Pros and Cons of Living in Bulgaria - (An Expat Heaven or Hell?)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ค. 2024
- Welcome to another video! Today, I will be talking about the pros and cons of living in Bulgaria, specifically Sofia and Plovdiv. I'll further discuss whether Bulgaria is attractive for expats or not. As someone that moved to Bulgaria to start a business over 6 years ago, I have a lot to say about every aspect of life in Bulgaria. All of the pros can be taken as the main reasons why emigration to Bulgaria was my first choice. If you are considering residency in Bulgaria, then this video is for you.
So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of living in Bulgaria as an expat?
In my previous video, where I talk about why I left Greece and moved to Bulgaria (you can check out that video by clicking this link: bit.ly/3kaea1B), I’ve mentioned that Bulgaria is one of the cheapest countries in Europe, as well as that it has the lowest personal and corporate tax rates within the EU. Bulgaria has a flat tax system where personal and corporate tax rates are 10% across the board, which is why many people come to Bulgaria in order to open up a company or be a freelancer. So, if you have an internet-based business, then Bulgaria will not disappoint you.
Bulgaria is also one of the first countries to make it onto the list as one of the cheapest countries to retire to precisely for this reason. These are just two of the many pros of living in Bulgaria. It’s a country that has a lot to offer.
But what are the cons of living in Bulgaria?
As you can probably guess, one of the main cons of living in Bulgaria is connected to the very cheap lifestyle in the country. Bad infrastructure and corruption in Bulgaria are some of the main issues in the country, more serious ones anyway. In this video, I list many more, so that you can get a clear picture of what the negatives of living here are.
Are any of you living in Bulgaria currently? What are your pros and cons? Let me know in the comments down below!
If you would like to check out a specific part of the video, check out the timestamps below:
0:00 - Intro
0:54 - Taxes in Bulgaria
1:46 - Lifestyle and real estate prices in Bulgaria
3:43 - Transportation in Bulgaria
4:02 - Data in Bulgaria
4:37 - Parks and The City
4:51 - Internet Speed in Bulgaria
5:43 - Nightlife in Bulgaria
6:07 - Nature in Bulgaria
6:56 - The Taxi Service in Bulgaria
8:16 - Infrastructure in Bulgaria
8:48 - Renting in Bulgaria
10:08 - Banks in Bulgaria
11:37 - Customer Service in Bulgaria
11:58 - Restaurants in Bulgaria
14:19 - Corruption in Bulgaria
15:16 - Buildings in Bulgaria
16:32 - Outro
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out in the comment section and if you're looking for a consultation then click on the following link and fill out an application - jim.pastirmatzis.com/
Also, make sure to subscribe by clicking the link: bit.ly/3ByNnSa
Thanks for watching guys, and I will see you in the next video!!
All your cons are straight to the point. As a Bulgarian I am surprised that you have such an accurate perspective about our country. Prices are cheap when you are a foreigner but for the locals it's too expensive. For example most of the retired people struggle to pay their bills, medicine and food because the average monthly pension is around 200 euros.
Happy to hear that! Lots of people talk foreigners down when their opinion is shared because they were not born in the country but as far as I'm concerned, my opinion is as good as anyone's given my lived experience here.
Same goes for foreigners that came and spent a substantial amount of time in Greece.
200 euros? more like a 50-75 euros lol getting away from Bg at age of 17 was the best decision ever made
@@deadscene1 Ами как ще знаеш, че всъщност нещо се е променило?
@@deadscene1 thank god we have one less Leage Of Legends player in Bulgaria🤡
@@ChrisMyankov need to be offended by that? 🤣
As an American, I visited Bulgaria for a week after volunteering a month in Thessaloniki. I was impressed, enjoyed my time in Sophia.
Great video! Didn't even notice that it was 17 minutes long. Lots of facts and to the point. Me and my family are thinking of moving to Bulgaria so we are researching the country.
Hello, thanks a lot for the support. Glad you liked the video! I am sure you'll love Bulgaria as long as you can be a little patient with the negatives mentioned in this video.
What other content would you like me to put together?
Oh yes !
It is not everything in developement !
This World is going to fast in catastrofy .
Nobody is looking after comunism !
They don't like plain life !
Please take note. This video is mostly a take on Sofia. You are likely moving to the countryside and not all mentioned may apply.
I'm a bike guy and I had to switch bikes in Sofia and buy a mountain bike because the roads are super trash. Imagine needing a mountain bike to ride around the city.
Haha I know exactly what you mean - the roads do suck. Have blown a tire on the best car I drove and it cost me an arm and a leg..
Imagine driving a car hahahaha
I see this as an absolute win. You can do mountain biking in the city. Kind of joking, but I do like doing stuff like that. I can see how road bikers can be frustrated.
My friend, when you go to France, people expect you to learn FRENCH. So when you go to Bulgaria, please don't expect people to be willing to speak English :) I get it that it is frustrating, but you can actually make the effort to learn bulgarian. To be honest, bulgarian is actually a pretty easy language in my opinion (as a linguist who's studied alot of languages including thai I know bulgarian is quiet easy). Just make the effort to learn it :) don't expect people to HAVE TO speak english in Bulgaria, it's not even that people don't speak english, it's that Bulgaria is not an english colony. Trust me, in France or Spain it's even worse if you try to speak english :) So there you go, take a 1 hour bulgarian lesson a day and you'll be fine
Напълно съм съгласен!
Spain is definitely not worse when it comes to English, especially if we compare Barcelona to Sofia.
People should want to learn the global language to increase opportunity in their lives. Like it or not, Bulgarian is not a language that will give anyone benefit except if they decide to permanently live in Bulgaria. For your information I speak basic Bulgarian.
Should tourists and everyone that comes to Bulgaria for a few days or a couple of months learn the language or should the people that occupy the services market learn the basic global language? Are you trying to make your country attractive to foreigners or are you trying to disincentivise folks from coming here?
I would never ever ask someone to learn Greek if they are not going to live in Greece forever. It just makes no sense, there is no utility for that language anywhere else. But I would definitely encourage my countrymen and women to learn English.
@@JimPastirmatzisits also a bit about respect
No one is obligated to learn any country’s language if he/she speaks english. This is very pushy attitude…and I’m saying that as fellow European.
@@sovka8394 the world is upside down. moral is twisted and people dont follow basic social rules anymore. If you want to move country permanently its a sign of respect to at least know some of the countries language. to at least hold a simple basic conversation.
if not and people in theyre own country need to speak english instead of theyre mother language because theyre country is loaded with immigrants your just a ignorant fuck.
If you are Greek in Bulgaria you are not really a foreigner... So many Greeks here and almost every Bulgarian has been to Greece at some point.
Point is I have traveled and lived in several countries all around the world so I have perspective of what’s what. But regardless that’s true. Though coming from a small city, when I first came here it was a bit of a shock. Integrating and adapting wasn’t difficult for me.
Big difference between Sofia and the rest of Bulgaria too, i.e countryside/ villages. Though perhaps an honest title likd "Pros and Cons of Sofia and Plovdiv" would generate less clicks
Beware of Enosis
A very thorough and well-informed video. Thank you.
YESS!! FINALLY SOMEONE TALKING ABOUT THE BUILDINGS IN SOFIA! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!
Awesome video Jim, really enjoyed your point of view about Bulgaria.
Thank you! Happy you enjoyed it. Would you add anything to what was mentioned?
Awesome video Jim, really enjoyed your perspective!
Thanks a lot! Much appreciated!
Entering the Euro zone will be a big challenge for Bulgaria. To be honest, i prefer we keep the strong Lev.
Thanks, Jim! The video is so useful.
Thank you! Very happy to hear that. Let me know if there is any other specific content you’d like to see!
Amazing video…very useful and interesting….thanks for your sincerity 😀👍
Thank you!!
Thank you so much for this video! Learned a lot! I spent a few days in Bulgaria in 2013. Loved that part of the trip!
Fantastic! Happy you enjoyed the content!
Bulgaria has changed a lot (to the better) since 2013 so definitely would suggest you taking another trip if you enjoyed it that much last time around.
Is there any other type of content you’d like me to work on?
@@JimPastirmatzis maybe a video on the pros and cons of living in Romania?
@@dennisdelgado7350 while I’d love to do that, I have never lived in Romania. I’ve visited a couple of times and enjoyed Bucharest but I haven’t lived there. The video would need to be on my limited experience as a tourist and based on research which I don’t know whether or not it would be as credible as I’d like it to be.
A great video. The thing about the banks is a real cause for concern for someone who plans to settle in Bulgaria, or run a business from there.
Problems with banks are more annoying, than concerning. Your money will be safe. We have Eurobank Ergasias which is owner of Postbank in Bulgaria, not that I would recommend it.
