{"id":7380,"date":"2017-07-19T13:01:44","date_gmt":"2017-07-19T13:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/investsofia.com\/en\/?page_id=7380"},"modified":"2026-05-12T08:59:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T08:59:58","slug":"living-in-sofia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/investsofia.com\/en\/living-in-sofia\/","title":{"rendered":"Living in Sofia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Living in Sofia \u2014 WordPress -->\n<!-- Template: \u0418\u043d\u0444\u043e\u0440\u043c\u0430\u0446\u0438\u043e\u043d\u043d\u0430 \u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0430 -->\n<!-- FULL CONTENT \u2014 nothing cut -->\n\n<p style=\"font-size:1.15rem;color:#4B5563;line-height:1.8;max-width:720px\">Sofia is a welcoming city, standing out among the European capitals with its ancient history and culture, young and talented population, dynamic lifestyle and artistic evenings. Sofia has an impressive atmosphere attracting even the pickiest tourist.<\/p>\n\n<p style=\"font-size:1rem;color:#4B5563;line-height:1.8;max-width:720px\">The city has well-functioning infrastructure, a strong educational system, vibrant startup and business community that can make living and working in Sofia an amazing experience for you and the family you may want to bring.<\/p>\n\n<p style=\"font-size:1rem;color:#4B5563;line-height:1.8;max-width:720px\">Are you curious about living and working in Sofia? Follow the links below for general tips and information about the city.<\/p>\n\n<!-- YouTube video -->\n<div style=\"margin:2rem 0;border-radius:16px;overflow:hidden;aspect-ratio:16\/9;background:#111\">\n  <iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oOBY3gbP8kI\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allow=\"accelerometer;autoplay;clipboard-write;encrypted-media;gyroscope;picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- Header image -->\n<div style=\"margin:1.5rem 0;border-radius:16px;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #E5E7EB\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/investsofia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Living-in-Sofia-Header-Image-01.png\" alt=\"Living in Sofia\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;display:block\">\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>Sofia at a Glance<\/h2>\n\n<div style=\"display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(3,1fr);gap:12px;margin:1.5rem 0\">\n  <div style=\"background:linear-gradient(135deg,#0E3A52,#1a0e2e);border-radius:16px;padding:20px;color:#fff;text-align:center\">\n    <div style=\"font-size:1.3rem;font-weight:800;color:#7EC5E2;line-height:1.1\">15th largest<\/div>\n    <div style=\"font-size:.7rem;color:rgba(255,255,255,.45);margin-top:6px\">city in the EU with over 1.3 million residents<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div style=\"background:linear-gradient(135deg,#0E3A52,#1a0e2e);border-radius:16px;padding:20px;color:#fff;text-align:center\">\n    <div style=\"font-size:1.3rem;font-weight:800;color:#34D399;line-height:1.1\">1,400<\/div>\n    <div style=\"font-size:.7rem;color:rgba(255,255,255,.45);margin-top:6px\">cultural monuments and landmarks<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div style=\"background:linear-gradient(135deg,#0E3A52,#1a0e2e);border-radius:16px;padding:20px;color:#fff;text-align:center\">\n    <div style=\"font-size:1.3rem;font-weight:800;color:#F472B6;line-height:1.1\">550 m<\/div>\n    <div style=\"font-size:.7rem;color:rgba(255,255,255,.45);margin-top:6px\">above sea level, at the base of Vitosha mountain<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(2,1fr);gap:12px;margin:0 0 1.5rem\">\n  <div style=\"padding:18px;background:#F9FAFB;border-radius:14px;border-left:4px solid #3198C5;text-align:center\">\n    <div style=\"font-size:1.3rem;font-weight:800;color:#1D6E9E;line-height:1\">3 metro lines<\/div>\n    <div style=\"font-size:.75rem;color:#6B7280;margin-top:6px\">operational since May 2020<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div style=\"padding:18px;background:#F9FAFB;border-radius:14px;border-left:4px solid #63005B;text-align:center\">\n    <div style=\"font-size:1.3rem;font-weight:800;color:#63005B;line-height:1\">187\u20ac<\/div>\n    <div style=\"font-size:.75rem;color:#6B7280;margin-top:6px\">annual travelcard across all transport networks<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>Housing<\/h2>\n\n<p>In Q1 2019 106 new residential buildings entered into service in Sofia and Sofia&#8217;s region. In Q4 2018 there were 115 new single-family and multi-family buildings. As of the beginning of the 2018 there were 788 403 residential buildings in Sofia and the region. You can read more about the real estate market in Sofia on <a href=\"https:\/\/investsofia.com\/en\/real-estate-in-sofia\/\" style=\"color:#3198C5;font-weight:600\">our dedicated web page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<h3>Buying Property<\/h3>\n\n<p>In May 2019 interest rates on mortgage loans in Bulgaria start from 2.9% annually. These depend on the bank you choose, the amount of money borrowed, repayment period length, borrowers&#8217; income level and other factors. Non-EU residents can experience certain restrictions on acquiring properties. There are multiple real estate agencies in Bulgaria that can help you with the process. You can find additional information in the links below:<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr;gap:6px;margin:1rem 0\">\n  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.investbg.government.bg\/en\/pages\/7-acquisition-of-real-property-180.