# Study costs & money in Bulgaria

> Tuition, living-cost context, banking, taxes and practical money guidance for students planning to study in Bulgaria.

Source of record: https://versityspot.com/study-abroad/bulgaria/costs
Confirmation: 16 of 16 sections confirmed against their official source (last 2026-08-08).

## Bank Accounts

Euro adoption on 1 January 2026 ended the lev-conversion friction; accounts open with passport and the residence document, and the big banks run student accounts. A Bulgarian account eases dormitory and rent payments.

The personal number issued with residency keys into most services and the increasingly digital administration.

Three changeover details still matter if you arrive in 2026. The conversion rate was fixed permanently at 1.95583 leva to the euro, the rate the lev had been pegged at for years, so nothing about relative prices changed at the switch. Cash lev and euro circulated together only through January 2026, and the euro has been the sole legal tender since 1 February. And shops must display prices in both currencies until 8 August 2026, which is a useful sanity check against rounding-up while it lasts.

If you turn up holding old leva, they are not wasted. Commercial banks and many post offices exchanged them free until 30 June 2026 and continue to exchange them at least to the end of the year, though they may now charge. The Bulgarian National Bank exchanges leva indefinitely and free of charge at its Sofia head office and cash centres in Plovdiv, Burgas, Varna and Pleven.

*Source: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/changeover/bulgaria/html/index.en.html*

## Taxes

Bulgaria generally applies a 10 percent personal income-tax rate. For employment, the tax is calculated on the relevant taxable base after compulsory social-security contributions rather than simply taking 10 percent of gross pay. Payroll normally handles withholding.

Freelance, platform and self-employed income can involve different registration, social-security and filing rules, so get advice before invoicing independently.

*Source: https://nra.bg/*

## Common questions

### What should international students know about banking in Bulgaria?

Euro since 2026; a local account eases rent and admin.

### What should international students know about taxes in Bulgaria?

Employment income is generally taxed at 10 percent after the applicable deductions/contributions.