2500 BGN is enough to live in Sofia?

Hi

How much it costs to live in Bulgaria is very subjective..  iv been going there to my homes since 2005 and write down everything I spend and on what I spend it..   I don't drink much, we maybe go to restaurants 2 or 3 times a week. Rarely entertain  anybodywe have a simple life.  Obviously like everywhere else the past couple of years inflation has hit every country.  The new reality!

I have 2 properties in Bulgaria. One on the black sea 300mtr from the sea and one in the Rila mountains for skiing.  There are quite large differences during the winter as heating will accelerate your living costs..  rarely do I ever need to use Aircon in summer..

We like you are just about to move to Bulgaria and to answer your question  I would say that 1500 to2000 leva a month will give you a good standard of living.. 

Think you need more research..firstly

Summertime reduces bills..

Less electric for eg..but goes up in the winter use.

Not forgetting..rent..water..electric.

I run the boiler during the night..when its cheapest..remember to turn it off.

Aircon is great..but it costs money as does a washing machine..but only in winter as summer is free to dry.

Food can be expensive..so watch your spending until you can determine how many times you can eat out..and what to order..bg is not as cheap as it was and Sofia is the capital and more expensive...i live on the black sea..average cost to eat out is around 40 to 60 lev..cheaper if your a pizza n beer person..i am a shopska and rakia person..beer after..poss dessert..

Take care and plan realistically.

Good luck and welcome.

@rotblau

Welcome to the expat.com forum and good luck with your potential move to Bulgaria!

The official minimum salary has recently been increased, so it's just over 400 euros per month.

So your salary of about 1,250 euros is substantially more.

You are correct that Sofia is the most expensive city here, but, even so, for a single person, it should be possible to live on this. However, I doubt that it would be easy, and your life here would tend more towards "frugal", rather than "comfortable".

For example, I'd guess you'll have some taxes and social security deductions... maybe 250 euros, leaving 1,000 in your pocket. The cheapest studio apartment might be under 400 euros, plus you'll need another 100 or so for utilities. That would leave you just 500 euros to live for a month, so I suspect you'd be better off trying to rent a room in a shared house/flat instead (hopefully 250 ish, maybe with some of your new colleagues).

The upside is that Bulgaria is in the EU, and Sofia is a thriving capital city. So if you want to get into the EU (5 years of residence to permanent residence) then you might be willing to accept some short-term hardship. If it's a successful company, there might be potential for promotions or bonuses or pay rises later. Tech is a good sector, so there might be better-paying opportunities with other Sofia companies, once you've gained some experience. When you have your PR, you might find it's relatively easy to move elsewhere in the EU for better-paying jobs (Bulgaria has the lowest salaries in the EU).

I don't think Game Presenters are the highest rung on the tech ladder, but you gotta start somewhere, right? :-) If you're young and you've got some languages skills (and don't eat much) it might be good. These tech companies typically have a very young workforce, so it can be quite a fun environment and relatively easy to make friends. I'm very biased, as I took a tech job when I was 18, even though they were paying me peanuts. It was a struggle to live on it, but it was a great work environment and it got me a couple of years experience which I was able to leverage later. If you're much older, or you've got lots of other offers, or you have a very comfortable life/career in Turkey already, or you have no interest in the EU, then it's a different calculation.

The direct answer is YES, if that is the NET amount, and if you do not overspend. However, better try to negotiate an extra 200 or 300 BGN per month. That is absolutely achievable.

Yes, this is net salary. Also my company will cover my public transport card, sports membership and accommodation place and bills for the first 3 months.

@rotblau

Every little helps! :-) 2,500 net is around 3,250 gross. About 4X minimum salary. And it's a decent relocation package to help you get settled in.

@gwynj

Thank you so much:) To be honest while I am doing some research about Sofia, I've encountered a Facebook group Turks who live in Bulgaria, and then after encountering some comments like "You can only survive with this salary" or "It won't be enough, here is so expensive" etc. I am a little bit scared:)

It might be true, but I think the habits have big importance. But overall, I am thinking that at least it will be enough for "average" life.