What are the positive aspects of living in Bulgaria?
Posted by Galixiiss1546@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 323 comments
Posted by Galixiiss1546@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 323 comments
davidhasselhoff79@reddit
100% best yogurt, I know a controversial take for some. You have access to mountains and the underrated Black Sea. Increasingly better attitudes as they shake off the Turkish yoke and victim mindset of the people. Lots of opportunity to give to charitable causes there, specifically to disabled children, orphan crisis etc. Donated time and resources go a long way since wages are lower there.
A generalization, but the people are a hard nut to crack. Probably my least favorite person is Bulgarian haha. Can be worth the effort once though. I know a few Bulgars I could call anytime and they would drop anything to show up and support me.
y4dig4r@reddit
Can confirm, I always prefer Bulgar cheeses and yogurts when available. Call me a traitor. I don't care. I will die on this hill.
4eborator@reddit
To be fair, ethnic Turks in the Rodopi region make pretty damn good Bulgarian style dairy products. And A LOT of people love them when they get their hands on them at farmer's markets, especially in the bigger cities.
Many-Relationship149@reddit
I like Turkish ones equally, brother
shteker@reddit
it is in schengen and it is esier from europe to go to grecee by car:)))))
Fire-Cat11@reddit
Nice feet of Bulgarian women
tamzhebuduiya@reddit
I would say that Bulgaria has best ratio between average salary, cost of living and infrastructure in the Balkans (if we exclude Slovenia)
Nuclear powrplant and more green energy than Germany? Check ✅
Very cheap highways ✅
Good healthcare ✅
Good public transportation ✅
Upcoming 60 fast modern trains ✅
Nature ✅
Affordable housing ✅
Lost_Salary_8358@reddit
Most are true but good public transport is definitely a lie. Might be okay in Sofia but that's not enough to count it as having good transport all across the country
PorcoDioMafioso@reddit
Corruption ✅
(Obviously this is a balkan state)
Romania2001@reddit
When I look to Bulgaria, I see poor villages, dirty places, communist mentality, horror roads and some lands which should have been in another country.😂😂😂😂
GabrDimtr5@reddit
Bulgarian villages are indeed poor but mostly because they are abandoned or are being abandoned due to people moving to the cities. 80% of Bulgaria’s population lives in cities
Not uncommon in the Balkans
Perhaps some old people. Bulgarians generally hate communism.
Your only correct point
Which are they and why?
Salty_Celebration502@reddit
The guy is probably talking about southern dobruja.
GabrDimtr5@reddit
Which is really stupid since there are currently no Romanians in Southern Dobruja and before 1913 the Vlach population was no more than 2%.
Salty_Celebration502@reddit
Ik hes just pissed that Romania doesnt have it anymore (im Romanian but I dont hate our neighbors for no reason).
tamzhebuduiya@reddit
Dude you are botting.
kbkhfdjgjbkkbs@reddit
99% chance of getting your car stolen ✅
namombolovo@reddit
Serbian highways are generally better tbf but it always amazes me how cheap they are to use in Bulgaria. Not sure about the real proportion but its like for the price you would pay to travel from Niš to Belgrade and back you can go wherever you want in Bulgaria for a whole week or something.
tamzhebuduiya@reddit
Yeah, 6€ for 7 days. The worse come not by quality of asphalt compared to Serbia, but worse in maintaining (meowing grass, digital signage etc) and in km/per capita.
I drove whole Serbia and whole Bulgaria, and I would say the difference is not that much in highways its worse in regional roads, which Serbia is way batter
hedwigthebomber@reddit
Imagine a moment when your grass does not meow. How cat-hetic.
Substantial_Word_488@reddit
Who asked about Serbian highways? Pahaha
I observed multiple times Serbian people tend to compare with Bulgarians, considering somehow superior. Why do you have this constant need to prove yourself compared to your neighbours?
namombolovo@reddit
I would compare Germany to Bulgaria but sadly i never went to Germany.
LjuboTCG@reddit
I mean, they are giving their opinion that Bulgarian highways are cheaper but worse, which is okay to say.
Was it needed? No. Was it ok to say? Why not?
throwawayy00223@reddit
they're serbs it's what they do
paraxzz@reddit
Cheap, but absolutely horrific roads.
Good healthcare? Where is this coming from. If the doctors even know what to do, it takes them ages to deal with it.
Dry_Razzmatazz69@reddit
I curse your asphalt every time i'm going to greece. What are you on about with the highways :)))
tamzhebuduiya@reddit
Still batter than roads in Romania :/
triipaloskyy@reddit
There is no way Bulgaria has better national roads (DN) than Romania
Dry_Razzmatazz69@reddit
If you've never been, i understand the opinion. Drive down from tulcea to nessebar and let me know how that works out for you. The asphalt just dies out at some point after vama veche.
tamzhebuduiya@reddit
Drive from Serbian border to Temisoara or from Temisoara to Bucharest, no highways, holes or entering into highways from some improvised mud roads
Dry_Razzmatazz69@reddit
Please take a look with streetview at the ruse bridge (crossing the danube towards bucharest, coming from patched up 1 lane roads in bulgaria over the bridge to a propper expressway) I've yet to pass through varna and not pray to god i don't get another flat by cuttin the wheel on a jagged pothole.
There are many beautiful things about bulgaria, but to say the roadways are good is a joke. I've never seen before a hole in the road deep enough to fit the whole wheel until i passed through byala
tamzhebuduiya@reddit
This is how you enter highway in Romania: https://maps.app.goo.gl/3fusugz42F2kouKz7
There wasn’t any signs, now I see on google maps that they put it.
Dry_Razzmatazz69@reddit
A picture of a brand new expressway being built where there was a county road (DJ, Drum Judetean)? I get it. This would qualify as a highway in bulgaria, but over here, this is just a random county road.
tamzhebuduiya@reddit
Dude, you have very poor highway network for a country of that size, less than Croatia
Dry_Razzmatazz69@reddit
True, but at least it's an actual highway network that's functional.
tamzhebuduiya@reddit
The highway from Serbian border to Burgas is good, and to greek and turkish border idk what are you talking about.