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"display:block;padding:12px 18px;background:#F9FAFB;border-radius:10px;border-left:4px solid #3198C5;font-size:.8rem;color:#374151;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600\">Acquisition of Real Property (Invest Bulgaria) \u2192<\/a>\n  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.investbg.government.bg\/en\/pages\/ownership-of-real-estate-109.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"display:block;padding:12px 18px;background:#F9FAFB;border-radius:10px;border-left:4px solid #3198C5;font-size:.8rem;color:#374151;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600\">Ownership of Real Estate (Invest Bulgaria) \u2192<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n<h3>Renting Property<\/h3>\n\n<p>Renting a private accommodation in a city with a growing population can be stressful. In general, city dwellers in Sofia prefer the southern neighborhoods that are closer to Vitosha mountain. However, a real estate agent can save you a lot of time and stress. You can still connect directly to a private landlord by looking for real estate listings on the websites below.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(2,1fr);gap:16px;margin:1.5rem 0\">\n  <div style=\"background:#F9FAFB;border-radius:14px;padding:18px\">\n    <strong style=\"font-size:.9rem;color:#111827;display:block;margin-bottom:8px\">Long-term lets<\/strong>\n    <div style=\"display:grid;gap:4px\">\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imot.bg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">imot.bg \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imoti.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">imoti.net \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imoti.info\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">imoti.info \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.homes.bg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">homes.bg \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.holmes.bg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">holmes.bg \u2192<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div style=\"background:#F9FAFB;border-radius:14px;padding:18px\">\n    <strong style=\"font-size:.9rem;color:#111827;display:block;margin-bottom:8px\">Short-term lets<\/strong>\n    <div style=\"display:grid;gap:4px\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airbnb.com\/s\/Bulgaria\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">AirBNB \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.booking.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">Booking.com \u2192<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div style=\"background:#FEF3C7;border-radius:12px;padding:16px;margin:1rem 0;border:1px solid #FDE68A\">\n  <p style=\"font-size:.85rem;color:#374151;margin:0\">\ud83d\udca1 <strong>Keep in mind<\/strong> that in Bulgaria 2-room apartment means 1-bed apartment and 3-room apartment means 2-bed apartment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>Living Costs<\/h2>\n\n<div style=\"margin:1.5rem 0;border-radius:16px;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #E5E7EB\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/investsofia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/cost-of-living.png\" alt=\"Cost of living in Sofia\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;display:block\">\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>International Schools<\/h2>\n\n<div style=\"display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(2,1fr);gap:16px;margin:1.5rem 0\">\n  <div style=\"background:#F9FAFB;border-radius:14px;padding:18px\">\n    <strong style=\"font-size:.9rem;color:#111827;display:block;margin-bottom:10px\">\ud83c\udf92 Daycare Centers &amp; Kindergartens<\/strong>\n    <div style=\"display:grid;gap:4px;font-size:.8rem;color:#374151\">\n      <div>Private Kindergarten Germani<\/div>\n      <div>The Castle<\/div>\n      <div>The Small School \u2013 Victor Hugo<\/div>\n      <div>Private Kindergarten Doverie<\/div>\n      <div>Weda<\/div>\n      <div>Drita<\/div>\n      <div>D-r Maria Montesori<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div style=\"background:#F9FAFB;border-radius:14px;padding:18px\">\n    <strong style=\"font-size:.9rem;color:#111827;display:block;margin-bottom:10px\">\ud83c\udfeb Primary &amp; Secondary Schools<\/strong>\n    <div style=\"display:grid;gap:4px;font-size:.8rem;color:#374151\">\n      <div>British School of Sofia*<\/div>\n      <div>Anglo-American School of Sofia*<\/div>\n      <div>The American College of Sofia<\/div>\n      <div>German private schools \u2013 &#8220;Erich-K\u00e4stner&#8221;* &amp; Deutsche Schule<\/div>\n      <div>French Lyceum Victor Hugo*<\/div>\n      <div>Italian Lyceum<\/div>\n      <div>Russian Lyceum*<\/div>\n      <div style=\"font-size:.7rem;color:#9CA3AF;margin-top:4px\">* with kindergartens<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/investsofia.com\/en\/digital-skills-academies\/\" style=\"color:#3198C5;font-weight:600\">list of digital academies in Sofia<\/a>, some of which are geared towards children.