Average salary in Bulgaria in 2021

Moving to Bulgaria for permanent or temporary residence is becoming more and more popular among Russians - after all, this country has a pleasant warm climate, a friendly population with a Slavic mentality, an understandable language (many Bulgarians also speak Russian), and a well-developed infrastructure. In addition, the country is a member of the EU, which means that its citizenship opens up many prospects. To be able to plan your budget for a new place, it is worth considering what is the average salary in Bulgaria in general and for representatives of different professions.

Job prospects

Considering the possibility of moving to any country or leaving for work, first of all it is worth finding out the situation on the labor market. As of the beginning of 2021, migrants from the countries of the former USSR have the most access to such work in Bulgaria:

• IT sphere: programmers, system administrators, testers, web designers, and so on;
• construction: handymen are usually required, but specialized qualified specialists will also not be left idle;
• production: the country has a high need for engineers with high qualifications and rich experience);
• low-skilled labor in the service sector.

In other sectors of the economy, preference for employment is given to residents of the country. Even in the holiday season, hotels and restaurants primarily try to recruit staff from Bulgarian students. The same trends are observed in other summer seasonal work, such as harvesting. In this regard, Bulgaria differs markedly from Poland, which is similar in level of development, where any migrant can quickly find a job at a factory, shop or farm.

Bulgarian minimum wage

The minimum wage in Bulgaria in 2021 is set at 560 leva per month, which corresponds to about 260 €. This indicator is calculated for a working day with a duration of 8 hours. From January 1, 2021, the minimum wage per hour in the country is 3, 37 leva, that is, you can earn at least 6720 leva per year.

If we compare this value with the indicators for previous years, then there is a sharp increase in the minimum wage in Bulgaria - by almost 10% compared to last year and slightly less than 50% (namely, by 240 leva) in less than 7 years.

Despite such positive dynamics, in terms of the size of the minimum wage, Bulgaria continues to yield not only to the locomotives of the EU economy (in France the minimum wage is 1,500 euros, and in Germany - 1,470 euros), but also to most other Eastern European countries. So, in Romania the minimum wage is 407 €, in Hungary - 418 €, and in Poland - 520 €. At the same time, the Bulgarian minimum wage is noticeably higher than in Russia (148 €) and Ukraine (131 €).

Average salary in the country

Of course, for a correct answer to the question, what is the salary in Bulgaria, it is not enough to consider only the legislatively established minimum wage. In practice, this amount per month is earned mainly by representatives of professions that require the lowest level of qualifications, while the majority of citizens still have a noticeably higher level of income.

To roughly estimate the level of salaries of residents of Bulgaria, you can use the value of the average salary, which is calculated monthly by the National Institute of Statistics of the country. As of the beginning of 2021, this figure is 1077 levs per month, which is approximately 550 euros.

This is more than 5 times lower than the average income of the French (€ 2,957) and Germans (€ 2,867), and almost 2 times lower than in Romania (€ 1003) and Hungary (€ 1054). Slightly higher than in Bulgaria, the average salary in Russia (560 €). But Ukrainians and Moldovans earn almost one and a half times less per month than Bulgarians (290 and 310 euros, respectively).

Nevertheless, it is not worth talking about Bulgaria as a poor country, since the low level of wages by European standards is compensated by very low prices for food and utilities (in recent years, the cost of these services has shown a steady decline), as well as low taxes.

Therefore, if we consider the average income taking into account PPP (purchasing power parity), then in Bulgaria it turns out to be even slightly higher than in Hungary (1400 and 1200 US dollars, respectively) and is approximately at the level typical for the Russian Federation.

Distribution of salaries by industry

Of course, the average salary in Bulgaria in itself says little, because people with different skills and qualifications usually earn different amounts. Therefore, it is worth considering the differences in the earnings of people employed in different industries.

A slight difference is noticeable, even if we divide Bulgarians into those employed in the public and private sectors. While state employees earn on average about 1094 leva (560 euros), then employees of private companies earn about 1072 leva (550 euros) per month.