Northern roads are the problem
beware_banana@reddit
Wow most of your impressions are quite wrong. Probably it depends where you have lived, for how long and when.
Very cheap highways - yes and it comes at a price - Bulgaria has one of the highest car accident mortality rates and in 90% of the cases it’s due to the very bad road condition. So you get what you pay for.
Good healthcare - this is true only if you don’t use a government plan and pay for a private one.
Good public transportation - this is also arguable.
Upcoming 60 modern trains - maybe someday we will supply a second hand “ fast modern” trains from Western Europe. However you can’t run those on a bad infrastructure. I haven’t heard anyone making investments in a new one or improving the cuurent any time soon.
Affordable housing - ?! When was the last time you checked the home prices and where was that? A median price for a 2-bedroom apartment in any of the 4 major cities in not the worst neighborhood starts at €200K currently and can easily reach €500K
Clean tap water - that’s conditional. If you mean clean like you won’t catch cholera that’ll do. Otherwise I wouldn’t advise you directly drinking it. Most of our piping is old and nasty.
Clean air - yeah, somewhere in the mountains we have a great quality air. Other than that we keep one of the highest scores of lung disease mortalities due to bad air quality. Every year Sofia’s air quality could be compared to the worst congested cities in India.
Job opportunities - not outside of Sofia. Also not that much outside of the IT sector either.
Cheap utilities - hm, define cheap. In the winter I can’t go under €150/month on heating alone (central heating).
Popular ski centers - yes, they are popular and as such you should be ready to pay astronomical prices for just a day of using the ski amenities and having a simple lunch.
Sea resorts - I’m raised and born on the Black sea side and I have visited most of those resorts. If you’re looking to spend your vacation at an ugly hotel with impolite personnel that would do everything to rip you off, lie on a beach between hundreds of people and paying for just being there - you may enjoy those resorts. We still have some beautiful and undestroyed beaches but not many.
So yeah, overall your view of Bulgaria is pretty romanticized.
NecroVecro@reddit
Idk why you were downvoted you are dead on!
Well maybe the housing prices are a bit exaggerated, but they are definitely not affordable.
Also for the highways a lot of money get stolen too and some sections are unusually high in cost.
dwartbg9@reddit
Housing prices are expensive in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and maybe Burgas. They're pretty reasonable compared to W.Europe. Or check prices in Portugal, for example.
And the comment about the highways was about the vignettes. We don't have toll booth in Bulgaria - you pay 45€ for an yearly vignette and you can drive everywhere infinitely. If you want you can make cross-country trips, go back and forth and you'd still have paid only 45€ for a whole year. Compare this to countries that have toll taxes like Greece or Serbia, this is what the other guy meant. You guys really don't even understand what's being written.
beware_banana@reddit
Thanks for mansplaining it, I’m giving you an expert point 🥇. Seems like you don’t understand what you pay for when you pay the vignette of €45 do you? This fee is correlated to the quality of the road system and yeah, when you pay €45 you get the quality for €45.
blindwitness23@reddit
One day drive to Greece ✅
inferno66666@reddit
Everything in Europe is one day drive 😂😂
blindwitness23@reddit
Well from The Netherlands it’s almost 3 days to Greece if you don’t want to arrive severely exhausted. It’s a 3h plane ride though…
bmag147@reddit
r/ShitAmericansSay
frn8@reddit
Just letting you know that Greeks here envy you, and we use Bulgaria as an example of how to spend your money wisely
Which_Environment911@reddit
yall have to pay for highways????
DMMD021@reddit
Tasty food lol.
GabrDimtr5@reddit
Better than Serbia’s for sure.
DMMD021@reddit
Sure, lol.
GabrDimtr5@reddit
Every time I ate a pljeskavica I hated it.
DMMD021@reddit
Then don't eat something you don't like.
GabrDimtr5@reddit
What would you recommend?
DMMD021@reddit
Well south Serbia has one of the best BBQ, roasted, claypot roasted meats. Depends what do you like, minced meat, pork, beef, chicken. Cheese is also diverse and amazing ranging from soft (younger) cheeses and spreads like Kajmak or hard (older) cheeses. There are also amazing soups/potage most famous is probably veal soup. And we have a wide selection of "cooked meals" like Sarma and Goulash, that have been take from Turks and Hungarians but upgraded :) A lot of regional countries have same/similar meals due to insane history of the region. People from the western world usually don't get balkan salads as they think it's a salad meal like Caesars salad but Serbian salads are amazing and usually eaten along with the main dish.
Try spreads like Trljanica, Kajmak, Ajvar.
Salads like Sopska (whole region has it's own version), Srpska and Moravska.
Cheeses are all awesome.
"Cooked meals" Bean stew with sausages, Goulash or Perkelt, Sarma, Stuffed peppers etc.
tamzhebuduiya@reddit
Compared to west, yea
DMMD021@reddit
Compared to region and rest of Europe i say nay. If you compare it with west like USA that's a shitty comparison but i would rather eat an American hot dog than some dried out meat and potatoes that Bulgarians and Greeks call a meal. At least Greeks have some tasty meals unlike Bulgarians. I've spent about a month in Bulgaria and never had a meal worth mentioning. On the other hand i understand why you are butthurt, when you grow up eating that shit you just don't know any better...
tamzhebuduiya@reddit
The traditional food is shitty compared ex-yu countries and PIGS countries, but there is alot of international restaraunts
georgi1701@reddit
I do not agree at all with the healthcare, my family has had severe health issues in the past and all of the private and public hospitals are terrible, underpaid workers that don't even want to be there, following the notorious "пътеки" which does NOT fit some medical conditions at all and the lack of care at all about the facilities themselves. Why do you think so many people go to Turkey for medical care?
neurotekk@reddit
clean air if you are not in Sofia
General_4@reddit
Ok a lot of things seem cheap, but an average job might not be paying that much?!
