Moving to South Africa from Bulgaria
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Bulgaria to South Africa — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Bulgaria to South Africa, you would find that South Africa is 10.3% more expensive than Bulgaria overall. A BGN130,000 salary in Bulgaria would need to be roughly ZAR1,360,000 in South Africa to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. You’ll also switch from driving on the right to the left. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Pretoria averages 77°F vs 59°F in Sofia, making it significantly warmer.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Bulgaria to South Africa.
What does your salary buy?
BGN130,000 → ZAR1,360,000
To maintain the same standard of living in South Africa
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 19.4% less
Groceries
pay 4.9% less
Transportation
pay 28.6% more
Housing
pay 34.3% more
Childcare
pay 37.1% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.6% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in South Africa cost about 8% more than cities in Bulgaria.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Bulgaria to South Africa, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to South Africa?
Top countries of origin for South Africa's foreign-born residents.
- 690,243
- 350,463
- 192,008
- 94,119
- 67,382
- 63,892
- · · ·
-
43.4,738
Bulgaria
Key Indicator Comparison
How Bulgaria and South Africa stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
of residents who feel safe walking alone at night
per 100,000 people per year
Bulgaria performs better than South Africa across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Bulgaria generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Africa leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Bulgaria generally does better on environment, though South Africa leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Bulgaria performs better than South Africa across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Bulgaria performs better than South Africa across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Bulgaria generally does better on family life, though South Africa leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), National Revenue Agency, Bulgaria (2016), South African Revenue Service (2017), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Sofia | Pretoria |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/28°F (6°/-2°C) | 83°/64°F (28°/18°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/48°F (20°/9°C) | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 77°/55°F (25°/13°C) | 72°/47°F (22°/8°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) | 79°/60°F (26°/15°C) |
View all months
| Month | Sofia | Pretoria |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/23°F (2.2°/-4.9°C) | 84°/65°F (29.0°/18.1°C) |
| Feb | 41°/27°F (4.9°/-2.9°C) | 84°/64°F (28.7°/18.0°C) |
| Mar | 50°/33°F (9.8°/0.3°C) | 81°/62°F (27.3°/16.6°C) |
| Apr | 60°/41°F (15.7°/4.8°C) | 77°/56°F (24.8°/13.1°C) |
| May | 69°/48°F (20.3°/9.0°C) | 72°/48°F (22.4°/8.7°C) |
| Jun | 74°/54°F (23.5°/12.1°C) | 67°/41°F (19.6°/5.2°C) |
| Jul | 79°/57°F (25.9°/13.8°C) | 68°/42°F (19.8°/5.3°C) |
| Aug | 79°/56°F (26.0°/13.4°C) | 72°/47°F (22.3°/8.2°C) |
| Sep | 73°/51°F (22.6°/10.4°C) | 76°/53°F (24.4°/11.8°C) |
| Oct | 62°/42°F (16.6°/5.7°C) | 77°/57°F (25.2°/14.0°C) |
| Nov | 49°/34°F (9.6°/1.2°C) | 79°/60°F (26.0°/15.4°C) |
| Dec | 39°/27°F (4.1°/-2.7°C) | 82°/63°F (27.9°/17.0°C) |
Data:
National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology,
South African Weather Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Bulgaria and South Africa. To live, work, or study long-term in South Africa, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check South Africa's immigration authority.
Bulgaria passport holder visiting South Africa
Visa Free
South Africa passport holder visiting Bulgaria
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in South Africa than Bulgaria?
Day-to-day costs in South Africa run about 10% higher than Bulgaria on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to South Africa?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a BGN130,000 comparable salary, that's around ZAR340,000 in South Africa for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from South Africa?
With 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, South Africa can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Bulgaria and South Africa.
Is South Africa safe for expats?
Bulgaria performs better than South Africa across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in South Africa is 43.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.1 in Bulgaria. About 37% of people in South Africa feel safe walking alone at night.
How is healthcare in South Africa compared to Bulgaria?
Bulgaria generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Africa leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people in South Africa, compared to 43.3 in Bulgaria. South Africa scores 71 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Bulgaria: 73).
What's the weather like in South Africa compared to Bulgaria?
The average high temperature in Pretoria is 77°F, compared to 59°F in Sofia. Pretoria receives around 27.0 in of rainfall per year, while Sofia gets 22.5 in.
What language do they speak in South Africa?
The official languages in South Africa are Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. In Bulgaria, the official language is Bulgarian.
Compare further: Bulgaria vs. South Africa
At a Glance
BG
|
ZA
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Population | 6,433,302 | 64,747,319 |
| Currency | Bulgarian Lev (BGN) | South African Rand (ZAR) |
| Languages | Bulgarian | Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu |
| Driving side | Right | Left |
| Calling code | +359 | +27 |
| Time zones | 1 | 1 |
| Emergency number | 112 | 10111 |