I was purchasing a property and was introduced to the bank by the estate agent. There was no hesitation just plenty of paper work.
Man you are so spot on , I'm here 16 years and nothing has changed
Hey David! To be fair... some things have changed.
Small but important example is no more shootings in public from Mafia like back in the days you're referring to.. :)
Other good changes also, but progress is very very slow. Needs to be faster. There need to be policies that attract more people and incentivize current citizens and new generations to stay instead of leaving.
@@JimPastirmatzis after 16 years I'm selling up , found and bought a house in the Eger region in Hungary , I love BG but time to move on.
Videos like this have saved the relationship I have with my business partner. Thank you.
Hey! How so?
I found similar experience living in Sofia. Love all the big parks everywhere too.
What did you dislike about living here?
@@JimPastirmatzis The city, many buildings, roads, sidewalks, etc are still a bit broken and decrepit. Things are getting fixed slowly, but if there was less corruption at the higher levels, things would get fixed much faster and more private money would pour in. Many of the cars spew out dirty exhaust and noise. That's my main issues. Otherwise it's a very liveable city. Has the makings to be an amazingly beautiful city, not quite there yet.
@@EddyCroft It's because of the mayor. Eddy. It's because of the maaayor. She has been in office for more than a decade. She is old-fashioned, lacks motivation, modern vision, energy and most importantly is part of the GERB party (Borissov) which means lots of corruption. This woman has to really quit or else Sofia will never advance. Enough is enough.
This is so accurate! I agree with everything you said here.
I just have to point out that my experience with UBB was always good, they speak English and would always help me even when I’m abroad.
I like how objective you are. Thanks! :)
Thanks! So far I have found that there are specific branches that can be substantially more helpful than others.
My experience is that they don’t really speak English, for example one of the ladies speaks Greek so I go with that.
Generally good for Bulgaria, but they need to raise their standards. I like the new branches they have been opening in the malls. Very nice and modern. The older branches are no bueno for sure.
We have just moved here and yes, it is cheaper than the UK, but I wouldn't say it is cheap to live here. Everything is relative to the local income. Really interesting listening to other people's perspectives.
Yes, definitely. Actually expensive relative to income but inexpensive if you work on the international market or are a business owner with a business that does half well.
Are you in Sofia like Jim?
Prices in bg are soaring!
It's irritating to me as a "migrant" (I don't call myself an expat), when people say how cheap a country is. It's definitely not cheap for locals and it's imperative that foreigners realize this and don't insult locals by mentioning their ingorant opinion
Being vegetarian I was amazed to visit one restaurant in Burgas where there was a choice of 40 vegetarian dishes to choose from. Amazing, it's quaint... we loved Bulgaria. Love Sarafovo, Burgas. xxx
I live in Bulgaria and you have the best bulgaria video you are really honest
Thank you! Glad you like the video.
Let me know if you’d like to see some other content?
Great work Jim - you’ve got another subscriber :-)
Thanks a lot Michael! Glad you enjoyed the video! Let me know if you have any other suggestions on what you'd like to see!
Good point of view :)
Thanks!
Fine dining is possible, there are a lot of fancy restaurants (maybe no Michelin star), but you max. pay 30 % of Munich for example. They are just not on every street corner. If I like a restaurant, I take a contact card, and then decide next time, where I wanna go...after looking at all the cards collecting..But as living 7 years in Raion Oborishte, Sofia 1505, I can agree to most of what you are saying. Good job!
Thank you! I think there's also something to be said for what people consider fine dining here and then taking a step back and considering that on an international scale, people may not think the same. What do I mean by this? Looking at the 4 and 5 star hotels of Bulgaria.. they are not comparable to the 4 and 5 star hotels of most countries in the world. (especially capitals) The standard is just lower. So for foreigners used to actual 5 star hotels or fine dining etc, the "fine dining" scene here is not that great, it's why I said it's very very limited. A lot of the 5 star hotels here on the international scale would be considered 2-2.5 stars. So when we look at fine dining, it's important to consider the context of what people here consider fine dining and what people coming from all around the world do.
I moved to Bulgaria in 2010 and lived there until 2020. I have very mixed feelings about it, but in general I'm glad I don't live there anymore. The pros you mention are true, but IMO they don't compensate for the cons of living and doing business in Bulgaria. In these almost 10 years that I lived there I have seen the country go backward instead of forward. Bureaucracy and corruption seem to be the national sports and it just got worse over the years. The example of the banks you have is a good one. It all comes from the national bank making things difficult. I can give many more examples of where things became harder. Also the attitude of staff at government organizations shows me that one can take Bulgaria out of communism, but one can't take communism out of Bulgaria.
I never had a language problem, but that's because I speak Bulgarian fairly well. Also I lived in a very small mountain village and there were often problems with the supply of water and electricity. In Sofia and Plovdiv it's ok, but in other places the reliability of such facilities is very poor.
Finally I moved my company to Lithuania where there is a single regulator that's very open to innovation. Since I didn't and still don't believe that Bulgaria will significantly improve anytime soon, due to the political status quo and the mafia capture of government and society on all levels I decided leave Bulgaria completely in 2020. And I don't regret that decision at all.
That’s a pretty respectable point of view and good reason to leave.
While Bulgaria provides good opportunity, I also view more like a stepping stone rather than a permanent place to live. That may change in the future of course but for now, given the circumstances, I wouldn’t stay here forever.
@@JimPastirmatzis Bulgaria is shit . I say it as Bulgarian
That's right! Bureaucracy is a great drawback. Please, don't come here, it's awful. ;)
@@kirilmihaylov1934 I see only one shit here and it's you. I've been living in US for ~10 years. What can I say, I'm grateful i'm not born there and I live in Bulgaria.
@@habgeVRL God forbid someone says something critical of Bulgaria, my guy here is going to get his panties in a twist. Not that just calling the country shit is constructive in any sense in a conversation but based on your other comments, I can tell you it's folks like you that are part of the problem in not pushing the country forward. There are many positive things to say about Bulgaria but many negatives that the country and the people here need to address. If you're not open for constructive debate, you're part of the problem.
Thank you for this video, I liked it a lot ! I would love to live in Varna.
Hey Sven, thanks a lot! Glad you enjoyed the video. Varna is fantastic, we were there & around a couple Summers ago on vacation.
@@JimPastirmatzis Yes, I saw a few videos about Varna, and I fell in love with that City. I have never been there yet, though. I am 44, and I plan to get retired, by anticipation, in 2 or 3 years. I will live from my investments. I loose people from the COVID, and I think Life is too short and weak. I think Varna would be a good place to get retired, but I would like to find an activity over there. Maybe humanitary, or take care of the animal cause.
Nice video 👍
Thank you! Happy you liked it.
Do you have something to add to the points mentioned?
realistic point of view for all aspects of life
Thank you Tania! Would you add anything to what was mentioned?
@@JimPastirmatzis all good
Spot on, couldn't agree more with everything you said (I'm Bulgarian)
Thanks Bistra! Happy to hear that. I am doing a part 2 on this subject, is there something specific you’d like me to speak about that I didn’t in this one?
@@JimPastirmatzis thank you. I am looking forward to seeing part two. It's always interesting to hear another perspective, a different point of view. I have left the country 12 years ago, so I feel a bit like a foreigner myself every time I go back to Bulgaria.
I think you've covered a lot of topics. It would be interesting to hear what do you think about the service, e.g. in hospitality, and services(administration) available in Bulgaria.
Also, how difficult or easy is it for an expat to learn Bulgarian of they wanted to?
What about the infrastructure in the country and Sofia?
Thanks
Great video! I'll add a poor air quality, especially in winter
Thank you for the information. Realistic and informative.
You’re very welcome! I’m planning on shooting an updated version soon! Stay tuned!
@JimPastirmatzis perfect. Please may I request a video on countries to relocate to, for teachers. I am an English teacher from South Africa researching countries to relocate to. I have 3 dogs who will move with me. Before your video, I never knew a thing about Bulgaria so I really appreciate your content as it is research from the comfort of my home. Thanks once again.
@@user-dm8vb1xv7i sounds good! I can only speak of countries I have lived in and done a ton of research in, so my opinion may be slightly biased even though I try to balance it. But you got it!
@@JimPastirmatzis no problem. No knowledge is wasted knowledge. Look forward to your new videos.
This video was super useful. This is great content for the TH-cam community as more and more people in UK are priced out of home ownership.
As for the language thing, my understanding is that you’re saying it would help them economically if they taught English more. You want the best for Bulgaria.
Thanks for the great video 👏🏼
Glad you liked it! Thanks for the kind words.
Make sure to check out a more recent version I shot a few months back.
Best of luck to you!