CountryPlanetball@reddit
Duality of men
Dunedan8@reddit
Well understandable. Not all are ITs. And guess what. Competition for new IT without experience is crazy now. So good luck finding jobs
thezweistar@reddit
Literally like majority of IT people are not rich idk where this came from this is only if you are Lucky or extremely good😭
Beneficial-Truth1509@reddit
You can drink water
Useful-Guess-4722@reddit
Free bitches
Aggressive_Limit2448@reddit
Well there is no the mess you experience in Western Balkan like ethnic tensions or social insecurity.
Generally the EU has made the life unimaginable much more prosperous.
If the euro is adopt the next year it will meant boost of economy.
Sofia is a European metropolis with a western like urban life and public transport and many green spaces.
You have also amazing tourism in Rila and Pirin which has progressed to very nice infrastructure although crowded during winter.
frickzjee2@reddit
Gotta tell you, in Croatia we transfered to Euros a few years back and common folk are more poor than ever, buying power is rediculously low compared to what we had with prior currency
Odd_Refrigerator1300@reddit
Bulgarian people have great humor
Adron_the_Survivor_2@reddit
Bulgarian salad
Randolph_Carter_Ward@reddit
There is a lot of ščuňjk! U can't find it anywhere else, too!
ViscountBuggus@reddit
You always have the ability to leave
Ok-Yoghurt9472@reddit
underrated
Kawauso_Yokai@reddit
As a Ukrainian, I can say that this is truly underrated.
Historical-View647@reddit
True, lol I can't wait to immigrate. It's not a bad country but all jobs being in Sofia is bad, I hate Sofia and I was born here. Some of the rudest people in Bulgaria live here!
Dunedan8@reddit
Yup... I don't understand these pink glasses people on here. Yeah of you make twice the average salary and live remotely as an IT or if you're a surgeon of course your gonna like it here.....
Infamous_Act9872@reddit
alamat7ama9nich@reddit
Depression?
juan_bizarro@reddit
None.
Radu-g@reddit
I don't know about living IN Bulgaria, but living next to it is good because they have low prices for cigarettes. We love that, please don't change that <3
Saturn_550@reddit
If you think our cigs are cheap, you should visit Turkey or North Macedonia, you will have a hayday. And on the way enjoy Bulgria in other ways.
Radu-g@reddit
Yes, but i KNOW you have Terrea, i don't know about them; Also, from Bucharest it's only an hour trip to Ruse. приятен ден!
Saturn_550@reddit
Never been to Ruse as a Bulgarian, heard it is a shithole though, from Sofia. xD
Fit-Housing9499@reddit
There's nothing good about it unless you have money! And to make matters worse, it is too close to Russia.
Saturn_550@reddit
Unless you have money? Isn't that true for most places, especially the USA?
Fit-Housing9499@reddit
Well, since I'm in Europe, I think Bulgaria is closer to Russia. As for the money issue, I mean, Bulgaria is not a privileged country. For those who have a lot of money, like everywhere else in the world, things are going well, but for someone who has a normal monthly salary, it's misery.
dwartbg9@reddit
But for someone who has a normal monthly salary, life is definitely not a misery.
And how is Bulgaria close to Russia? You know that the country doesn't share a border with it? And it's 3 countries away from Russia? So by that logic is Germany close to Russia too?
Or what about the Baltic states or Finland that border Russia? Are they bad too? Or Poland, which is bordering Belarus?
And yes, Berlin is closer to Moscow than Sofia is.
Berlin - Moscow - 1800 km away Sofia - Moscow - 2600 km away
Rainbow_Mosquito_927@reddit
Excluding the most rampant corruption in Europe, the lack of punishment for crimes done by the wealthy and the mentality of the predominant part of the population (to screw you over), Bulgaria has : Very defined seasons, at least that was the case for the previous decades (as we're seeing some crazy shifts recently). The best tomatoes in Europe (even though the quality of the tomatoes in supermarkets is degrading, as small producers are being replaced by larger ones, that produce quantity over quality) Food products overall are good quality, though it is also slowly worsening (same reason as above). As someone with central european roots, for me Bulgaria differs in terms of freedom - I never feel I am constantly watched, the same way I felt when living in Austria / Slovakia. You often get "slap on the wrist" for mistakes, where you will be fined in other parts of europe. Please note - I absolutely think this should not happen, as people do not follow rules because of this mentality, but it does feel a lot less stressful. There are soo many small beautiful towns, that contain much of Bulgarian culture and history. These are absolute bijou and though most are dying out quickly (as youth is migrating to large cities).
Hard to think what I like about this country, as I think about mostly negative stuff, as this is the unfortunate situation.
The EU has been a trampoline for Bulgaria's economy, but these funds are primarily going to the pockets of the members of the former politburo or mafia members from the 90s. The corruption is happening on every layer of society, and the future looks somehow worse, even for people that are financially doing great. And I mean this as someone who is well off - have my own business and also high salary as RPA specialist, but for the sake of my children, I am making plans to migrate away with my family in the following years.
Saturn_550@reddit
wont read the rest cus of lack of paragraphs, but the most rampant corruption is in Moldavia. Make a difference between the EU and Europe as a continent.
Ray071@reddit
Bulgaria has the best neighbors.
Saturn_550@reddit
Romania and Greece are great neighbours, the rest, not so sure.
y4dig4r@reddit
Turks who drink.
jokes aside, insanely beautiful country. I regularly visit family in Kardzhali and Ardino. i have never seen such a deep shade of green anywhere else in the world. Take one look at the rolling green valleys, and the beautiful women, and you will understand why we kill eachother for millennia over this shit. However I'm glad that in this day and age we can freely visit as neighbors, meet friendly people, eat good food, and listen to good music (yes even chalga. i love that shit. fight me.)
dwartbg9@reddit
You haven't seen the Bulgarian Turks that even eat pork and celebrate both Christmas and Ramadan.
Some of the BG Turks and Pomaks even act more Bulgarian than some Bulgarians themselves.
y4dig4r@reddit
My grandfather was born in Ardino, my father was born in Edirne. The question has always been are we Bulgarian Turks , or Turkish Bulgars?
