Bulgaria: Home prices rise faster than wages – except in Burgas and Ruse
According to the NSI, home prices rose 15.5% in a year, while gross wages rose only 9.8%. Affordability improved in two major cities.
Symbolic image · Photo: Gligan (talk) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (cropped and resized)
In Bulgaria, homeownership is becoming less affordable for average earners. According to data from the NSI statistics office, home prices rose 15.5% year on year in the second quarter of 2026, after 14.8% in the first quarter. The average gross monthly wage increased 9.8% to 1,444 euros over the same period, according to the NSI. An analysis by the portal Smqtai compares the two series for the major cities.
In Sofia, the price index rose 13.2%, while the average wage increased 8.9% to 1,943 euros. In Stara Zagora, prices rose 15.7% and wages 10.4%; in Varna, 14.3% versus 12.7%. Burgas was different: prices there rose 9.1%, while wages rose more strongly, by 12.2%. In Ruse, home prices even fell slightly, by 0.8%, while wages increased 10.4%.
At the same time, the market is cooling in terms of sales. According to the Registry Agency, 45,312 real estate transactions were registered nationwide in the third quarter of 2026, 22.1% fewer than a year earlier. Financing continues to rely heavily on loans: the average interest rate on new housing loans was 2.42% in August, according to the Bulgarian National Bank, and the stock of housing loans grew 25.2% to 19.3 billion euros.
This article is for information only and is not legal, tax, financial or medical advice. Figures as of the date stated.