The issue with bad maintenance of the block of flats is quite common in most of the post communist countries. The problem is due to national psychology issues and lack of regulations. Once a flat is bought, the owners can modify the facade as they want, even if it is in a completely different colour or style. The owners of flat are not eager to pay for shared maintenance and the results are obvious. If proper regulations are put in place, the towns and cities can look much better. However, the buildings in Greece and Cyprus are also not the best in terms of architechture and style but at least they have a white paint not terribly flaking.
What kind of regulations do you think would work in these situations?
Haha, yeah I've seen many Greek to pretend to build a new floor to their house and some irons are always stickibg out of the top of their houses. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is done by many because if in Greece the house is not finished the taxes are lower or something like that?
@@JimPastirmatzis I think any new regulations would be just waste of money. There are E.U. programs where we pay some part and the goverbment pays us some part, but most Bulgarians are not at all interrested. In my building I asked a couple of people, but no one cared. I even repaired the basement with my own funds which is cool I enjoyed it and learned a thing or two about floor leveling, plastering, soldering, tile placing. Most Bulgarians you might have noticed don't care much. We have this post aocialist way of thinking "not my job, we live in democracy you're free to do it if it bugs you" which is good because we don't waste too much time. When I think deeper about it I believe that if people want change we should bring back military conscription/training. We used to have building units inside the army and they built whole buildings during their training which is a very valuable skill. I don't see anything wrong with having military conscript it's still present in Greece and Turkey so I see no reason for it to not be mandatory here.
The immediate thing that hit me (and I am loving Bulgaria), but a con is that it's very hard to get transport online. Uber doesn't seem to exist, and busses and trains, you have to physically go to the bus station. Things are inconsistent with busses and stations are confusing. Though I am aware that you can book online with the main company (Imperial something?) It takes a long time to get anywhere on public transport.
The road network is pretty good, and the larger roads are better than the roads in more developed countries like the UK. But going off them they can quickly deteriorate. I found the standard of driving to be okay.
Waitress service seems to be very good, shop and petrol station a bit cold, but that could be more down to my language barrier rather than their service.
Oh and it seems to rain a lot in June apparently. Proper humid and stormy weather.
Not having Uber is because 2 of the biggest taxi companies OK and Yellow are owned by people close to two of the biggest crooks in BG politicians Borisov(his friend owner of OK) and Peevski(he himself is the owner of yellow). Maybe it's good for you to know that we use an application called maxim which is the Russian alternative of Uber. Prices are maybe 20% cheaper. Enjoy it, I use it on a daily basis.
I think it is fair to say that the Bulgarian railways' website is very decent and offers the possibility to buy tickets online. I used it several times, and it works fine.
Well, the thing is that Uber is actually illegal in all of Europe, but Bulgaria is one of the few countries that it is actually banned, mainly because of the affordable taxi services.
Public transportation in Sofia is actually quite good - every point in the city is reachable for a max of 40 minutes of travel, I don't know what inconsistencies you have found. Other services on the other hand are notoriously bad - restaurants, hotels, spas, administration, utilities, supermarkets - all of this is the worst of the worst possible from what I have ever seen anywhere in the world. As a Bulgarian I am quite surprised that you weren't made feel like an intruder in a restaurant for instance :)
Thanks very much Jim for your detailed information. I have a property near Tutrakan town. North East . Bulgaria and looking forward to moving permanently there next year. Greetings from James J in Limerick city Ireland
Amazing! Hope you enjoy!
What do you enjoy about Bulgaria?
Thanks for making a video about my country and home town, Jim. ^_^ Best of luck to you, hope Bulgaria is working for you and you're enjoying it.
Thank you Stefan! Love Bulgaria! Do you disagree with anything mentioned and would you add anything else to the pros/cons besides the aforementioned?
@@JimPastirmatzis, you're right about everything you said - the good and the bad. I hope there is enough of the good here to make you stay. Best of luck.
Nice video Jim
Thank you!
over all great work man thank you. I am a citizen of BG and i had to learn bulgarian to be able to make things work there.
Great! I think that if you plan on living here forever it makes sense to learn the local language.
I don’t think foreigners that are coming here temporarily should.
I would not ask anyone to learn Greek who is coming temporarily (even for a couple short years)
You must learn the language in every country in order to make something work there permanently...take a look at UK, France, Sweeden, Norway, Russia, Ukrain....like how are you even surprised? ....
@@LeshshatziBlogspot no one is surprised here? Of course if you live somewhere PERMANENTLY you should learn the language. No one is surprised or disagrees with that.
@@LeshshatziBlogspotnot really.. totally depends on where you stay.
I've lived in Thailand for 2 years without knowing Thai. Lived in the Philippines for 6 years without knowing Filipino. Stayed in Greece for 2 years without knowing Greek.
All were totally fine. Everything worked. No issues at all.
Блъгодария и добре видео. Very candid view. 👍
Glad you enjoyed the video! Anything I missed?
@@JimPastirmatzis You covered your topics well. I’ll be passing through Sofia. I return Bg next-week and 10 days mandatory isolation awaits, O’the joy. :) Good to hear those whom live Bg, speak their mind upon situation that awaits many.
What about learning the Bulgarian language. Any tips on how to do that. Do you know any native english speakers who have become fluent in Bulgarian?
I find that the folks at www.bulgarianpod101.com/ do a decent job. :)
After so many years spent in Dubai, I have returned here a year back and do believe most of your remarks are spot on. The nature, the climate, the country as a whole is great, however the mentality leaves more to be wished for attitude towards work, very little flexibility take it or leave it attitude towards the tourists and the customers in general, the infrastructure as well as the renovation of the facades of the older buildings must improve at some point of time.
Agree, just uploaded a new pros & cons video. This one’s 2 years old. Lmk your thoughts on that one also.
Hey Jim, thanks for your video. I agree with most of the facts you gave meanwhile I believe we should be a bit more realistic with some of the facts.
You listed as a + that the taxis can bring you anywhere in the city for €5 - well not in Sofia! Not in 2017 even, when I used to pay €7--8 for a taxi from my neighbourhood to my school. Now it's even more expensive. Moreover, people watching the video will think that they are scammed when the taxi bill is around €12-15, which is not true. The prices have risen a lot and now would be even more expensive. I hope viewers don't get really confused, haha. You said that the taxi is cheap but the quality is bad - for Bulgarians, the taxi service is far from cheap (to be honest, it is really hardly affordable on a weekly basis) but indeed the quality is bad. It has a lot to do with the country's low incomes; therefore, the auto park is slowly renewed along with the increased salaries, but remain low still. Maybe it is just me but I do not really find it reasonable to mention the very low price for the service and meanwhile complain about the quality of the service. But I do agree with you that the quality is low.
Secondly, "okay nightlife" - yes, you said it right. Everyone has a different perception, that's alright. However, I would like to hear your opinion on the nightlife in the rest of Europe. Because if I should be honest - West & North Europe have 0, literally non-existent nightlife. Bulgaria (I am not sure about the other Eastern European countries), Spain, Italy, Portugal, and the UK have the best nightlife. Parties all night!, all types of music and activities are offered. And Bulgaria is famous for the nightlife around Western Europe, tbh. :)
Thirdly, Jim, would you go to a 5-star restaurant in Greece? I mean, apparently, it is a thing to go to this type of restaurant since you listed it as a - for missing but Southern Europe is famous for great dishes. I guess this kind of restaurant makes more sense to appear in northern countries where they have a lack of nice food but this part of Europe (south-east) is famous also with the traditional and tasty food (I am excl France & Italy due to the business activities there but Sofia is far from it. Besides Sofia is visited only because it is super cheap!) This is how I perceive it!
Then, I certainly agree with you - they really should think about the vision of the city because it is dirty and not maintained well. I wish they cared more, however !A fun fact! I believe it was last year in June or so the budget for the winter cleaning of Sofia was already spent. Then they needed to take another loan or find a solution to cover the expenses for the cleaning of the city in the (then) upcoming winter. So as you said - very corrupted! That is a fact and we all wish it changes but it is politics..
Lastly, I want to thank you again for the video! Most of your points I could agree with! Great job!
Martin!! Super appreciate the response.
You are right, taxi prices did go up, unfortunately no video can be correct with the passing of time on everything, however I still consider the taxis to be quite cheap compared to the rest of Europe. (prices went up everywhere not just Bulgaria)
Back when I moved here I literally almost never would pay more than €5 for taxi and I was taken all around the city. Btw while yes you are right, taxis are not cheap for locals who have local jobs with the avg salary, this video was made for foreigners looking to move to Bulgaria and have income from abroad - which would typically be quite higher than Bulgaria’s averages.
I think a lot of the things I mention are just what I have experienced rather than complaints as people want to have a general idea of what to expect. There are things in Bg that are cheap but service is good, taxis are not one of those areas.
I probably wouldn’t go to a 5 star restaurant in Greece not because I don’t want to but because I don’t have access to them much. I come from a very small city, you’re lucky to have a dozen restaurants in that city let alone a 5 star restaurant.
