Ukrainian expats Yuliana and Yulia have detailed sharp cost increases in Bulgaria following the country's transition to the euro currency. Speaking in an online interview on Natali Velesevych's channel, the two women warned that the Black Sea nation is no longer the low-cost refuge it once was.
Yuliana, originally from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, relocated to Odesa following the start of the full-scale invasion before moving to Bulgaria with her husband in 2024. The couple initially lived in the resort town of Sunny Beach before settling in Varna, a major port city on the Bulgarian coast.
Yulia chose Bulgaria after spending three years in Portugal, leaving the Iberian nation due to a rapid rise in living costs. She found the Bulgarian climate and daily environment far more familiar, closely reflecting her former life in Ukraine.
Rising living costs and monthly budgets
Yuliana said that prior to the euro rollout, her family paid approximately 200 leva, or 100 euros, per month for utility services. During their first winter after the new currency took effect, those same utility bills doubled to 200 euros.
She added that while food prices did not double outright, the price increases remained clearly noticeable. According to her calculations, a comfortable monthly budget for two adults, a dog, and a car now totals about 2,000 euros, including roughly 500 euros for rent, 200 euros for utilities, and 500 euros for groceries.
Yulia reported higher overall expenses, paying around 900 euros per month for a two-room apartment featuring panoramic windows. Her monthly grocery basket consisting primarily of fresh vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat requires between 600 euros and 700 euros, while utility bills range from 120 euros in summer due to air conditioning to a record 200 euros in winter.
Buying real estate in Bulgaria is not always cheaper than options in Ukraine, according to Yulia, who noted that acquaintances purchased a compact 45-square-metre flat in Sunny Beach for 60,000 euros. Strict local parking enforcement has also caused trouble, with Yulia having her car towed twice, once near a cafe and later for mounting a curb, costing between 40 euros and 45 euros each time to retrieve from impound lots she had to locate with difficulty.
Local attitudes and healthcare experiences
Local reactions to the newcomers have varied. Yulia said her initial impressions were mixed because residents initially appeared harsh, including a car wash worker who shouted at her when she asked him to repeat instructions in English. She later concluded that such expressiveness reflected a southern Mediterranean temperament rather than personal hostility.
Yuliana encountered more direct hostility, recalling a gas station worker who heard her speaking Ukrainian and told her that she was only a guest in the country. On another occasion near a lake, a local man set a dog on the couple and demanded they leave Bulgaria, though Yuliana noted she has also experienced many positive interactions.
Navigating healthcare proved to be Yulia's most challenging experience after relocation stress triggered panic attacks. Treatment prescribed by a local doctor backfired, causing month-long headaches after ten days of medication, followed by tremors, convulsions, and a five-day period of severe insomnia.
When her condition turned critical and she requested an emergency ambulance, the crew refused to dispatch a vehicle and instructed her to reach the hospital on her own. Despite the ordeal, Yulia said she still views Bulgarian medical care favorably, considering her experience an unfortunate coincidence rather than a systemic failure.
Financial pressures across European host nations
The challenges in Bulgaria mirror reports from other European destinations hosting Ukrainian arrivals. A blogger focusing on life in Poland previously detailed similar financial pressures in Warsaw, where high rent and food prices absorb most earnings and make saving money on a regular wage nearly impossible.
The blogger also cited poor municipal tap water quality in Warsaw that caused noticeable hair thinning, alongside a lack of sunny weather compared to her hometown of Mykolaiv, a city in southern Ukraine.
