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Average Information Security Specialist Salary in Bulgaria for 2026

An information security specialist in Bulgaria earns about 43,800 BGN a year. That's 13% above the national average of 38,700 BGN.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Bulgaria sit around 21,400 BGN a year, while the very top stretches to 72,380 BGN. Everything on this page is in Bulgarian lev (BGN, symbol лв), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Bulgaria, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.


How much does an information security specialist make in Bulgaria?

Average salary
43,800 BGN
3,650 BGN per month
Lowest reported
21,400 BGN
1,783 BGN per month
Highest reported
72,380 BGN
6,031 BGN per month

A typical information security specialist working in Bulgaria brings home around 3,650 BGN a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 21,400 BGN, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 72,380 BGN for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior information security specialist working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.


How information security specialist pay ranges in Bulgaria

A good way to think about salary in Bulgaria is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all information security specialists in Bulgaria earn less than 49,300 BGN a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 31,960 BGN (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 67,560 BGN (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of information security specialists sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 21,400 BGN. The highest stretch to 72,380 BGN, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

21,400
Low
49,300
Median
72,380
High
31,960
25th
67,560
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in BGN

Information security specialist pay by experience in Bulgaria

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an information security specialist in Bulgaria, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical information security specialist salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    23,660 BGN
  • 2-5 Years
    +36% from previous
    32,200 BGN
  • 5-10 Years
    +50% from previous
    48,140 BGN
  • 10-15 Years
    +18% from previous
    56,640 BGN
  • 15-20 Years
    +12% from previous
    63,700 BGN
  • 20+ Years
    +6% from previous
    67,360 BGN

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 50%. That is the point at which a information security specialist typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.


Information security specialist pay by education in Bulgaria

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving information security specialist pay in Bulgaria. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average information security specialist salary in Bulgaria broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Certificate or Diploma
    28,820 BGN
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +54% from previous
    44,300 BGN
  • Master's Degree
    +60% from previous
    70,700 BGN

Information security specialist gender pay gap in Bulgaria

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Bulgaria is no exception. Male information security specialists in Bulgaria earn an average of 45,720 BGN a year, while female information security specialists earn around 43,080 BGN. That works out to a 6% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Information Security Specialist gender pay gap

6%

Men earn this much more than women on average in Bulgaria.

Men 45,720 BGN
Women 43,080 BGN

Pay raises for an information security specialist in Bulgaria

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in Bulgaria sees a raise of about 12% every 20 months, which works out to roughly 7% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in Bulgaria, the national average raise is around 7% every 20 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in Bulgaria:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Information security specialist bonus rates in Bulgaria

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

57%

57% of information security specialists in Bulgaria reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an information security specialist a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary. The remaining 43% of information security specialists reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in Bulgaria

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Information security specialist: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in Bulgaria is about 2% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

2%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Bulgaria on average.

Public sector 40,040 BGN
Private sector 39,160 BGN

Information security specialist salary by city in Bulgaria

Information security specialist pay is not even across Bulgaria. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Sofia
  • Plovdiv
  • Varna
  • Burgas
  • Rousse
  • Stara Zagora
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
SofiaCity50,580 BGN53,840 BGN20,760-77,120 BGN
PlovdivCity48,920 BGN53,860 BGN22,540-79,120 BGN
VarnaCity48,740 BGN50,180 BGN23,400-75,980 BGN
BurgasCity46,040 BGN52,180 BGN20,460-73,820 BGN
RousseCity44,140 BGN48,820 BGN20,520-68,400 BGN
Stara ZagoraCity43,340 BGN45,000 BGN19,480-69,240 BGN


Information Security Specialist in Bulgaria: FAQs

  • How much does an information security specialist make per month in Bulgaria?

    An information security specialist in Bulgaria earns about 3,650 BGN a month before tax, based on an annual average of 43,800 BGN.

  • What's the salary range for an information security specialist in Bulgaria?

    Entry-level information security specialists in Bulgaria start near 21,400 BGN. Top-end pay reaches around 72,380 BGN. The middle 50% of earners sit between 31,960 and 67,560 BGN.

  • Is the median information security specialist salary in Bulgaria higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 49,300 BGN, higher than the average of 43,800 BGN. Half of information security specialists in Bulgaria earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for information security specialists in Bulgaria?

    Men working as an information security specialist in Bulgaria earn around 6% more than women on average (45,720 vs 43,080 BGN a year).

  • Do information security specialists in Bulgaria get bonuses?

    About 57% of information security specialists in Bulgaria reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary.

  • Do information security specialists earn more in the public or private sector in Bulgaria?

    In Bulgaria, the public sector pays an information security specialist about 2% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do information security specialists in Bulgaria get a pay raise?

    An information security specialist in Bulgaria sees a raise of around 12% every 20 months, equivalent to roughly 7% a year.