The last couple of years lots opened up though in Drama.
If we were to compare apples to apples and compared Sofia to Athens I probably would go to a 5 star restaurant.
I agree on your comment around nightlife.
Some of the information is redundant for some folks while other points are useful I think.
Again thx for being awesome!
More videos on the way this coming 7 days.
Hi! Thanks for the video . I’m now in Plovdiv , and I’m deciding should I stay here or should I try Greece , Thessaloniki or Komotini for example
Anton! It’s my pleasure.
Plovdiv is awesome. Love Plovdiv.
What are the deciding factors for you?
Yes, you can get some of the above in Plovdiv/Bulgaria, while others not.
Personally, I think it's worth going to Thessaloniki + Komotini for a couple of weeks, if you have the ability to stay for 1-2 months even better and decide for yourselves. It's quite difficult to make life-altering decisions from a data-standpoint sometimes. Lived experience is everything.
Great video! So accurate. The whole language thing I understand it from a Bulgarian perspective, however I totally agree that it holds the country back. I enjoy living in Bulgaria generally the people are very warm and welcoming.
Happy you liked it! What else would you like to see me talk about?
@PalesaT they really are! Even those monstrous employees dishing out vile customer service. Once out of their uniforms and away from work they become amazingly friendly and welcoming. What's your take on this?
@@albaniantruffles give us an example of rude customer support. It's about the attitude you show I guess. I speak very open and polite to all I even curse at the companies they worl for sometimes and they take it very well. Perhaps when speaking to them try explaining your beef is with the company and not with them and you will see how fast they will change attitude. Most Bulgarians love to spit together with you against the company they work for. I've worked in 2-3 call centers and I saw many customers put a smile on the employees face. We even sometimes put the calls on loudspeaker so the managers can hear the customers while laughing at the company policies. Velieve me you will never hear a Bulgarian protect the corporation he works for. In most sectors I gave whatever possible compensations to customers, vouchers, deductions in payment, sometimes even refunds without asking the managers. I repeat you have to make the customer support realize you hate the company plicies and bot them. If they can't help, you should just understand it's not up to them as in 99.9% of the time we will give you anything possible in order to harm the corporation and give from the rich to the less fortunate.
@@ia3078 wtf you asked me a question to get my attention? I'm not reading all that
As a Bulgarian, I would add that private health care in Sofia is great and cheap, but I'm afraid it's dreadful in other places. I also wonder how you'd rate the safety in Sofia and Plovdiv.
I would say it depends - I have only had private healthcare and I wouldn't say that it's always been great. Also, great compared to what? Public? If so then maybe we can agree on that.
I've always felt safe personally in Sofia and Plovdiv, walking at night let's say in most places, but I am a young man - I have had several women tell me the complete opposite regarding how safe they feel. Crime stats don't put Sofia as a super safe place, but then it depends again what you compare to. It's nuts in several parts of the U.S. for example, I'd pick Sofia every fucking day than most places in the U.S.
Just watched the video. I just came from Athens, a city where I used to live on and off for few years because I was tired from how things work in Greece.
Recently had a case with police in Athens and as a foreigner I understood I'd not feel safe there. The owner of the houses which I rented broke the door and started to throw my belongings. Police in the end in Vyronas was just kind of not taking things seriously as I'd have expected. So I wonder what would be a case with police here in Bulgaria, after I heard it in the video...
For the rest I'd add that roads are just terrible in Bulgaria. I cams from Athens to Varna by car and I got really down. Having in mind that for driving outside of the cities in Bulgaria you must have electronic vignette. I was asking WHY. Some roads just a memories of the roads that were built decades ago.
In general Greece inspite of everything was giving a nice happy enjoyable feeling to live (without the necessity to deal with some other things as I described above) and Bulgaria doesn't give the same first impressions. Maybe exactly because of too many neglected communist building and the weather that's far too different in my opinion
Hi Jim,
Thanks for the video and also coming and living here in Bulgaria. Hope you have a great time here and also good for business.
I agree about the buildings. Since most are not well maintained, it is unpleasant to look at and just a pity. Hopefully it will improve.
About the corruption I disagree. I think most of the bad image is because how things were 10-15 years ago. Currently I do not experience corruption with police, etc and have never needed to do it. But it is just me, may be other people have different experiences. I just think it is a bit unfare to say Bulgaria is corrupt just based on other people's stories and not your own. If you have seen it personally OK, but it looks like you haven't.
Keep posting!
Hey Angel! Appreciate the comment. Loving Bulgaria for sure.
I think one doesn't need personal experience to make an observation on something like this. It's pretty well known in the Bulgarian community that there is corruption in several different sectors; a good example is the roads and the road business. The privitaziation that took place many years ago - and there is nuance to this, not just random claims.
If you haven't experienced trouble with the police that's good, I have seen things as well as heard things that allow me to shape a different opinion. That doesn't mean either of us is wrong. There's quite a lot to be said about Bulgaria, I think if one looked at Bulgaria, its infrastructure and the way the country functions, did a bit of research and came to the conclusion that there is absolutely no corruption, (in present or in the past, regardless of if it's increasing or decreasing) then that would be quite naive in my opinion.
My opinion on the subject of course is that police should always be responsible and professional and uphold their duties for the protection of all the citizens. If I am in the wrong legitimately, then I should have to pay a fine. I find that they replace "warnings" sometimes here with worse alternatives.
Anyways, appreciate the comment.
Many friends of mine have good experiences with the police. It is normal to sometimes forget to renew some paper or insurance. Traffic cops can really save you some money. For build8ngs I agree. We don't have good habits of maintaining them. In Spain and Netherlands I saw construction workers demolish the inside of a building and keep the outside facade and renew it for cultural reasons. To be more precise I've seen it in Malaga and in Utrecht.
Dude the system is so corrupt ,slow and chaotic that u can spend a whole life tryimg to do somple things
U must be mad to do business here of any kind
It depends on what type of business. If it’s not a restaurant and it’s an online business it’s really not chaotic at all doing business here.
Thanks, very informative video. I plan to relocate to Bulgaria from Ukraine after the war.
1. You've mentioned dogs. What about cats?
2. Why did you move from Greece to Bulgaria? From the outside perspective, seems like Greece is a better place to live.
3. Are there any modern and customer-friendly neobanks?
4. What about fees for Swift transactions?
5. What about healthcare?
6. What about services for children? Kindergartens, schools, universities?
Hello, some of these topics are covered in the few other videos on this channel make sure to look for them.
I think cats are known as more destructive on furniture than dogs so I believe there would be a negative bias there accordingly but generally speaking pets may cause hassle finding a place to live. There are places, but you’d need to search a fair bit more than if you didn’t have a pet.
Im recording a video on banks soon. Stay tuned.
You have stray dogs and cats everywhere bro. Very friendly animals. Greece has 300 billion EUR debt from only the past 10 years. We are tied to the E.U. banking system so it's all fine. You can use absolutely any type of card including some online transfers such as revolut.
Swift trabsactions work just fine. Different banks gave different fees. But you better use Paypal and Rev9lut for such transfers. If you work and pay taxes healthcare is included you receive 2-3 almost free dental visits almost no need to subscribe in advance like in western Europe and for example for kids everything is almost free. Unless it's some type of surgery I guess. With kindergardens you'll have a problem in Sifua, but in province it's very cheap and many open spaces. In schools no worries we don't segregate people so we even have a Ukrainian school (such a shame and double standart that Ukraine forbid Bulgarian, Romanian, Hungarian, Russian minorities to learn their own languages in their own schools isn't it?) Schools are free. You have to however buy the books. Uni are very cheap for one semester in Sofua uni usually taxes vary between 150EUR abd 300EUR unless you don't speak Bulgarian (but for your family it would be no problem bro, it's a very easy language for other Slavs). After all we were socialist so we have one of the best prices in Europe in both education and healthcare. We just ask you when you relocate to burry the racial hatchet. We enjoy both Ukrainians and Russians and I strongly encourage you to negotiate. I don't know if you noticed but we may be the only country in the E.U. to ban willingly Russian gas and we give best conditions to Ukrainian refugees, but we don't support you fighting each other for someone else's amusement and you know whose. Kiev regime did many wrongs to minorities and they should not be the face of your nation. We just took down our parliament yeaterday for conducting U.S. politics in our otherwise friendly to the U.S. and Russia nation.
Bulgarian here. I will only talk about the English language issue - the reason why most customer service does not speak English is because the companies do not want to pay high salaries. I work with English and my salary varies between twice and trice the salary of a CS agent with only Bulgarian.
In addition, the general population does not learn English and even if someone knows it, it will be at an abysmal level. Don't get me wrong, you will understand them, but no self-respecting employer will hire them for their English-speaking skills.