Saturn_550@reddit
The Bulgars were a mix between iranian and turkic tribes and have both influences. Today and even 1000 years ago, a different story. But due to the Ottoman occupation for so long there appeared a lot of similarities between Bulgaruan and Turkish way of doing things/culture.
Snoo90166@reddit
I’m from Romania and I saw many answers about low crimes in Bulgaria which blows my mind, here in eastern Europe that statistic changed to 180 degrees, it used to be the place were people were afraid to go (was not dangerous actually… just a misconception in the west), now these are the safest countries and the west ist the most dangerous with the highest crimes (like in UK, France, Germany . etc) based on the percentage.
The_RedfuckingHood@reddit
Low taxes, low crime, Beautiful nature,
snitsny@reddit
Great food, too.
Apatride@reddit
Home food is awesome but restaurant food is rarely anywhere as good outside of small restaurants in villages.
Ambitious-Area-1099@reddit
Yes, I was going to say that when I was there 10 years ago food in restaurants was terrible. Basically in all restaurants. I found only one that was acceptable.
pvbob@reddit
I don't get Bulgarian food. It's just cheese with pork and oil 90% of the time
CondensedHappiness@reddit
I've lived in Bulgaria for all my life, I've never had "cheese with pork"
snitsny@reddit
The only time I had that combination in Bulgaria was by ordering ‘cordon bleu’ in the restaurant (which was obviously European/international food and not Bulgarian). )
snitsny@reddit
It’s much more than that. They do use lotsa vegetables, too. And Bulgarian cuisine is not the only food one can experience here. I was talking about food culture and quality of various products in general.
Odd-Organization-740@reddit
They fucked up the food. Most commercial stuff is garbage and is really embarassing when you come back from Turkey or Greece and compare.
snitsny@reddit
I don’t know where you ate, but my experience is the opposite. Especially compared to Turkey.
Odd-Organization-740@reddit
You just have to look at the supermarkets. We have like 30 brands of salam/lukanka, 30 brands of yoghurt, 30 brands of cheese, etc. and only like 1 or 2 are truly good.
And when people realize it's good, they start buying it, the leaders of the company get cocky and alter the product to increase profits, and make it crap. Then maybe a new brand comes up that's good. Rinse and repeat.
Our food producers are basically surviving on past reputation and nostalgia at this point. Most of them have zero respect of our legacy and traditional recipes (only using it for false advertising). Restaurants are also suffering, unless they're really passionate and work really hard to source good food, but that's reflected in the prices.
petrowbaby@reddit
"low crime" except people day everyday because of crime activities
Comfortable_Dog8732@reddit
Don't forget the ease of bribing. When you have money, it is just soooooo much more convinient to get things done. (and the way you want them. Police are cheap too.)
The_RedfuckingHood@reddit
Not really something to brag about.
Comfortable_Dog8732@reddit
What?! Why?! It gives a lot to the positive experience! (when you have good salaries)
Galixiiss1546@reddit (OP)
Only if are you an IT?
The_RedfuckingHood@reddit
I didn't paraphrase myself correctly- really high salaries if you're an IT.
r0ncho@reddit
What is high for Bulgaria? How high are we talking about? For example, how much would a competent person with decent career advance and 5 years of experience make per month after taxes?
phobug@reddit
As SRE, 15+ years of experience I make 7500 net BGN fully remote position for a US company. I know people 5 yoe making 5000 net commonly
r0ncho@reddit
Say you have a wife making half that. That's about 5k Euros.
Could you comfortably raise your children, buy decent car (C/D segments), a house, maybe even vacation home, travel around Europe? I'm not saying all at once, but could you build a life like that with that wage?
ComfortableParty2933@reddit
No
phobug@reddit
You don’t need to be in the Sofia Bubble ;)
Dunedan8@reddit
@phobug okay how fortunate you think you are in your position? Single salary enough for a family. Fully remote. Like where would you put yourself in the top% of bulgarians if we rate it on salary and freedom? Give it for top % for Sofia if we want to be more conservative, since many poeple outside big cities live very poorly
phobug@reddit
Top 20% for sure, I consider myself very lucky. I don’t look at prices when shopping. I have where to live. Saving about half my money, the portfolio is growing and wont need it in the next 30 - 40 years and will only get bigger about 8% per year on average. I’ve lived in Sofia for 11 years, fuck that place. You can’t pay me to live there. I’ll move to Macedonia before I live in Sofia again.
ComfortableParty2933@reddit
I'm in Varna, it's the same. I work remotely, but good luck raising kids in the countryside.
maximhar@reddit
7500 can very comfortably pay off such a very average apartment. Your mortgage will be around 1000 BGN, 15% of your net income. Very manageable.
phobug@reddit
I’m doing that and my wife stays home to raise the kids.
r0ncho@reddit
That’s hard to believe if true.
My fiancée and I live in Istanbul. We both work in non-IT jobs with three years of experience each, earning a combined net income of 200,000 TRY, around 4,600 Euros at current rates. Our parents aren't wealthy, but they get by on their own, which at least means we don’t have to support them financially.
We recently bought a new Opel Corsa for 33,500 Euros, not even something fancy, a Corsa. We still needed a loan even after saving for a year. Most of our income goes toward the loan payments. It's like buying one car for ourselves and another for the state because of the taxes.
Having kids, owning a home, let alone a vacation home, or traveling the world all feel like distant dreams.
Bulgaria may not be perfect, but I can’t help wondering what it's like to live in a country where the people in charge aren’t actively working against you.
Dunedan8@reddit
Hey. Turkey is more shit in terms of people in charge, but that doesn't mean here it's not shit...
maximhar@reddit
What kind of loan payments are you making? 4600 EUR is a very high income, especially with Turkish prices. From what I've heard, things like rent / house prices are a lot lower than here.