The levels of the average wages of people employed in different key sectors of the economy are shown in the table.

All amounts are shown net of taxes.

Average salary level for different professions

In order to better navigate the situation on the labor market and to estimate in advance the level of income planned after the move, it is worth considering the distribution of the average salary in Bulgaria by profession.

For domestic staff, where it is quite possible to find a job for migrants without much work experience and qualifications, the salary level is unexpectedly high and amounts to about 300 euros for maids, 400 for nannies (with permanent residence in a family) and 450 for nurses caring for the elderly and sick people. ... Cleaning workers can count on an income of 16 euros per shift.

A handyman at a construction site receives 25 leva per working day, which is the equivalent of 12.8 euros. With a five-day working week, you can earn about 550 leva per month. The salary of a welder and other specialists is slightly higher and can reach 700 leva (358 euros).

Service workers make comparable money. Bartenders and waiters, for example, can expect a monthly income of 400 euros. Animators and hotel administrators are paid 500 euros. Restaurant chefs earn the most, with an average monthly salary of about 600 €.

The salary of a doctor in Bulgaria is at the level of the income of hotel personnel - about 500 euros, depending on the specialty. Nurses receive a little less - up to 475 €. Even lower (470 €) are the earnings of social workers.

In agriculture, you should count on a salary in the region of 370 €. If you want to work as a trolleybus, bus or tram driver, you will earn about 420 € per month.

An insurer, bank employee and other financial workers can expect salaries of 850 € / month. IT representatives earn the most: a junior programmer will receive a deposit of 460 €, in call centers you can earn about 800 € / month, doing copywriting or full-time SMM, you can expect an income of up to 1100 euros, and working in technical support you can earn up to 1200 € / month

When planning to move to the country for permanent residence, it should be borne in mind that the average pension in it is about 570 levs (almost 290 euros), and its minimum and maximum values ​​are at the level of 219.43 and 1040 levs, respectively; from 01.07. In 2021, the maximum pension will be increased to 1200 leva.

Distribution of salaries by region

In addition to professional differences, there is also a geographic inequality in the incomes of the population in the country. The average level of real wages for the largest cities in Bulgaria is presented in the table.

The above data show that the highest salary level in Bulgaria is in its capital - Sofia. The second place in this indicator is occupied by the industrial center of Stara Zagora, which is important for the country. The salaries of the resorts Burgas, Varna and Plovdiv are very slightly inferior to this city. Bulgarians living in Shumen earn the least of the inhabitants of large cities.

If we take into account not only cities, but also smaller settlements, then the highest average salary in the country is for residents of the South-West region (it is 1330 levs or almost 680 euros), and the lowest average monthly income is in the North-West region (852 levs). , which is equivalent to approximately 435 euros).

Thus, there is a noticeable difference in the incomes of residents of different regions (1.5 times) in the country.

Any information about salaries will be incomplete without taking into account the part of the income that is formally accrued to the employee, but then withheld in taxes and fees. As in most other countries in the world, the tax burden on wages in Bulgaria is divided between the employee and the employer. In this case, the employee receives the entire amount in his hands, and then is obliged to file a tax return by April 30 of the next year and pay the following taxes:

• income - up to 10% (if you submit your declaration in advance, you can get a discount of up to 5%);
• social - about 8%;
• for health care - 3.2%;
• contribution to the pension fund - 2.2%.

In total, the tax deduction from the income received in the republic will be slightly less than 23.5%. If a specialist receives an average salary of 1077 leva, then after paying all taxes and fees, he will have about 835 leva at his disposal.

It is worth noting that if both foreign and domestic income are taken into account when calculating the income tax for Bulgarian citizens, then people with foreign passports are required to declare only funds received in Bulgaria itself.

Conclusion

As of the beginning of 2021, the average salary in Bulgaria is 1077 leva, which is approximately 550 €. The amount of "net" wages in the country is about 23% lower than before the tax deduction. IT specialists and experienced engineers can count on a relatively high level of income in the country. When choosing a place to stay, it is better to focus on Sofia, the Black Sea resort towns and other settlements of the South-West region.