Moving to Bulgaria - General Living Costs

If you are considering relocating to a different country, there are many important considerations, but one is general living expenses and whether you are going to be able to afford to live in the country of your choice.

A large number of people are looking towards eastern European countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania because of the cheaper cost of living. Yet it is still important to have a good idea of how much you will need on average each month to cover your usual outgoings.

Bulgaria has a very low cost of living and therefore many British are considering relocating to Bulgaria. Below are the average living expenses for a couple, in a two bedroom house, not living a particularly extravagant lifestyle (all costs are stated in Euros, although the local currency of Bulgaria is the lev at 1.95 levs to a Euro):

Electric will be the main monthly expense and many people are taken by surprise when they get their first winter bill. In the summer when the only electric is for a couple of hot water boilers and lights, then your bill may only be around 20 Euros, but in the winter, if you are using electric heaters, electric blankets, having long hot baths, then your bill will likely be a minimum of 60 to 80 Euros or higher.

Water on the other hand is pretty cheap and unless you have daily baths or are watering the garden excessively then your average monthly water bill should only be around 10 Euros. If you buy a rural Bulgarian Property then try and use your well if you have one for irrigation of your garden to save money.

As electric is expensive in Bulgaria, most people choose wood as their main source of heating for the winter. Wood costs fluctuate each year but on average you will need around 8 to 10 cubic metres at a cost of maybe 25 to 30 Euros a cubic metre plus delivery.

And like everywhere else in the world, petrol and diesel prices are constantly increasing and are likely to be well over a Euro a litre. One consideration to keep in mind is that most people looking to relocate to Bulgaria, choose to live in rural villages and so will be doing more driving - to the supermarket, to go out for a meal, to meet friends…..

In general food in Bulgaria is much cheaper than in say the UK and a 100 Euros will see you very well stocked up at one of the larger supermarket chains. Fruit and vegetables can be purchased very cheaply at local markets or roadside stalls. And eating out in restaurants is still very reasonable.

For satellite TV the monthly cost depends on the package and channels you choose to have access to but on average you will be looking at around 10 Euros a month, maybe a little more plus of course, installation costs. Internet is a similar cost.

There are of course many other costs to consider such as mobile phone usage, insurance, annual taxes (property and car), vet bills, medical bills, but the above should give a rough guide to the general cost of living in Bulgaria.