Yes, I think that for the most part what you and I said are in alignment.
At the same time, I think it’s a poor excuse to put it all on the employers. The very good restaurants only have staff that speak English. They have different standards. They also pay differently than the small restaurants. Basically with English you can get access for example to the better companies with higher standards and higher pay, while at the same time allowing you to serve international customers. Someone who makes it hard to serve me in a restaurant will generally not be tipped compared to someone who will.
There are several advantages, people are just comfortable either saying: “You learn my language” or “I am not paid enough for this”
You don’t learn English just for your employer. It literally unlocks new doors to a whole different world.
Happy to hear you get paid x2-3 I’ve definitely seen that around the globe. CS is something you can do remotely for an American company or international. Instantly gets you paid in the multiples of what you’d get out here.
You are right and that's exactly the problem. In Bulgaria knowing English is considered some special skill, while it should be general common knowledge.
@@arjanvaneersel
Even if you are familiar with English they think that it is evil thing .
If you like to be good bulgarian you must use cirilic leters only !
They didn't accept even universal codification for latinic letters specialy constructed by Slavic oficial cathedrals !
They use mixture any king of letters that are looking easy to bulgarian pronanciation !
Not to speak that bulgarian letters are old fashionated from the time of Old Church Slavonic time , when bolgars adopt since they came to grab the rerritory of ramparted colonial Macedonia in Roman time !
@@voskreglavincevska3651 You have been taught fictional history lessons quite well.
I'm not sure what this post is about, but many Bulgarians who are hired for Bulgarian Customer Service either don't speak English for real or just don't want to waste their time with you because there is an English team. On most menus for example phone operators we have a separate menu for English speakers.
i live here and i think your very accurate with your video! I have been here 5 years and i do feel dissapointed in many ways, the moodyness of the people, the mentality of many is very old and unprogressive.. i am not sure i will stay here but now my kids speak bulgarian and i am not sure where i would like to relocate too if i did . but the nature is my favourite reason to be here for sure and the cost of living, the free time i get to live.
Absolutely, I can definitely see how Bulgaria can be appealing in many ways. It's a beautiful country, just like Greece, there are a lot of hardheaded people keeping it from good progress.
I think in order for you to find out where you truly love being, you need to travel - not sure how you travel now but there's nothing like lived experience.
For example; Budapest, Hungary - best fucking place in the world for me. Dubai UAE, probably my 2nd fav.
I always wanted to move to the U.S. when I was younger. I have been to a toooon of States, most of the East Coast and I can tell you I'd never move there. Your perspective changes with lived experience, travel more!
@@JimPastirmatzis i have been many countries and many dont give me the urge to live there, america iv been and i didnt feel it . aussie the same. I love greece... but not been to hungary yet. I dislike the communism buildings here in bulgaria , it pulls the energy down for me for sure more these days. i live in a village near the turkish border in south bulgaria and its very rural! i travel for work yes and i get around bulgaria alot... all my contacts are in sofia however i feel a heavy dissapointed on my feeling to move nearer a city as its not the nicest of cities. do you still live in bulgaria? or have you left now !
@@FaunaGraphic1 still here but only a matter of time before I leave Sofia and go to Dubai.
Highly recommend you take a couple day trip on good weather this Spring to Budapest. I have a feeling you will love it to death.
@@JimPastirmatzis okay I will , I willllet you know my thoughts 😸
As a bulgaruan I think your list is right on the spot. As an american I would like to compliment your english - you sound like a native speaker.
Thank you very much! I appreciate that.
Great video and very informative.
What do you do for a living are you a trader? 👍🏻🏴
Thanks a lot! I run a marketing business!
Doing some trading too but nothing crazy.
I am useless at languages, I couldn't learn Welsh despite being Welsh. From experience if someone does the "if they don't speak English I'll shout louder" approach then you will often meet with indifference, non cooperation and even hostility, in banks, hotels, shops etc. If you are willing to accept that it's your problem for not speaking the language and be a bit humble about it I find 95% of staff are very willing to try and help. (In the UK about 60% of staff will try to help)
I have had 4 staff helping me at a VivaCom office, all using their very limited English to sort out this old man problem. By the time they succeeded we were all laughing and I went home with everything solved.
Yes, except no one spoke of shouting louder as a result of people not speaking English.
The general comment is that English is the global language and people should want to learn it to increase their economical utility in the market as well as opportunity. I simply cannot understand anyone who is pushing for everyone to learn every local language of every country they go and live in.
I know countless people that go and live in several different countries over a 5 year period. (including myself)
Do the Bulgarians want to make their country attractive for foreigners to come and immigrate to as well as tourists, or do they not?
@@JimPastirmatzis the country is attractive to foreigners already, or so many wouldn't live there. To expect people in middle age (40 plus) to learn a third language (many were taught Russian in school) seems a bit self centred. We go to Bulgaria in order to benefit ourselves not them, why should they exert themselves to make our lives easier? I doubt very much that a shop assistant or bank assistant on a wage we would laugh at, has our convenience as a priority.
@@daistoke1314 have you seen the statistics? Bulgaria has a declining population, people are rushing out of here like mad for years now.
Also, in the capital of the country where there are tons of foreigners, companies should want their staff to speak English, the more people they can help the more money they can make. The shop assistants can have more opportunities in the market as well.
A lot of these people are bitching about not making enough money while their economic utility would go up substantially if they learnt English due to the opportunities and doors that would open to them.
You can keep calling this self centred or take a step back and realise how beneficial it is for the average person to know the global language. I think it’s quite self centred to expect every single person who comes through your country to speak your local language. I would never ever ask anyone to learn Greek unless they plan on living in Greece forever. What’s the point otherwise? Greek won’t be useful to anyone while the global language would be.
Some folks need to take the blindfolds off.
@@JimPastirmatzis I think what Bulgarians would like too are more jobs being given to qualified Bulgarians rather than imported staff. One reason for the loss of population, particularly younger better educated, is that not enough jobs in management levels are available. 50 or a hundred more foreign workers are worth less to Bulgaria than 50 or a 100 more employed Bulgarians.
@@daistoke1314 especially true on the coast. So many Moldovans and Ukrainians working there. This is not too much a problem in Sofia though where the video is based upon despite the title stating "Bulgaria"
Amazing and realistic video indeed. Like everywhere in this world, there are no perfect places. Imagine having the Greek beaches, the Irish salaries, the Bulgarian taxes and the Vienna architecture in one place :)
As for Sofia, yes, it indeed needs way much room for much improvement. Its biggest problem is the current mayor, who has been leading it for more than a decade. She is an old-fashioned, already tired, former teacher that lacks energy, motivation and guts for a change. Just like a walking zombie. She is also related to Borissov's GERB party, so you can imagine the huge amount of corruption she is involved with. The street renovations are made with cheap materials and do not last that long and they have to "repair the repaired" quite often. The old historic buildings are left to decay and some even being demolished. This woman is Sofia's cancer and needs to leave. Sofia needs a fresh and energetic mayor.
P.S and OT: If you are an old buildings architecture fan, then definitely go to Ruse. You will like it.
Absolutely! Thank you for your comment & insights. I don't know much about the mayor, unfortunately a lot of times, a city's/country's downfall definitely can be greatly influenced by administrative/government decision-making, (or the lack thereof) though at the same time I believe that the average person needs to be more responsible in a sense as well. Personal responsibility in this age has been completely forgotten of (Not just speaking of Bulgaria, but more of a global trend) and people tend to blame governments too much for everything negative.
I haven't been in Ruse though I've traveled all over BG. (I have only been through there in a trip to Bucharest)
I'm definitely interested in visiting, thank you for the recommendation!
i am taking a bus from Bucharest, Romania and arriving in Varna, Bulgaria on April 3, 2022. i have watched your videos, and i've determined this is the best place to transition to. i plan to spend up to 2 weeks viewing 1 bedroom apartments to buy in central Varna or close to it. i am using Facebook to try and connect with professionals involved in the apartment purchase process. some have websites with specific information, some do not. the only advice i'm getting on Facebook is to go visit there and get to know people and the area. any better or specific advice would be very helpful. i prefer to find out about people and businesses through the internet, but Bulgaria does not seem to have a Yelp or Google Review and Rating and contact Information system?
Hey! Not so sure about Varna, but I believe Unique Estates and Bulgarian Properties have some properties there as well. Google Reviews work just fine here in Bulgaria but not many people use Yelp to report businesses for sure. Nothing like in other countries.
Hope you enjoy the transition!
Great video, thanks! I'm considering relocating to Varna. I'm not talented with languages so don't have high hopes of learning Bulgarian. I'm a self-employed consultant with clients in Germany and the UK, so I won't need to work locally. But how hard will it be to live there with zero Bulgarian?
