A month in Bulgaria

No official statistic on monthly rents on the coast was found, and no reputable source on deposits or utilities, so this guide gives no figures for them. The fixed costs that are known come from the municipalities, the road toll company and the platforms.

The tourist tax is charged on each overnight stay, with no cap in the ordinances read. Thirty nights for one guest in a registered guest apartment come to EUR 7.80 in Varna, at EUR 0.26 a night, and EUR 15.30 in Burgas city, at EUR 0.51.

With a car, the monthly e-vignette costs EUR 19.90 since 1 August 2026, unless the rental car already has one. On Airbnb, 28 nights or more is a monthly stay: the first month is charged up front and released to the host 24 hours after check-in, and each later month is charged 10 days before it starts.

Varna and Burgas are the two cities on the coast, with life all year and an airport about 9 and 12 km from the centre. Varna has the Sea Garden and the northern resorts within reach; Burgas has its own Sea Garden and pier, with Sozopol about 34 km south.

The resorts, Golden Sands and Sunny Beach, are built around summer beach holidays; for a month outside summer, ask what stays open. Old Nessebar and Sozopol suit a month for anyone happy to park outside the old town every day.

Parking for a month is the question to settle before booking. Varna and Burgas charge by zone and by the hour, and in both cities SMS payment works only on Bulgarian networks, so a flat with its own space saves a daily routine with the apps.

Bulgaria has been in the Schengen area since 1 January 2025. Visitors from outside the EU without a visa can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted across every country that uses the EU Entry/Exit System, Bulgaria included.

Every host, private guest rooms and apartments included, reports guests to the Unified Tourism Information System with the name, date of birth, citizenship and identity document number. EU citizens staying more than three months may be required to register their residence, according to the EU's Your Europe portal; the Bulgarian office and deadline were not checked.

The money changed in 2026. Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026 at EUR 1 = 1.95583 lev, lev cash stopped circulating after 31 January 2026, and the dual display of prices ended on 8 August 2026. Banks and post offices exchange leva cash until the end of 2026, free of charge until 30 June, with banks allowed a fee from 1 July; the Bulgarian National Bank exchanges leva free of charge without a time limit.

Airbnb calls 28 nights or more a monthly stay and applies its long-term cancellation policy, which generally asks for 30 days' notice of changes.

The Bulgarian rules read for this guide draw no separate line for a month: the municipal ordinances charge the tourist tax on each night in a categorised or registered place to stay, and the host reports each guest to the national system for the whole stay. A month in a guest apartment is still a stay in registered tourist accommodation.

Paying for parking by SMS with a foreign phone. It works only on Bulgarian networks.

Driving the motorway without an e-vignette. Ask the rental company first, and buy one for the dates if the car has none.

Arriving with leva. Lev cash circulated alongside the euro only until 31 January 2026; exchange leftover leva at a bank or post office before the end of 2026, or at the Bulgarian National Bank.

Counting Schengen days in Bulgaria alone. The 90 in 180 count covers every country using the EU Entry/Exit System.

Parking where it is not allowed in Sozopol. Tow trucks take cars with foreign plates too.