Gross- net salary and cost of living in Sofia

Depend on what kind of job? In general that's a very good salary, far above the medium. I am a local btw in Sofia, you're welcome if you wish a trip around!

I would say yes  very good infact ya probably have money left over

Thanks for your r prompt response. Any idea about the net please? Also, would public transport be ok to go from home to the office  and move around the city, or would you advise taking a car please? Just thinking that taking a car would add up to the monthly expense ...not sure how expensive keeping a car is in Sofia though...

Interesting question, as 1,250 euros is not much in many EU capital cities, and you might not usually be tempted by such a salary.

However, 650 leva is the minimum salary here in Bulgaria. I'd say 2,500 is good, even in Sofia. So... congratulations!

I think, approximately, you should allow 15% for your social security contributions (and your employer pays an additional chunk, around 20%)... and 10% income tax. So take off 25%.

Thus your net would be around 1,875 leva (approx. 950 euros).

There's an online calculator here:
https://sb-bg.com/calculators-and-tax-g … alculator/

I checked, and it says 1,940 leva net, 990 euros. Essentially, 1,000 euros net when many Bulgarians (both workers and pensioners) are coping on 300-odd euros gross... it should be very manageable for you.

Sofia is getting expensive, but a nice furnished studio can be had for maybe 300-400 euros per month. Utility bills are very cheap, so electricity/water/home internet/mobile phone contract should be under 100 euros. So that's about half your net.

That leaves roughly 15 euros per day to partayyyyyyy... :-)

Which actually isn't a lot of partying. As you probably want to buy food, pay for public transport and so on.

There are plenty of buses in Sofia, and a good metro with 4 lines. So public transport should be a good option for you (but depends where work is, of course). Cars are expensive, and traffic/parking is a pain in Sofia, so, personally, I'd certainly prefer to avoid it... and try to find a nice studio within easy walking distance/or a short metro/bus ride from work.

Also, getting Bulgarian residence is very easy for EU citizens, especially with an employment contract.

Many thanks for the clear information provided, this is a huge help for me. Have a great 2022.

The Bulgarian leva is usually about half the Sterling equivalent. So a Bulgarian salary of 2,500 leva will be approximately £1,250.

Having lived in Bulgaria for over 10 years- £1,250 per month should provide you with a decent quality of life anywhere in Bulgaria. But utility  expenses are not cheap. Also it’s often cheaper to eat out than in. You should be about to find good cheap accommodation in a decent neighbourhood in Sofia.

Go for it, but be careful with the wallet.