It’s manageable if you’re in the major cities for sure. It’s much better than half a decade ago.
But if you live here, I am pretty sure with minimal effort you’ll be able to pick up the super duper basics and that will make everything even easier. You don’t have to become fluent, though if you’re planning on relocating permanently, it’s generally a good goal to have to pursue overtime.
Did you find an appartment with central heating, Jim? I m scared to buy one with only electric heating or air conditioning (inverters) to try to get the flat warm. ...and I know you will have 3000 subscribers very very soon. Good luck and greetings from Madeira!
Hey! Thank you very much for your vote of confidence.
It largely depends on how many big the place it and slightly layout (for example the mansion I used to live in was half glass house so we would have massive heat loss to the windows)
Other than that if it’s a small apartment and especially if you have people living above and below you you should be fine heating and cooling yourself with just AC.
Penthouse I live in now for the most part we heat and cool with our AC.
Perfectly good with it.
I couldn’t agree more with you about the customer service in Bulgaria… it’s just non-existent 😤 we really have to fix that but the problem is the mentality of people..
In Bulgaria’s defense I have the same issues in Greece when I tried signing a wifi contract.
Yes, totally can agree.
Interesting but not surprising you had similar problems in Greece. I have also had problems many years ago when living in Greece but no where near the same level.
What issues did you face?
Same problems in Germany, Spain and Czech Republic. I don't blame them if they're not getting paid for English they are not obligated to speak it. It's a skill, so money talks.
In Netherlands as well. Especially in government structures absolutely no English speakers I had to use google trabslate. In Spain once I got my documents robbed and the giys from the police department had the nerces to send me to the tourist center because I'm English speaker, but for their surprise I started speaking in bad Spanish. And Czech Republic as well I had one time an encounter with police on Karl's bridge for playing music out of a speaker. When I started speaking English they cursed me in Czech "f***in Bulgarian this is CZ not England" and so on, and so on... So it's not a Bulgarian thing, but a European one. Many people in Europe don't like people speaking in English in their countries and refuse to speak back. I totally understand them and it only urged me to learn German and Spanish to adapt to society better. Many immigrants in Bulgaria should try learning Bulgarian. My father is Peruvian and speaks perfect Bulgarian and he learned it in the 80s and bow it's the 21st century and there is no excuse to live somewhere and not speak the basics of the language in 6 months.
i'd like to know about the natural disasters in Bulgaria because I read they're quite common. Could you make a video about this? And can you let know now a bit about it?
No, not really
Very interesting video. I would subscribe all pros and all cons. The best thing - your list is amazing comprehensive.
Celebrated my one year anniversary in Sofia city center recently. Coming from Kyiv as a german with ukrainian residence i have at least two additional perspectives on the city.
Regarding (1) not a clean city. Compared to Kyiv, Detroit and Berlin it is competitive, compared to Singapore and Dubai it is not. (2) I liked your storys about the service level. So true when it comes to all kind of organizations. The bar around the corner offers a pleasant service. The bar scene here is quite nice.
2 more aspects i would like to mention. (1) Security as a citizen on the street is on a very high level. Seems to be true also for women. (2) People are quite open for communication. It is very easy coming in touch with Bulgarians. In he city center this works fine just with english. My simple russian skills are a fine weapon to break the ice in places nobody is speaking english. Nearly always funny.
Thx for the video
Thank you, glad you enjoyed the video!
Hi Jim, you did well on the Pros and some of the cons are justified smokey taxis, and buildings which needed plastering and a coat of paint but you really need to look at many of your other criticisms of Bulgaria.
Comparing Sofia and Budapest is totally unfair and lacking any objectivity. Have you forgotten that the Bulgarians were subjugated for 5 centuries under the Turkish yoke. Have you considered that communism brought ugly concrete buildings have you forgotten that Bulgaria did not receive any help from a “Marshall plan” or equivalent. You said taxes are low and thats right but if tax revenue is slow infrastructure takes longer to repair. What happens in Bulgaria happens for a reason. Remember also how many people have left Bulgaria to look for work or their futures !.
You talk about corruption well dare I say it your home country has been fiddling the books for decades. People haven’t paid taxes or have bribed officials in Greece also. Creative accounting and deceit enabled Greece to enter the EU. Even Mr Varofakis whom I admire admitted as much. Sorry mate but many countries have corruption. Look at Italy, 5% of the entire economy is in the hands of the Mafia and no one talks about it, Instead they focus on small scale issues in Bulgaria its ridiculous.
You talk about English language competence in Bulgaria, your not being fair or reflecting the current situation. Have you ever tried to get anything done in English in France…NO CHANCE and the french consider themselves cultured and educated. Im English from Newcastle and I find it amazing how all the utilities in Bulgaria have english language services. Ive had air conditioners installed, IKEA deliveries, speedy deliveries dentist visits and have done 100% of these and more solely with English. Whilst in quarantine I even had a call from the social services in English asking if I needed any shopping delivered. Impressed or what !.
You talk about fine dining, lets be honest fine dining is not a big thing across the balkans (including Greece) generally. The focus is on hearty, rustic, traditional fare made from fresh and tasty ingredients. We have good wines here and fantastic Rakia. If fine dining is desired then Western Europe is full of such places with prices to match. Having said that if you look there are some places which offer to the more discerning palate in the bigger cities.
I think like me you are probably a travelled person and as such are aware that all countries have strengths and weaknesses. Your mistake here is that your “Cons” are not really justified. You have to treat countries like people and accept them for what they are. Life is easy in Bulgaria and the quality of life is good and the Greeks know it as do the Brits.
Definitely appreciate your perspective.
Couple of things to mention:
Budapest and Bulgaria definitely not apples to apples, fair criticism.
Yes, I can speak about corruption in Bulgaria and there can be corruption in Greece. Both can be true, not sure what your point is here? This video is not a comparison between the two, but an overview of my opinion specifically about Bulgaria for those considering moving here.
On English - you're doing the same thing. I don't care what's happening in France, this is a video about Bulgaria. And in Paris, English is definitely more wide-spoken than in Sofia. That being said, I have been getting around with English in Sofia just fine (same in Plovdiv) but generally speaking, people should want to learn the global language to increase their potential in the services market. Folks should want to do this for their own sake not just for others.
Fine dining, same thing. This video is not made for folks in the Balkans, there are people from all over the world that come here. I co-run an immigration company, these are some of the questions we get. I am speaking of my experience in Bulgaria, we can't just sit here and start comparing to each and every other country. Taxes are low for example. Low as compared to what? Dubai? It's like commenting "Hey! Taxes are low? In Dubai it's tax-free!" - I am not trying to make a comparison more than give information about the country.
Life in Bulgaria is definitely great, if you have money. :) Some of the locals may disagree with you however. (Like the countless fleeing on an annual basis and some of those who want but don't have the opportunity to do so.)
Good rebuttal, the video author deserved it.
I noticed a lot of what you said especially the English part. Now they may not be paid extra for it yet the younger generations do speak good English. I have only speaking issue with my girlfriends parents 😂. I love that place can’t wait to live there.
Most Brits live in villages around VT, Yambol, Ruse etc. I see most Greeks head to other places, mainly towns and cities like Sofia, Sandanski and Blagoevgrad
@Maxik you ignorant fool, communism was only part of the problem for Bulgaria as I mentioned if you had bothered to read Bulgaria was subject to five CENTURIES of Turkish domination and suppression whilst Hungary were part of a central European empire. Learn your history you halfwit before you try to rubbish other peoples opinions.
I love you bro...From Malaysia
The major problem is that schools are or were really good, you learn a lot of stuff, but they prepare you to be an employee. The mindset is to go find a job and stick to it and fit your life to this salary. In the last years this changed but most of the key sectors are occupied by people/companies close to the government and that is the main reason average salaries to be so low. Just my point of view!
If everyone ran a business, there would be no market. Everyone would be a business owner ran by business owners. Besides that, not everyone wants to be a business owner and many people are perfectly happy working a job and having that balance. Running a business involves endless and constant sacrifice, absolutely no balance and the risk of going bankrupt if you fuck up. Working a job does not. Of course there are benefits also if you do make it work and become successful vs working a job.
Which key sectors of Bulgaria are occupied by people close to the government? Just curious and want to learn more.
The term “real estate” only applies to property when it is part of your legal estate, in other words when you own it. Rental property is a service, not part of your personal estate.
Excellent clear analysis of the pros and cons. The best review of the cons of living in Bulgaria I’ve seen. With regards to learning Bulgarian, French, whatever, I have heard the Dutch, in the Netherlands, wonder why anyone would learn a Dutch, a language only 14 million speak? I knew a college professor, here in Canada who learned Lithuanian….why? There are less than 3 million people in Lithuania. It might be nice in theory to learn a new language in a new country, but realistically practical? I dunno.