That said, 33.5k EUR is outrageous for a Corsa. The base manual model costs around 18k EUR here and the top of the line automatic is 25k.
r0ncho@reddit
Why do you think Turkey is cheaper than Bulgaria? This hasn't been true for a long time. Turkey in general, especially Istanbul, is very expensive and getting even more expensive each passing day. We have lower wages but same or comparable prices with EU countries.
maximhar@reddit
I was in Istanbul back in 2023 and groceries, for example, were a lot cheaper. Restaurants were a little bit cheaper. Cocktails and alcohol in general were more expensive, but that's understandable, and not a necessity anyway.
dwartbg9@reddit
Things have changed a lot since 2023. Prices have risen A LOT compared to back then.
fakeprofile23@reddit
So why do you compare Turkey wurh Bulgaria?
r0ncho@reddit
I didn’t compare Turkey with Bulgaria. I said I envy Bulgaria. It seems like a nice place to live, and their leaders don’t seem to be actively making life harder for their citizens like ours do in Turkey.
I understand now why my comment was downvoted. The line "Bulgaria may not be perfect, but I can’t help wondering what it's like to live in a country where the people in charge aren’t actively working against you" was misinterpreted as an insult to Bulgaria, but it's the absolute opposite.
maximhar@reddit
Just saw the section about loans. I wonder how do mortgages work in that case? Are they also short-term?
r0ncho@reddit
No, you can get long-term mortgages with somewhat better terms, around 45–50% annual interest. The catch is, you need a 70–80% down payment, which puts homeownership out of reach for most people.
The harsh reality is that unless you already have significant capital, either through savings which is nearly impossible for most young people due to low wages and high living costs, or from wealthy parents, buying a home here is simply not an option.
maximhar@reddit
Fair, you don’t really see these things as a tourist so I was unaware. My mortgage is around 400 EUR/mo over 30 years for example, so even if nominal property values are lower over there, in practice it seems it’s less affordable.
dwartbg9@reddit
Cars in Turkey are insanely expensive. That's why you know if you see someone driving a new S-Class there is really some properly rich guy, like in Turkish soap operas. Not like in Bulgaria where even construction workers can afford such cars. And prices in Turkey are cheap for us with Bulgarian or W.European salaries, not for Turkish. Heck, they're not even that cheap for us anymore, prices in Istanbul have risen insanely in the last 2-3 years. As you can see the trend of Bulgarians going to Turkey for shopping sprees has kind of dwindled down. Turkey isn't cheap at all and they have lower salaries compared to BG nowadays. The situation there is tragic and they should do something.
NebulaIntelligent604@reddit
Why would you buy such a expensive car?
r0ncho@reddit
I chose it because it's one of the most affordable cars I could get. If you're after the absolute cheapest option, you could go for an A-segment like the Hyundai i10. The base trim starts at 29,000 Euros, but in my opinion, it offers even less value for money than the Corsa.
I bought mine just last month and the price has already gone up by 1,500 Euros. It's really a matter of buying now or risking being priced out later.
NebulaIntelligent604@reddit
Is it a new car? Idk in the netherlands you can buy a decent car, 2th hand, for €10.000. Didn’t know its more expensive in the netherlands.
United-Treat3031@reddit
33,5k € for a corsa sounds absolutely brutal. I feel sorry for you guys
Apatride@reddit
Bear in mind that:
1) A lot of people inherited properties after 1991. People who work in IT tend to come from decent families who sometimes inherited multiple properties and real estate costs are exploding, so we are talking more than 100K euros in properties, that makes things a lot easier.
2) I'd say IT salaries are more around 5K BGN on average 2.5K euros per month after tax. It is possible to make more than that but for positions like sysadmin, it can get as low as 1.5K euros per month.
3) Cost of real estate keeps rising. One reason is the conflict in Ukraine, with the influx of refugees driving the costs up, but knowing the local mentality, it will take time for the costs to go back down. The adoption of the euro will also probably lead to more inflation.
So I am not saying it can't be done, and I think BG is a great place to live and to raise kids, but it is not as good of a deal as it used to be 7-8 years ago.
elzizooo@reddit
Oh, more than comfortable to be honest.
Dunedan8@reddit
Only in similar companies. Which is like mostly in Sofia and I wouldn't say more than 15/20 percent of workers in Sofia
Historical-View647@reddit
Yeah but many non IT people live on 2000 BGN even in Sofia so the point is Bulgaria is only good for IT people and politicians.
dwartbg9@reddit
Experience in what? What sector?
You can make anything from 1000 to 10,000+ € , just like anywhere in the world.
Good money for Bulgarian standarts (or actually all over the world) would mean earning more than the average salary.
r0ncho@reddit
What a non-answer. I am obviously asking about IT sector wages.
Majestic-Ad7409@reddit
If you’re working remotely then look at the US wages minus 25% to stay competitive. The best thing about Bulgaria is low taxation in the IT sector.
maximhar@reddit
After 5 years, 8k BGN / 4k EUR is quite doable if you avoid staying at one company for too long. It can go a lot higher with more experience and negotiation.
Large-Assignment9320@reddit
You get pretty much the same as you would in like Germany.
Pie_Dealer_co@reddit
Not only in IT. In reality every single one if us has a huge market on our doorstep (yes the EU). If you are an artisan of any kind: Making sculptures, jewelery, furniture, statues and you are good at it you can charge as much as you want while in reality having the chance to undercut and lower prices a lot.
You may say okay but the guys in India or Asia can do it cheaper. Maybe but let's say they ship a 60kg wooden table across the world shipping prices will eat them alive. While in our case yea it's going to be expensive but not insanely.
And there are people that will sell a single table and it will cover their expenses for the next 5 months.
That said it's not easy...I would say running your own buisness is harder than IT but it can be done.
Dunedan8@reddit
What you are describing is still an extremely niche market... I don't see many artisans raising kids comfortably in Bulgaria, do you? And if you're argument is you "you have to be good at it". I would say that we should be looking at the average person. If you're the in the top % of poeple doing anything you should be doing great. If only the top % are able to live normally that's not alright in my opinion
RegionSignificant977@reddit
Cardiac surgeons are even better.
Dunedan8@reddit
Where in the world are surgeons no living good???
vbd71@reddit
IVF doctors might be even better.
