Average Live In Carer Salary in Bulgaria for 2026
A live in carer in Bulgaria earns about 14,820 BGN a year. That's 62% below 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 6,200 BGN a year, while the very top stretches to 23,360 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 a live in carer make in Bulgaria?
A typical live in carer working in Bulgaria brings home around 1,235 BGN a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 6,200 BGN, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 23,360 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 live in carer 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 live in carer 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 live in carers in Bulgaria earn less than 16,340 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 10,220 BGN (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 21,980 BGN (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of live in carers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 6,200 BGN. The highest stretch to 23,360 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.
Live in carer pay by experience in Bulgaria
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a live in carer 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 live in carer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years8,960 BGN
- 2-5 Years+14% from previous10,220 BGN
- 5-10 Years+60% from previous16,400 BGN
- 10-15 Years+25% from previous20,500 BGN
- 15-20 Years20,000 BGN
- 20+ Years+21% from previous24,280 BGN
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 60%. That is the point at which a live in carer 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.
Live in carer pay by education in Bulgaria
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving live in carer 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 live in carer salary in Bulgaria broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School8,560 BGN
- Certificate or Diploma+71% from previous14,660 BGN
- Bachelor's Degree+69% from previous24,800 BGN
Live in carer gender pay gap in Bulgaria
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Bulgaria is no exception. Male live in carers in Bulgaria earn an average of 17,020 BGN a year, while female live in carers earn around 17,620 BGN. That works out to a 3% gap in favour of women, 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.
Live In Carer gender pay gap
3%
Men earn this much less than women on average in Bulgaria.
Pay raises for a live in carer 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 9% every 20 months, which works out to roughly 5% 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 Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Live in carer 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.
30% of live in carers in Bulgaria reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a live in carer a low-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 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 70% of live in carers 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
Live in carer: 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.
Live in carer salary by city in Bulgaria
Live in carer 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
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sofia | City | 18,260 BGN | 15,760 BGN | 7,240-25,940 BGN |
| Plovdiv | City | 17,540 BGN | 17,860 BGN | 5,960-25,160 BGN |
| Varna | City | 16,400 BGN | 18,260 BGN | 8,420-27,020 BGN |
| Burgas | City | 15,760 BGN | 17,260 BGN | 8,780-23,080 BGN |
| Rousse | City | 14,920 BGN | 14,820 BGN | 5,520-22,660 BGN |
| Stara Zagora | City | 12,580 BGN | 14,840 BGN | 6,080-22,420 BGN |
Live In Carer in Bulgaria: FAQs
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How much does a live in carer make per month in Bulgaria?
A live in carer in Bulgaria earns about 1,235 BGN a month before tax, based on an annual average of 14,820 BGN.
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What's the salary range for a live in carer in Bulgaria?
Entry-level live in carers in Bulgaria start near 6,200 BGN. Top-end pay reaches around 23,360 BGN. The middle 50% of earners sit between 10,220 and 21,980 BGN.
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Is the median live in carer salary in Bulgaria higher or lower than the average?
The median is 16,340 BGN, higher than the average of 14,820 BGN. Half of live in carers in Bulgaria earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for live in carers in Bulgaria?
Men working as a live in carer in Bulgaria earn around 3% less than women on average (17,020 vs 17,620 BGN a year).
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Do live in carers in Bulgaria get bonuses?
About 30% of live in carers in Bulgaria reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.
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Do live in carers earn more in the public or private sector in Bulgaria?
In Bulgaria, the public sector pays a live in carer about 2% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do live in carers in Bulgaria get a pay raise?
A live in carer in Bulgaria sees a raise of around 9% every 20 months, equivalent to roughly 5% a year.