Hey! Glad you enjoyed the video.
And we definitely think alike on the topic of languages. Far too many people think emotionally and patriotically instead of rationally.
@@JimPastirmatzis that was kind of you. Since English is the only language I speak, I am a big supporter of people learning English!😀🇨🇦
Very good video. I live in Burgas, and here are very nice, however as you mentioned, many old building, that is still not renovated, or removed. I think this is a matter of the simple fact that Bulgaria is a poor country. I can however see, huge improvements over the last few years. Totally disagree on the street-level corruption however. Polie here will not take bribes anymore I think. The sentences now if caught are just to severe, and many getting arrested. I remember a case at the turkish burder, where 16 customs agents got jailed at once, because of corruption. Keep up the good work :-)
Thanks a lot for the insight! I am happy to hear that street level corruption is significantly better out there. I love Burgas we spent some time there 2 Summers ago.
Great place.
Bulgaria isn’t poor to be honest, we just have very corrupt government who gave away our riches to Uncle Sam 😊 under the Rodope mountains is probably the biggest deposit of gold in the world.
@@satka94 Bulgaria as a country is VERY poor. The gold you mentioned doe not belong to Bulgaria (any more) as the mining rights has been sold for only 3% of the value. Completely insane and I am sure there are corruption somewhere in that deal!! That being said, the people are not poor, so life is same as if you lived in Spain or Greece. I absolutely love living here.
Wonderful hearing Bulgaria is not any longer avoiding severe actions against corruption in police force.
I agree with you
you may have covered this, but just in case, any advice/recommendations for americans with pensions who want to retire in bulgaria? is it difficult? easy? quick? long?
Hey Irving! It’s not difficult to immigrate. There are a few variables this depends on but typically quite quick, all things considered.
Happy to look through the options with you - email us at immigration@offshorecapitalist.com
@@JimPastirmatzis thank you SO much, Jim! i'll absolutely be in touch within the next few months. appreciate it my friend 🙏
Would it be possible to start up a tiling business in Bulgaria
A lot of Bulgarians actually speak really decent English. I've worked for multiple companies created in Bulgaria by English and Americans. All of them were living in Bulgaria for 20 + years and never learned to speak Bulgarian, haha. Because they never really needed to, they surrounded themselved with fluent english speakers - their (bulgarian) wives, friends and employees. I find it hilarious 😂
Some foreigners do take the time and effort to learn Bulgarian, but for the most part, they can do perfectly fine with English.
France/Spain/Italy is definitely worse in that regard.
Hey! This is an old video, in my new video I do say that last few years this has definitely improved a lot in BG, especially Sofia and Plovdiv.
Hello, can you please tell me the best way to locate an apartment or house for a long term rental in Sofia. Is there a specific website or realtor that you would recommend for this? Thanks.
Hey, that would totally depend on what kind of property you're looking for, but basically imot.bg, ues.bg, luximmo, bulgarianproperties.com are all great places for you to go and find properties to rent long-term.
Good luck in your search David!
@@JimPastirmatzis Excellent! Thank you so much. Would you happen to know how much the VAT tax is on a real estate purchase?
It is Good one jim but I want to you to ask one thing that you are from Greece why you choose Bulgaria over Cyprus because it is great country and easy to locate as European and Cyprus has same Greek language also and it is somewhat Good than Bulgaria. And last question that you have there 6+ years have tou get Citizenship there like after 5 years you can get Citizenship or you have permanent residence their.
I'm considering buying land in Bulgaria to live off grid in country side as I own American RV and am currently living in Bretagne france 🇫🇷.
What would your advice be in regards to wrong property/land in Bulgaria and how to obtain residence?
Thank you
If you’re French then getting residence is insanely easy. Just go to local immigration office and they’ll take care of you.
You can contact a lawyer and they will accompany you as well to the couple places you have to go. Relatively fast and very easy process if you’re European.
Only advice Id give in general when it comes to buying property is finance it to ensure the bank does their layer of due diligence so if they are not interested in putting their money down, you shouldn’t either.
Due to private developers here, there’s all sorts of shady developments which look and sound good on first glance. You can even do your own due diligence with your lawyer but it’s always worth involving the bank as your interests are directly aligned in this transaction.
I do not agree at all. I grew up outside of Bulgaria and four months ago I wanted to know the country because I was interested in knowing more about my roots. I was in Sofia and I can only say wonders for this European capital. It is very clean, very well cared for and I have traveled quite a bit so I am totally objective. The apartment I was in was wonderful, small, but cozy and comfortable. For me the best countries in the Balkans are: Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. In the case of Bulgaria I see a great advance, and the great increase in tourism shows it. The people are very nice, I lost a 50 euro bill in Sofia and they returned it to me in less than 15 minutes. That hasn't even happened to me in Western European capitals. The delicious food, the fascinating architecture, full of history, in fact it is the oldest country in Europe. I fell in love with the country and now I am buying a house because I am definitely planning to live in Bulgaria. This country is an underrated gem.I have lived in many places and they all required me to speak their language. (In Spain I suffered racism because one day I made a mistake and spoke with a friend in Turkish, one of the languages I speak) I find it discriminatory that nationals are required to speak a language that is not their own and in their own land. English is not spoken in Greece and Turkey either. I've been to Turkey and they smoked a lot, in Greece the streets are super neglected and dirty, it doesn't look like Europe, it looks like an Arab country. Not to mention sexism in Greece.The quality of life in Bulgaria is much higher than other of its neighbors. Well, it barely has public debt, while Greece, for example, is totally ruined with the largest public debt in all of Europe.
There is a line between being critical and realistic and being fully anti/for something. In your case, your comment above does not make you sound objective in the slightest.
How much time did you spend in Bulgaria? I am happy that your impression was this great and there are certainly amazing parts of Bulgaria/Sofia. But I've lived here for several years and like you, I have traveled all around the world. I've also lived in a few different countries, not just traveled. We can totally have different standards which is okay, but Bucharest and Budapest are day and night in cleanliness compared to Sofia. You can't even compare. I am not commenting on Bratislava because I've never visited.
I can agree on your comment regarding Hungary. I have a special love for that country and would consider living there again. What fascinating architecture are you speaking of in Bulgaria? Very curious. When walking in the streets of Sofia, what fascinating architecture are you observing looking left and right?
The world has changed since air travel was introduced and commercially available. Tourism boomed, immigration became easier, travel obviously significantly easier, etc. I never said that all Bulgarians are "required" to speak English - rather that service providers should increase their standards in having English speaking staff to improve service for temporary residents/tourists, which is a totally reasonable proposition. How is that discriminatory?
I never had such problems in neither Greece or Hungary (and in the times I've visited Romania though I have very limited experience there)
I can't comment on Turkey as I've never been there, but Greece looks like an Arab country where the streets are super neglected and dirty? And you're comparing that to Bulgaria where the streets are super maintained and clean? 😂😂😂 Based on that comment alone I lost any interest in debating with you as I know you are in no way objective and don't have the faintest clue on what you're talking about. Curious as to which Arab country Greece looks like to you?
English is spoken in most parts of Greece and if you compare Athens to Sofia, English is spoken significantly more. (Most people in the marketplace speak English)
@@JimPastirmatzis The roads alone 😂
Interesting, I went there in 2020 and there was graffiti basically in the city center.
@@sauronthegreat489 yea just like Munich or Berlin or New York or LA.
@@JohnZook78 In all honesty fair, I do have a negative bias in regards to Bulgaria. I've only been once. It was a good vacation and very cheap in most regards. I will say I kinda see it as a far safer alternative to Mexico. Good food, beaches and alcohol. Not a place I'd personally reside in but that's a personal thing.
You are right about some of the buildings but that is what I find interesting, been to sofia, razlog and Bansko, people make up for it, warm ,obliging and friendly not had a problem yet
Yeah, I guess depends on where you go. Service has definitely improved in the past years.
@Jim Pastirmatzis do u live in Bulgaria or have you been there ?
@@bossman1905 live here currently. About 6 years actively.
Hi! Could you please direct me to a good resource for finding rentals in BG? Thank you!
Hello; Unique Estates, Bulgarian Properties, Property.bg, Mirela.bg - there are other if you're not in Sofia but these are the main ones I know in Sofia.
@@JimPastirmatzisThank you! Appreciate that.
Avoid these foreigner targetted sites . Why not use local sites and save?
@@albaniantruffles I have either personally used these companies or know people in my circle that have used them/spoken about them.
If you have a better suggestion, feel free to mention those websites.
OK taxi is my favourite.
Yes yuu right 99.5% about the country i have the same problem! But the sunny beach side is one of the best and the most clean 👌🙌 fresh fruits ever, day and fresh fish 🐟 i miss it.
I am thinking of sending my son at NBU to study.Best areas to look for a rental near the university?