RegionSignificant977@reddit
I doubt it. Cardiac procedures are heavily funded by national healthcare system. IVF is far from that. The salary of one of the well known cardiac specialist was 60000BGN even before 2020. And that's a salary. The guy probably makes 7 figures yearly.
CMYLMZ-@reddit
How much?
dwartbg9@reddit
In the 10s of thousands
Petrak1s@reddit
Of course not. IT is not the best payed job(s). But many people ere saying that. :)
Own-Dust-7225@reddit
I was IT once, in kindergarten. But then I chased down another kid, and then he was IT. If I knew it would pay so well, I wouldn't have done it.
HughFungus@reddit
Low crime is the funniest and most unexpected thing I was hoping to read on here 😀 Bulgaria is known to be most gang infested and corrupt countries not only in Balkans but also Europe.
After_Actuator3913@reddit
forgot the /s
The_RedfuckingHood@reddit
Now, the beaches may be a piece of shit, but the mountains and historical sights are beautiful.
GabrDimtr5@reddit
Southern Dobrudza which has tall cliffs making construction on the beaches really hard is quite underrated.
sumimigaquatchi@reddit
Varna!
Francoporto@reddit
Why Bulgaria is a good country for IT ?
neurotekk@reddit
and Bulgarian politics is kind of funny
readilyunavailable@reddit
Nobody has a more inflated ego and a more vicious and crew outlook on the world than bulgarians who make slightly more money than others.
berot3@reddit
How is these compared to Romania?
maximhar@reddit
Romania recently reintroduced income tax for the IT sector, which I think screwed up the net salaries a bit.
Blasphemous1569@reddit
Is this a bloody joke?
DarqPikachu@reddit
4 facts, two lies ?
Mountain_Dentist5074@reddit
Not being Albanian
GandraGMC@reddit
Prostitutes on every 100m and corruption
Lalieni@reddit
Greece is next to you can going for vacation 😂
No-Hurry-6533@reddit
Cheap and has low taxes. Also the low population makes it a really comfortable place
Individual-Joke-853@reddit
They have an awesome seaside with a lot of wild and semi wild beaches that haven't yet been entirely comodified by capitalist greed.
PuerStellarum@reddit
Eu passport?
Strict_Ad6994@reddit
Copper selling very easy
BotaSRaul@reddit
Nesebur sunny beach
ve_rushing@reddit
The weather is kind of nice - not too hot and not too cold.
ArhixBZ@reddit
Future euro 😅
mattheugaming18@reddit
Leaving
worldclxss99@reddit
What I find interesting about Bulgaria is that despite being ruled by Ottomans for nearly 500 years or having countless wars with the Greeks and more recently Serbians, we tend to get along really well with all three of those countries.
egzoticni_betmen@reddit
None
CondensedHappiness@reddit
I can think of 1
Its not serbia
Firkin117@reddit
Good casinos and hookers
Minute_Figure_2234@reddit
You dont live in Russia
FlayBoy98@reddit
Best thing to do in bulgaria? Leave.xD /s
Environmental_Rub395@reddit
2026 Eurozone ✅️
London-Reza@reddit
As a Brit who loves Bulgaria..
I could go on tbh. I plan to move here permanently once I'm a bit older.
wereallfuckedL@reddit
Family values? In Bulgaria? I so hate to break it to you but there’s nothing good about treating women like it’s the 50s and minorities like it’s the 19th century. Women are beaten, abused and domestically raped on the regular under the guise of ‘family values’, we lead most statistics of domestic abuse in Europe, ditto corruption, poor road maintenance, poor infrastructure, low voting activity, luddites who think modern medicine is witchcraft, Putin lovers … love how you came over and saw what you wanted to see. It’s also way more expensive for food basics here than it is in the uk, my food shop is twice as much in Sofia as it was in Aberdeen. The weather though.
Teodosij@reddit
Family values?? That may have been true 50-60 years ago lol
EvenMathematician874@reddit
What exactly do you mean by family values? Bulgaria is 2nd in Europe by proportion of kids without married parents (58%). Young people date similarly to the uk - hookup culture on the rise and settling down in 30s.
London-Reza@reddit
Things like spending time with family (they turn up randomly), looking out for each other, taking care of elders, sharing homemade drinks/produce, living in the same village/towns as family, etc, etc. very different to UK. Appreciate probably quite subjective.
EvenMathematician874@reddit
I live in the uk too now but I just wouldn't classify these as family values- more like community spirit bc although u are right it is not just for family it is also about friends (even in ur 50s), coworkers (treating them like real friends like my parents coworkers were at my prom 5y ago), your high school teachers, your trainer/yoga teacher etc. It is not at all exclusive to family when it comes to the things u mentioned.
Top-Classroom-6994@reddit
You should delete cost of certain things from there, as things are definitely not cheaper in Balkans, it is only if you earn west european salaries. Writing it's cheaper to buy things is offensive to people actually living there.
etnoexodus@reddit
He is obviously talking from a comparative point of view. Where he came from (the UK) the costs must be higher therefore Bulgaria is cheap in his eyes. How is that offensive? Cut the victim mentality we are not Americans
London-Reza@reddit
Completely get that and my partner says that all the time. My apologies.
bartoney@reddit
You're always welcome in Bulgaria, we need the extra population anyway. It's been thoroughly refreshing as a Bulgarian seeing the shift in travelers' mindsets and general attitude towards Bulgaria over the past decade.
OksijenTR@reddit
What are people view on Turks there? Some of my relatives decided to move there and i was thinking about it too.
maximhar@reddit
We have a lot of Turks here, 5-10% of the population. Going to be difficult integrating without learning Bulgarian though.
lavenderlovey88@reddit
True. I miss Bulgaria, my husband is bulgarian so we get to spend time there last year and I was sad when we came back to the UK.
phobug@reddit
Nature is top for sure.
Dunedan8@reddit
We don't protect it enough tho
phobug@reddit
Too true.