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Weekend Getaways<\/h2>\n\n<div style=\"margin:1.5rem 0;border-radius:16px;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #E5E7EB\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/investsofia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/weekend-getaways-1-1024x347.png\" alt=\"Weekend getaways from Sofia\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;display:block\">\n<\/div>\n\n<div style=\"margin:1rem 0;border-radius:16px;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #E5E7EB\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/investsofia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/beaches.png\" alt=\"Beaches near Sofia\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;display:block\">\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>Culture Life &amp; Foreign Cultural Institutes<\/h2>\n\n<div style=\"display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(2,1fr);gap:16px;margin:1.5rem 0\">\n  <div style=\"background:#F9FAFB;border-radius:14px;padding:18px\">\n    <strong style=\"font-size:.9rem;color:#111827;display:block;margin-bottom:10px\">\ud83c\udfad Events &amp; Festivals<\/strong>\n    <div style=\"display:grid;gap:4px\">\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/siff.bg\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">Sofia Film Fest \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atojazz.bg\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">AtoJazz Festival \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sofiaweeks.com\/calendar.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">Sofia Music Weeks (classical) \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/cantusfirmusbg.com\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">Cantus Firmus classical concerts \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sofia.bg\/en\/web\/sofia-municipality\/events-in-sofia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">Cultural Calendar of Sofia \u2192<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div style=\"background:#F9FAFB;border-radius:14px;padding:18px\">\n    <strong style=\"font-size:.9rem;color:#111827;display:block;margin-bottom:10px\">\ud83c\udf0d Foreign Cultural Institutes<\/strong>\n    <div style=\"display:grid;gap:4px\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britishcouncil.bg\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">British Council \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goethe.de\/ins\/bg\/de\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">Goethe-Institut \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/bgr.rs.gov.ru\/ru\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">Russian Cultural Centre \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/institutfrancais.bg\/fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">Institut Fran\u00e7ais \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.szofia.balassiintezet.hu\/hu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">Hungarian Cultural Institute \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/institutpolski.org\/pl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">Instytut Polski \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/sofia.czechcentres.cz\/cs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">\u010cesk\u00e9 centrum \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/iicsofia.esteri.it\/iic_sofia\/it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">Istituto Italiano di Cultura \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/sofia.cervantes.es\/es\/default.shtm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">Instituto Cervantes \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kic.com.mk\/mk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">N. Macedonia Cultural Centre \u2192<\/a>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cccsofia.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:.8rem;color:#3198C5;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none\">China Cultural Center \u2192<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sofia is a welcoming city, standing out among the European capitals with its ancient history and culture, young [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-info.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7380","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/investsofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/investsofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/investsofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investsofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investsofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7380"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/investsofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38135,"href":"https:\/\/investsofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7380\/revisions\/38135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/investsofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}