I go to NBU as well! I don't know what a good area would be from experience near the university as I have never lived near the university.
Unfortunately the uni is quite far from the center. There is a lot of new construction around it, I had checked some student apartments years ago, they were quite decent.
The NBU university is located in the south-western part of Sofia, far away from the student city, so the best opportunities for your son are probably, the ''Ovcha Kupel'' area which is where the uni is located. I would recommend you to choose the areas around the boulevard ''Tsar Boris lll'' preferably on the western side ''Karpuzitsa'', ''SLAVIA'''etc.
The Eastern side of the boulevard is more prestigious, if your son could manage to spend 10-15 extra minutes in travel to the University, I would recommend all of the South areas in Sofia!
8:21 "The infrastructure around cleaning the city is not very ideal", you are being very very soft about it :D
😂😂😂😂😂 finally.. someone that said it.
Noted. When I watched the video back I did realise that I was being slightly generous with that piece of criticism.
There are people in the comments that tell me Sofia is a super clean city and have no idea where I’ve observed dirt.
was nice to see this video as a bulgarian lol
Can you say most of the cons for Greece as well? Probably except for the food.
I’ve made a separate video for this. Click on my channel and you’ll find it.
Varna is beautiful. Very hot weather😊
Depending on the time of the year, other than this I agree. :)
Hi there! I'm legitimately surprised you have so few followers - VERY informative content right there, and not nearly as generic as many other content creators covering Bulgaria!
I wonder if you could perhaps help me out a bit :) I'm an EU citizen and plan to move to Bulgaria in mid 2023; target being buying an old property in rural area. I have few candidate properties - they are all in poor shape overall, aside from structural integrity of foundations and walls. I'm totally fine with it and aware of investment required to fix the place up.
Is it difficult to obtain a property as a foreigner? You've also mentioned banking may be tough; I rely on crypto and alt-banks i.e. Advcash and Revolut and wonder if you use those, or still manage with regular banking.
Hello! Thanks a lot for the kind words! Very much appreciated and very happy you enjoy the content.
Acquiring property shouldn’t be a big deal as an EU citizen, with that said most banks are super anti-crypto.
Postbank is the only one that has explicitly told me they are okay with it as long as you don’t use credit for its acquisition. I’d always check with them before commencing with any transactions.
Here we see another foreigner heading to the countryside. Like most they avoid Sofia. This video mostly details pros and cons in Sofia. Banking is no longer an issue. Not all banks are good though, like anywhere else ine world. Bulgaria is surely one of easiest countries in Europe to open a bank account.
Great video! I hope you had it for other countries but obviously you don't live there. Feedback: seeing images of the places would have been nice.
Thanks for the feedback! Get quite a lot of mixed reviews regarding image/video overlays in general. Lots of people don't enjoy them so kind of torn when it comes to introducing those in my videos, but I am definitely interested in doing vlog-type of videos to actually go and walk and show some places. Just not sure that's the type of content I'd like to shoot.
Also, I've created similar videos for Dubai & Greece. Feel free to check those out!
Поздрави за видеото и канала! Благодарим че си избрал България.
Благодаря много!
@@JimPastirmatzis It's very cheap for who, live here with 500 Euro and then tell me it's cheap :)
@@polyglota80 did you take the time to watch the video? Or read the title? Or are you just commenting without understanding the context at all?
In the title, I specifically mention Expats, in the video, watch first couple of minutes, I make it abundantly clear that it's a good life for those that come here with foreign job/income, coming with money in the bank to retire or just moving their company here and again have foreign income.
NO WHERE in the video do I mention local jobs will give you a comfortable lifestyle or that it's cheap if you are employeed by someone locally.
Would be great to actual listen to what I say in the video, then you won't have to make such assumptions. I would never say it's cheap for a Bulgarian or local working on the local market because I know it's not true.
As a Bulgarian I can say that you got everything right in this video. The main issue Bulgaria is facing is the corruption which is a direct consequence of the 45 years under communist rule. Every con that you stated in this video can be linked to the massive corruption. But despite that the country is getting better and I think after 10-20 years we can really call ourselves a modern European country
Appreciate the comment, for the most part I agree. I wouldn’t put it all on corruption, though that is one major problem, without a doubt but we can’t be putting all bad decision making for the years to come on a situation several decades ago, at some point there needs to be direct accountability.
What is the medical system for foreigners, residents of the European Union?
I’ve generally found that private care is the main way to go here in BG if you want adequate care.
Man, Bulgaria is ok if you live in the capital. If you generate income in €, this will be fine. I live near Tarragona, and the last time I entered into Bulgarian store, the prices are same or even higher that the one here (the quality is far far away). You can see for yourself, people like to have 2k phone and drive a 3k german car,. With the years, I've understand that I can't stand the bulgarian way of thinking (I found it toxic). The high immigration can justified quite easy.
I can agree with a lot of what was said. Your initial point I repeated in the video as well.
Regarding the Bulgarian mindset, I also found it quite interesting how a lot of people really care about how they are presented in society; therefore want the best cars, designer clothes and bags, plastic surgeries and fillers everywhere, etc.
There isn’t necessarily a problem with that but with the fact that in most cases, these folks can’t afford the nice car, etc and live a lifestyle of owning a car that is way out of their league and have empty bank accounts.
Kind of contributes to the inability to be more successful too. (bad money management)
Anyways, to each their own.
You all missed the point that Bulgaria has the worlds highest home ownership rate. Therefore people can pay off high end cars instead of mortgages like people in most of the world.
Interesting information can you recommend me please, how can i find an apartment to rent for a short time , like website or app, im planning to spend like 3 months in Bulgaria Im tired and going crazy in Stockholm during winter and would like to go away when this season come
I’d say UES.bg, imot.bg and then airbnb are all good for short and long term rentals.
Good luck with finding a place!
@@JimPastirmatzis thanks a lot buddy 🙂👍🏻
@@henr2000 you’re most welcome!
Moved from Canada, you have explained my life exactly. Especially about the Bulgarian people's complete lack of basic solving skills. It's hilarious to me, to this day. A1 is awful, every time I visited their stores I felt like I was speaking with a pigeon.
Also an A1 customer here for years. I personally haven't had any trouble when visiting physical locations, but definitely had trouble with phone support.
What about service dogs?
Do you still there iin Bulgaria. what about burgas?
Yes, still in Sofia! I’ve visited Burgas, wonderful city. But I prefer bigger cities for a variety of reasons.
You made some very accurate points, but honestly I don’t agree on all that you said. Of, course that’s just your personal point of view, I guess everyone has a different experience.
Absolutely. Some of the things I said are not subjective while others are definitely subjective.
One can only express their opinion based on their experience. :)
Ευχαριστώ πολυ για το βίντεο! Θέλω να κάνω ακριβώς το ίδιο με εσένα!
Elpizw na ta katafereis! LMK if you have questions.
@@JimPastirmatzis Να 'σαι καλά αδερφέ! Δεν θέλω να κάνω γενικές ερωτήσεις οπότε αν χρειαστώ κάτι συγκεκριμένο θα σε ρωτήσω. Και πάλι ευχαριστώ πολύ και καλή σου μέρα!
Great Video! What neighbourhoods in Sofia do you recommend for a foreigner to rent?
Thank you! If you want to be in the center the best are Ivan Vazov and Lozenets.
Then if you want to be more on the outskirts Boyana, Kambanite and Vitosha with Vitosha being at the bottom of the list, there are some areas that are nice others not so much.
Of course there are many more near the center but I’ll always prefer the aforementioned.
Why do you have so many monitors?
Fantastic question. Shot a video specifically on that here: th-cam.com/video/C0H5am4NaB4/w-d-xo.html
In a nutshell I was interested in seeing how much I could push things while gaining productivity.
Can you please tell your subscribers how to support local business and customs?
I could make a video about that. We'll see. What are your suggestions?
@@JimPastirmatzis Like small neighbourhood restaurants, non-chain coffee shops, stuff like that on the small/local business side. As far as customs -- it would be cool to make something for foreigners about local customs and manners, so that people know how to be respectful to local things. (I know usually Americans and Brits end up steamrolling over everything in any country they go to -- so the antidote of that.) Thank you!
totally agree, it’s quite a golden middle, no refinement, but quite decent life in BG. Plovdiv is cleaner and more beautiful IMHO. great info, subscribed
Thank you! Much appreciated!
Am american moving to bulgaria after a year in Tbilisi. Do you have anyone you recommend for getting an affordable apartment ?
Bulgarian Properties and Unique Estates are the ones I have used so far. Luximmo is another one. Depends on how affordable you're looking to go. They have the nicer looking properties typically. You can find cheaper but I don't know the other agencies.
@@JimPastirmatzis Cool, ill add those to my research and will compare them to airbnb. thanks alot