Dry_Razzmatazz69@reddit
HA HA HAHA HAAA! ... ow wait, you're serious...?
cow_foot@reddit
Positive aspects are the nature, the people and the home food. If you are train enthusiast they have a huge variety of locomotives and trains. And for me that’s it. The quality of life is not really good, the infrastructure is falling apart, the state is ridiculous corrupted (like in the rest of Balkan countries). Also the majority of restaurants in Bulgaria serving shits in comparison to other Balkan countries like Greece and Serbia for example.
Captain-Old@reddit
Having EU passport without doing nothing
Fit_Weakness7741@reddit
Topless hotties on the beach
hazelflame1898@reddit
Maternity leave. 2 years paid, plus you can stay home during the pregnancy also. It's "not official ", but possible. And your job is secure the minute you announce you are pregnant.
MaterialEngineering6@reddit
KUZUNAK! Lukanka! Lutunitsa! Banetsa! And hopefully my baby one day.
vebi77@reddit
You know that if you get problems. You just change over to Albanian citizenship haha
Draco_415@reddit
РАЗГРАД 🗿
Knucen420@reddit
Easy to reach copper filled internet cables
Cosma_LaEL@reddit
absolutely none
kovaj024@reddit
being stabbed in the back
CondensedHappiness@reddit
Like in 1885?
Markomannia@reddit
That you don't live in Serbia.
Ornery_Let_9833@reddit
The possibility of leaving
Primary-Plankton5219@reddit
You're able to leave it.
Jet_pussy@reddit
None.
Odd-Organization-740@reddit
Freecamping rights. In Bulgaria you can roam almost everywhere in nature and set up camp. And our country has countless amazing places for that. We have a saying that we don't really need to explore foreign lands, because our country has everything. Compare that to England for example, where if you leave the town, you have only farmland, fences and warning signs.
Medical_Diamond_5047@reddit
Nothing !
Sweaty_Ad4296@reddit
Off-hand I can think of three easy ones:
You don't live in Serbia
You don't live in North Macedonia
You don't live in Turkey.
Aggressive_Limit2448@reddit
Skopje in mk is one of the most polluted cities in the world albeit very small as compared to other capital cities.
skarra27@reddit
Two more easy ones:
Ancient_Cod7003@reddit
I think you just posted the con's while he was posting the pro's :))
Also, you forgot to place on the pro's and con's list, the last neighbour
"You don’t live in the Black Sea" ... where should we put this ? :)
FrostySoup55@reddit
At least in Greece we have the sea 🌊
LjuboTCG@reddit
But you live in Bulgaria
Temporary-Ice751@reddit
neighbours are serbs. thats good for them
Substantial_Bet_1007@reddit
Being close to turkey
Velja14@reddit
Ability to leave /s
FactBackground9289@reddit
They're pretty prevalent in green energy and ecology, because all their main positive aspects lay in countryside.
Francoporto@reddit
Isn't Bulgaria is part of countries where there is human/organs traffic ? Or it's another country ?
tamzhebuduiya@reddit
Nope, it’s never been. It’s mostly known for producing illegal drugs
YngwieMainstream@reddit
Not living in Albania.
Pintau@reddit
You aren't Turkish
Adelaito@reddit
i have terrible news for you...
Unable_Ad9968@reddit
There are none
Leo1309@reddit
Schrooms
GeePan2222@reddit
I think the wild is good in Bulgaria and other things sucks. I know that because im living there
Furu_Buru@reddit
Greece is very close and has open borders 😃👍
nakkugod@reddit
I think membership of EU?
Particular-Win-9041@reddit
TBH healthcare - I don’t think there’s another country where you can book an appointment for a specific doctor on a Sunday afternoon and get a great check on a Monday morning. Absolutely love that. And quite affordable.
itisiminekikurac@reddit
Not living in Serbia for one
perv-act@reddit
Born in the Netherlands, lived there for many years and also lived in Turkey for a couple of years. I do not want to live in the Netherlands because life feels "automated", and it is just playing a game on the easiest mode, it doesn't feel right. Living in Turkey was the opposite, pure chaos and zero joy.
Bulgaria feels like it's perfectly balanced between these to opposing sides. I like how everybody is minding their own business, it is slow paced, great nature (a pity that this is decreasing due to the construction madness). I work remote, so I could live in many other countries but me and my kids we really love Bulgaria.
Cefalopodul@reddit
It's very easy to get to Lefkada when you go on summer vacation.
fickogames123@reddit
Why is Lefkada swarming with Romanians in past few years? I dont mean anything negative its just that it was almost untouched by turists then one summer BAM 2000 romanians (and specificly romanians, I dont see any other nationality)
Cefalopodul@reddit
Because it's cheaper than Romanian resorts and it's nice.
crisvphotography@reddit
This
schizoesoteric@reddit
Very good nature + ok cost of living + beautiful women
Additional_Mind_9975@reddit
Food. And sea. A sort of. And there are great mountains for sure. And Greece is near.
krsCarrots@reddit
You develop survival skills
SaulGoodman3789@reddit
Niga boy
cosminpraje@reddit
Seaside
ThousandKperDay@reddit
Part of EU, can leave any time you want work anywhere if you have some brains.
ThousandKperDay@reddit
Not living in Romania
Creative-Data-1@reddit
Beer 1 €
Starac_Joakim@reddit
You can leave
anameuse@reddit
Nice beaches. Rose jam. Gabrovo.
checkliver@reddit
Love them, especially the Balcik-Durankulak area
sisomiruhvatoglu@reddit
Nice beaches and bulgaria?
dwartbg9@reddit
Have you ever even stepped foot in Bulgaria?
sisomiruhvatoglu@reddit
I have been to the beaches. Cigarettes under sand if you even bring up one handful, the water dirty is has trash in it
MAFFSEA@reddit
Bulgarian beaches ARE EPIC...WTF??
anameuse@reddit
Yes.
Emergency-Help-5991@reddit
im bulgarian xd,probably the nature,food,the capital Sofia is great and the place is great for watching jack
Prxgstvr@reddit
The pros:
The cons: sighs and prepares to talk for 2 hours
IllustriousShirt6730@reddit
It's a part of the EU, so you can easily migrate to Western Europe.
