,29310 0,17348Night                    0,14986 0,08870With one rate — 0,29310 0,14986prices electric 2026 FebMy bill was 60 lev less than the same time last yearI have data going back to 2015 and keep an eye on my consumption    - @roywebb58Hmmm...charging an EV overnight would cost about 7 EUR then for 50kWh. That seems pricey. Main problem I see is electricity prices are being linked to oil prices. This makes no sense if it's wind, solar or nuclear generated. Natural resource is essentially free. - @fluffy2560

Because gas is a key source for electricity generation in Europe, the surge in gas prices directly translates to higher electricity bills.

While immediate impacts might be cushioned by existing gas storage, a prolonged conflict could further increase energy costs and put pressure on the European economy.

@Mrs HomemakerMetering method Periods within the day Price, BGN/kWh Price, EURO/kWhWith two rates Day       0,29310 0,17348Night          0,14986 0,08870With one rate — 0,29310 0,14986prices electric 2026 FebMy bill was 60 lev less than the same time last yearI have data going back to 2015 and keep an eye on my consumption  - @roywebb58Hmmm...charging an EV overnight would cost about 7 EUR then for 50kWh. That seems pricey. Main problem I see is electricity prices are being linked to oil prices. This makes no sense if it's wind, solar or nuclear generated. Natural resource is essentially free.  - @fluffy2560 Because gas is a key source for electricity generation in Europe, the surge in gas prices directly translates to higher electricity bills. While immediate impacts might be cushioned by existing gas storage, a prolonged conflict could further increase energy costs and put pressure on the European economy. - @SimCityAT

It should be possible to select "green only" electricity in the EU.   I believe it's a debate in the UK that linkages to oil/gas price should be severed.   UK is working towards small modular reactors that can power a town - like distributed production.   But it'd be 10 years at least before any of those would be delivered and online. I think Rolls-Royce has a contract to develop test designs for it.  I've been monitoring it a little bit.

In Hungary, despite the power station at Pecs being expanded with Russian designs (I think German control systems), they only recently started pouring concrete.  I doubt it will be operational before 2030 at the earliest.