Average salary in Bulgaria 2026: BGN 31,239 a year

Reading the BGN 31,239 figure

The NSI number is a mean, so a minority of high earners pulls it above what a typical worker takes home. It is gross, before employee contributions and income tax, and it covers employees on a labor contract. It is still published in leva because 2025 predates the euro, so any euro figure you see for 2025 is a conversion, not a new statistic.

Pay grew fast: the 2025 average was 12.0% above 2024. Public sector wages rose 12.6% and private sector wages 11.7%. This release gives no median and no regional or industry split, so we cannot tell you what Sofia pays against the rest of the country. We do not publish salaries by job title either.

Against the 2026 minimum wage

Bulgaria's minimum wage is EUR 620 a month from January 1, 2026, up from EUR 551, according to Eurostat. That is 46.6% of the 2025 average of EUR 1,331 a month. The minimum has risen every year since 2022, when it started at the equivalent of EUR 332. The Bulgarian minimum wage page has the full history and the hourly rate.

What employers pay on an average Bulgarian wage

Two 2026 facts are confirmed by the State Social Security Budget Act and the National Social Security Institute (NOI). The maximum monthly insurable income is EUR 2,111.64 from January 1 to July 31, 2026 and EUR 2,300 from August 1. And no contribution is due to the Guaranteed Receivables Fund this year. An employee on EUR 1,331 a month is far below either cap, so employer and employee contributions apply to the full wage.

We have not confirmed the 2026 employer rate split for pension, health, sickness and unemployment on an NOI page, so we do not quote a total here. Ask your provider for the payroll breakdown line by line, and check it against the Bulgaria EOR guide. The employee cost calculator shows other countries side by side.

Using an employer of record in Bulgaria

Without a Bulgarian entity, an EOR employs the worker for you. Monthly list prices start from $99 at Native Teams (its help center says EUR 99) and reach $699 at Oyster (both checked October 16 and 18, 2026). Deel lists $599, which is $7,188 a year, about 40% of an average Bulgarian salary. At this pay level the fee is a large share of the bill, so compare the EOR price list before you sign.

For nearby markets, see Romanian salaries and Greek salaries, or the rankings in our EOR comparison.