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Average Soil Scientist Salary in Bulgaria for 2026

A soil scientist in Bulgaria earns about 51,080 BGN a year. That's 32% 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 24,800 BGN a year, while the very top stretches to 80,180 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 soil scientist make in Bulgaria?

Average salary
51,080 BGN
4,256 BGN per month
Lowest reported
24,800 BGN
2,066 BGN per month
Highest reported
80,180 BGN
6,681 BGN per month

A typical soil scientist working in Bulgaria brings home around 4,256 BGN a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 24,800 BGN, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 80,180 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 soil scientist 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 soil scientist 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 soil scientists in Bulgaria earn less than 50,660 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 35,300 BGN (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 66,440 BGN (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of soil scientists sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 24,800 BGN. The highest stretch to 80,180 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.

24,800
Low
50,660
Median
80,180
High
35,300
25th
66,440
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in BGN

Soil scientist pay by experience in Bulgaria

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a soil scientist 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 soil scientist salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    27,480 BGN
  • 2-5 Years
    +43% from previous
    39,160 BGN
  • 5-10 Years
    +31% from previous
    51,340 BGN
  • 10-15 Years
    +29% from previous
    66,000 BGN
  • 15-20 Years
    +1% from previous
    66,960 BGN
  • 20+ Years
    +11% from previous
    74,620 BGN

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 43%. That is the point at which a soil scientist 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.


Soil scientist pay by education in Bulgaria

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving soil scientist 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 soil scientist salary in Bulgaria broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    33,520 BGN
  • Master's Degree
    +36% from previous
    45,580 BGN
  • PhD
    +72% from previous
    78,500 BGN

Soil scientist gender pay gap in Bulgaria

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Bulgaria is no exception. Male soil scientists in Bulgaria earn an average of 51,400 BGN a year, while female soil scientists earn around 49,700 BGN. That works out to a 3% 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.

Soil Scientist gender pay gap

3%

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

Men 51,400 BGN
Women 49,700 BGN

Pay raises for a soil scientist 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 10% every 20 months, which works out to roughly 6% 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

Soil scientist 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.

54%

54% of soil scientists in Bulgaria reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a soil scientist 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 3% to 6% of base salary. The remaining 46% of soil scientists 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

Soil scientist: 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

Soil scientist salary by city in Bulgaria

Soil scientist 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
  • Burgas
  • Rousse
  • Varna
  • Stara Zagora
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
SofiaCity60,400 BGN55,020 BGN29,600-88,300 BGN
PlovdivCity55,020 BGN58,200 BGN28,820-84,580 BGN
BurgasCity54,460 BGN54,180 BGN26,780-83,200 BGN
RousseCity52,180 BGN54,280 BGN23,660-82,160 BGN
VarnaCity50,560 BGN48,160 BGN26,280-80,180 BGN
Stara ZagoraCity48,740 BGN45,580 BGN24,800-75,280 BGN


Soil Scientist in Bulgaria: FAQs

  • How much does a soil scientist make per month in Bulgaria?

    A soil scientist in Bulgaria earns about 4,256 BGN a month before tax, based on an annual average of 51,080 BGN.

  • What's the salary range for a soil scientist in Bulgaria?

    Entry-level soil scientists in Bulgaria start near 24,800 BGN. Top-end pay reaches around 80,180 BGN. The middle 50% of earners sit between 35,300 and 66,440 BGN.

  • Is the median soil scientist salary in Bulgaria higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 50,660 BGN, lower than the average of 51,080 BGN. Half of soil scientists in Bulgaria earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for soil scientists in Bulgaria?

    Men working as a soil scientist in Bulgaria earn around 3% more than women on average (51,400 vs 49,700 BGN a year).

  • Do soil scientists in Bulgaria get bonuses?

    About 54% of soil scientists in Bulgaria reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.

  • Do soil scientists earn more in the public or private sector in Bulgaria?

    In Bulgaria, the public sector pays a soil scientist about 2% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do soil scientists in Bulgaria get a pay raise?

    A soil scientist in Bulgaria sees a raise of around 10% every 20 months, equivalent to roughly 6% a year.