Living in Bulgaria

Rent, health cover and ways to get residency for a foreign retiree in Bulgaria, checked 2026-09-26.

Rent for a one-bedroom flat

City	Centre	Outside centre
Sofia	€691	€523
Plovdiv	€476	€343

Bulgaria has among the lowest rents in the EU outside central Sofia.

Healthcare

Residents who are not employed can pay into the public NHIF themselves; private plans are also cheap.

• NHIF, self-insured: €44–€169 a month

Residency routes

• EU registration (EU/EEA citizens): Register after three months with proof of work or enough resources.
• Type D visa for pensioners (Non-EU retirees): A pension and means of at least six times the minimum wage (about €3,700).
• Digital nomad visa (Non-EU remote workers): €31,000 a year from foreign work. One year, renewable once.

Tax on a portfolio

• Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026.
• Dividends are taxed at 5%.

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