Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Massachusetts, you would:

Health

live 3.4 years less

In Massachusetts, the average life expectancy is 79 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2020. In Bulgaria, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 62.1% less money

Massachusetts has a GDP per capita of $87,892 as of 2024, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $33,300 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Massachusetts, 9.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 18.4% less likely to have internet access

In Massachusetts, approximately 91.9% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Bulgaria, about 75.0% do as of 2021.

View global rankings →

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Economic Analysis, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), The World Factbook.

Compare further: Massachusetts vs. Bulgaria

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Bulgaria is 47.2% cheaper than Massachusetts
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Massachusetts is about 5 times smaller than Bulgaria.
→

Bulgaria: At a glance

Bulgaria is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 108,489 sq km. The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
Read more

How big is Bulgaria compared to Massachusetts? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Bulgaria or United States. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.