Money & Costs
How to gage the cost cost of living in another country? I use the percentage of desposable income ofter your expences of the property where you live. In North east Bulgaria around the Targovishte area annual property tax is on average 25 Euro per year. You would not need a MORTGAGE of any kind in order to purchase the place you call home. Side by side you must be aware it is very hard to be in the same financial position from the offset. Any person with a small pension would be so much better off in every aspect of living in Bulgaria

Average monthly salaries in Sofia are in the 200-300 Euro range. As a guide if you are shown prices in EURO then maybe be paying tourist prices as opposed to the real local one. There is, of course, a selection of rip-off bars to entice a tourist part with their Euro or dollars. In general, Bulgaria is very inexpensive for eating and drinking with a meal costing an average of 5-7 Euro , a bottle of beer for less that a Euro and good Bulgarian wine cost around 5 Euro a bottle. If you are in Bulgaria on Holiday or for a short visit then it would be cheaper to eat in a restaurant rather than buy all you need to cook at home. Thus allowing you to enjoy every minute of you visit to the wonderful country.

It is always worthwhile asking for the English and Bulgarian menus in the tourist areas. Some restaurants have been known to use differing pricing standards for the English menu. Not a frequent occurrence but it has been known to happen. A meal for 4 in a Nessebur – next to Sunny Beach- with a couple of bottles of wine would cost us 45 Euro. A beautiful meal for 4 on the with 2 bottles of wine, couple of beers and water, cost 23 Euro in Plovdiv, the second city of Bulgaria. This was in a typical traditional Bulgarian BBQ restaurant and a good time was had by all. Targovishte offer both a very high standard of both food and drink together with a great value for money.

Petrol prices are about what they are in Ireland, maybe a little cheaper. Self-service petrol stations are located along all the main roads. A lot of these have small coffee shop/snack bars. Very useful to break a long journey.Taxis are very cheap and it is hard to imagine how most drivers make a living. The exceptions here are the taxis in Sunny Beach. Be careful here- still much cheaper than Ireland or UK- but be aware of the prices. Purchasing a car in Bulgaria is an option if you are buying an apartment or villa. A decent ‘’run –around’’ can be purchased for under 3000 Euro and insurance is very cheap.

Here you can see the prices of main products and services for 2011.

Food prices:

Bread – 1lv/ 800gr

Eggs – 0.20lv/ 1piece

Milk – 1.70lv/ 1l

Yoghurt – 0.60lv/ 500gr

White cheese – 5.70lv/ 1kg

Yellow cheese – 12.00lv/ 1kg

Sausages – 6.50lv/ 1kg

Vegetable oil – 3.60lv/ 1l

Vinegar – 0.70lv/ 1l

Salt – 0.50lv/ 1kg

Sugar – 2.40lv/ 1kg

Chicken – 4.50lv/ 1kg

Pork meat – 8.00lv/ kg

Fish – 6.00lv/ 1kg of scad

Olives – 4.00lv/ 1kg

Honey – 5.00lv/ 500gr

Chocolate – 1.20lv/ 500

Ice cream – 1.20lv/ 200gr

Baby Purée – 1.10lv/ 120gr

Fruits and Vegetables:

Tomatoes – 2.00lv/ 1kg

Cucumbers – 2.00lv/ 1kg

Beans – 3.00lv/ 1kg

Potatoes – 1.00lv/ 1kg

Bananas – 3.00lv/ 1kg

Oranges – 1.40lv/ 1kg

Drinks and Cigarettes Prices:

Mineral water – 0.80lv/ 1.5l

Coke – 2.40lv/ 2l

Juice – 2.00lv/ 1l

Coffee espresso- 2.60lv/ 200gr

Nescafe 3 in 1- 0.40lv/ 1cup

Spirit drinks – 10.00lv/ 1l

Wine – 4.50lv/ 0.700l

Cigarettes – 5.00lv/ 1pack – 20pieces

Prices of goods of daily demand:

Soap – 0.85lv/ 1piece

Shampoo – 2.50lv/ 200ml

Tooth paste – 1.50lv/ 1piece

Washing powder – 1.50/ 330gr

Communal taxes:

Electricity – 0.20lv/ 1kwh

Water – 1.70lv/ m³

Internet + landlines – 30lv/ month

Diesel – 2.50lv/ l

Petrol – 2.50lv/ l

Gas – 0.93lv/ l

A lunch for two – 20€ (starters, main courses, drinks, desserts, coffee)

Hairdresser services – 5-25€

Main electricity appliances:

TV – 37″ plasma TV – 300€

Fridge – 130€

Currency:

Bulgarian leva. The Leva is pegged to the Euro at a rate of just over 1.95 leva to 1 Euro..
Cash is easily changed at numerous small exchange offices, usually for no commission. Travellers' cheques are more of a hassle as many banks do not accept them, and those that do will charge a commission of around 5%. ATMs are a common sight in Sofia and at Black Sea resorts, and cash advances on credit cards are also available in these areas. Still, it's best to bring plenty of cash to Bulgaria. Under no circumstance should you change money in the street if anyone stops you and tells you he will give you a better rate than the banks. As usual, if it seems too good to be true it usual is and you will be ripped off.