SerbOnion@reddit
Nothing
Am_aBoy@reddit
Rakia
(Or so I've heard am not a drinker)
YourFath3r@reddit
Torrenting.
marosszeki@reddit
How can you get by without Bulgarian?
ianishomer@reddit
As an immigrant from the UK, I would say, apart from the obvious cheaper cost of living, beautiful country, not as crowded, less traffic, better weather, less crime and better food.
Agitated_Cell_7567@reddit
When I am selling Ford, always some Bulgarian dude comes and buys it. I love that.
P.s. I AM SELLING FORD NOW, CONTACT ME!
Damaged_Kuntz@reddit
Nothing
andraso123@reddit
If you are talking about Sofia, I'd say that for me, coming from Poland to Bulgaria wasn't that much of a change. As every place you have pros and cons. For me, the biggest schock were very high prices of groceries given average wage here. Some parts, especially administration and banking , are at least a few years behind on technology. You feel like workers don't know a lot of things that they should have. On the other hand you have a pretty nice city that has good public transport, rent is pretty cheap, and people are pretty enthusiastic and open.
crisvphotography@reddit
Groceries used to be REALLY cheap around pre-COVID times. After Covid everything went up and the big corporations decided to inflate the prices of everything and they kept it that way, steadily rising ever since.
Cheap Groceries and Rent were probably one of the best things about BG
johnny-T1@reddit
I think Bulgaria is getting better.
Smooth-Fun-9996@reddit
I agree and its noticeable every single year and if you’re in the top 3 biggest cities then its really really noticeable
Smooth-Fun-9996@reddit
Low taxes, good food, good culture, good nature, vastly different cities and towns to explore, as well as climate everything except for overall development index and even that’s getting way better.
Saturn_550@reddit
Imagine Serbia with european integration and less nationalism + better gdp. This is it.
GreenLoverHH@reddit
Same as Romania - None.
silviu000lei@reddit
Has competition neighbor's about starving and poorly people's
adaequalis@reddit
if you live in rousse, a big positive is that you’re close to bucharest
s7ubborn@reddit
Майонеза Краси
Mesenterium@reddit
The only correct answer ☝🏻
peev22@reddit
I’ve got a house with a garden.
Kanhet@reddit
I love that you also have tomatoes. I mean what is having family and friends but no tomatoes.
davidhasselhoff79@reddit
Awesome veggies in BG!
MAFFSEA@reddit
Up for BG tomats
Candy.
Bluebeardcat@reddit
The Weather.The Land.The Nature.
etnoexodus@reddit
Best Yogurt on the planet at dirt cheap prices. What more could you ask
Holiday_Sense_4842@reddit
I don't live there so that's a plus for Bulgaria
etnoexodus@reddit
Thanks bro
hayriyekurtuldu@reddit
They did not us
Bulgatheist@reddit
brother I genuinely couldn’t tell you
readilyunavailable@reddit
Nothing. Any positive is heavily outweighed by the fact that we are all disgusting and cruel people. People will hate you if you don't conform to their ideas. Soceiety is divided and heavily entrenched into their own class.
Constant-Twist530@reddit
Woke culture not being tolerated.
Amazing nature - from the highest mountain peak on the Balkans (Musala) to a relatively big sea coast with a decent amount of resorts.
The country is still developing, therefore, there are lots of niches that are improving - lots of business opportunities. If you have the necessary skills and experience in your profession, you can make good money as well (at least in Sofia).
Things have generally developed a lot since we joined the EU. I may be biased as I live in the capital, but I studied in a Western European capital in uni, and I can say that the difference isn’t staggering anymore. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of annoying things as well, but we are definitely going in the right direction.
Terrible_Wrap1928@reddit
tf is woke culture
Jakdublin@reddit
Racism and homophobia
Misztral@reddit
What’s woke culture?
nariofthewind@reddit
From what I’ve understood is more of a balkan/eastern europe countries thing where society is not that inclusive with people with disabilities, those of other religious groups or people with different sexual orientation.
Sweaty_Ad4296@reddit
As far as I can tell "woke" is anything Christ would do. The anti-woke crowd definitely is just anti-western and anti-christian.
Misztral@reddit
Sounds like a shit thing to be proud of not tolerating
Aggressive_Limit2448@reddit
And no ethnic tensions and social insecurity like in N.Macedonia or others. It's seems more prosperous and more calm life.
Capital-Possible2573@reddit
Ahahahahah
ivanivanovivanov@reddit
Stability in mediocrity.
Mmakelov@reddit
New national motto
Ishotthefuher@reddit
Its not France
tengrici_anchois@reddit
Not living in Turkey...
Character_Hamster890@reddit
People are really nice and friendly.
Pub food is good and drinks are really good.
Cars are cheap.
Weddings are lovely.
vdshark@reddit
do you like doing whatever you want without anyone to judge you?
soviet_bias_good@reddit
As their neighbour I would say absolutely nothing, but unironically it is a country with beautiful landscape, (mostly) nice people and a rich culture.
GreenMachine424@reddit
Not living in turkey
Additional-Penalty97@reddit
That you can leave it freely?
Additional-Penalty97@reddit
That you can leave it freely?
Natural_Tea484@reddit
You are near Romania 😄
Sorry my Bulgarian brothers, I couldn’t helped it
Kalatapie@reddit
No.
lavenderlovey88@reddit
beautiful nature, better weather than where I am in, fresh food, people there are more approachable
Amazonce@reddit
Strip Clubs on every corner
DrawingFrequent554@reddit
plivanje za časni krst
oN_disordeR@reddit
They have best speed on the world. I love it
amigdala80@reddit
lots of free space
Catire92@reddit
Wait, there are positive aspects?
pico_particle@reddit
I lived in Sofia for a year - unfortunatelly Covid arrived few months after me 😂 and I don t think I got to experience it for the fullest. But the things I got to see were nice - mountains, food, perfumes..
alecpu@reddit
If you have a remote job and don't have to commute Sofia is actually super fun, there is a lot to do, you have quick access to nature.