Living in Blagoevgrad

In Blagoevgrad, unemployment is 10% (2021).

Blagoevgrad is a city in Bulgaria, with a population of 70,708 at the end of 2025. The unemployment rate was 10% in September 2021.

Last checked 2026-10-0215 sources

Population70,708people31 Dec 2025Official source · NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities

Average gross salary811.1EUR/month31 Dec 2024District figureOfficial source · Average annual wages and salaries of the employees under labour contract by statistical regions and districts in 2024 (EUR)

Average net rent2.25EUR/m²/monthcountry median €1.92 — 17% aboveOfficial source · NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m2

Unemployment rate10%country median 9.2% — 9% aboveOfficial source · NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality

Recorded crime974.5incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025District figureOfficial source · Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population

Pricier rent than 71% of Bulgarian cities that publish it and higher unemployment than 61% of Bulgarian cities that publish it.

Which Bulgaria-wide rules apply when you move to Blagoevgrad?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in BulgariaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Blagoevgrad.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Blagoevgrad?

Average net cold rent is 2.25 EUR/m² per month (2020), excluding heating and operating charges.

Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.

Average net rent (nettokalt): 2.25 EUR/m²/month · NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m2⁹

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€20

Mobile plan, 10 GB€16

Net rent across major citiesBlagoevgrad highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Sofia€3.83

Plovdiv€2.75

Varna€2.42

Blagoevgrad€2.25

Stara Zagora€1.75

Pazardzhik€1.67

Show the other 6 cities

Shumen€2.33

Vratsa€2.20

Burgas€2.00

Veliko Tarnovo€1.92

Ruse€1.92

Haskovo€1.83

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	20 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	A1 Bulgaria fixed internet¹Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	15.9 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Vivacom mobile data plan¹⁵Official · national market
Average net rent (nettokalt)	2.25 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €1.92	31 Dec 2020	NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m2⁹Official

Is Blagoevgrad a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker57%strong on housing, weak on air quality · range 47–67%

Skilled employee58%strong on housing, weak on education · range 49–67%

Student68%strong on cost, weak on education · range 57–79%

Family55%strong on safety, weak on education · range 44–66%

Retirement64%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 51–77%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 135 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 2.25 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.

Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.

Source period: 2020

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Blagoevgrad?

The unemployment rate is 10 % (September 2021). Source: NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality¹¹

Unemployment across cities in BulgariaUnemployment in Blagoevgrad is 10.0%. Of 36 cities with data, 12 have unemployment of 8 to under 10%.

4–66–88–1010–1212–1414–1622–24

Blagoevgrad 10.0%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average gross earnings	811.1 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	Average annual wages and salaries of the employees under labour contract by statistical regions and districts in 2024 (EUR)²Official · county
Unemployment rate	10 %country median 9.2%	7 Sept 2021	NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality¹¹Official

Unemployment rate over time9 published observations, 2011–2022

3.5%

8.0%

12.5%

17.0%

4.4%20112016201820202022

Unemployment rate fell 72.6% between 2011 and 2022, from 16.1% to 4.4%.

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Blagoevgrad. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Employment Agency — Public employment service

Bulgarian Employment Agency

Job Search

Search jobs

Open the Bulgaria service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Blagoevgrad. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Blagoevgrad?

Police recorded about 975 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 974.5 incidents per 100,000 · Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population¹⁴

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	974.5 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population¹⁴Official · county

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	41 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹²Official
Nearest airport	SOF	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹³Official
Distance to nearest airport	80 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹³Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Blagoevgrad. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Free Bulgarian language courses for people displaced from Ukraine — State Language Course

Government of Bulgaria / Bulgaria for Ukraine

For people displaced from Ukraine, adults, children.

BulgarianCEFR A1–B2In Person, OnlineFree

Open official information

Open the full Bulgaria section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Blagoevgrad.

Find courses near Blagoevgrad

Climate and air quality

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM1018WHO 15 · EU 40

NO₂16WHO 10 · EU 40

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	16 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	EEA air quality statistics — BG NO2 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Blagoevgrad)³Official · nearest-station reading
PM10 — annual mean	18 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	EEA air quality statistics — BG PM10 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Blagoevgrad)⁴Official · nearest-station reading
Monthly extreme high temperature	Jan 12.68 · Feb 16.83 · Mar 22.01 · Apr 23.22 · May 27.34 · Jun 33.06 · Jul 36.82 · Aug 34.67 · Sep 32.08 · Oct 27.21 · Nov 23.7 · Dec 13.88 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁸Official
Monthly extreme low temperature	Jan -23.47 · Feb -22.23 · Mar -18.22 · Apr -9.79 · May -2.16 · Jun 2.48 · Jul 4.9 · Aug 4.68 · Sep -1.7 · Oct -7.18 · Nov -10.12 · Dec -22.38 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁸Official
Average temperature by month	Jan -2.71 · Feb -1.01 · Mar 2.72 · Apr 7.19 · May 12.43 · Jun 16.67 · Jul 19.59 · Aug 19.79 · Sep 14.94 · Oct 9.54 · Nov 4.37 · Dec -0.88 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁸Official

Population and city profile

How many people live in Blagoevgrad?

The published population was 70,708 people in 2025. Source: NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities¹⁰

Foreign residents and their share come from different publications that count different groups (for example citizens of another country, or people born abroad, or of foreign origin), so 1,285 is not 2.8% of the population. Each row names its source.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport98.2%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	64.7 km²	31 Dec 2024	Bulgaria city identity collection⁷Official
Foreign-resident share	2.8 %	31 Dec 2022	Eurostat⁵Official
Foreign residents	1,285 people	31 Dec 2018	Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Blagoevgrad⁶Official
City area	64.7 km²	31 Dec 2024	migrationfit.com⁷Official
Population density	1,083 people/km²	31 Dec 2024	migrationfit.com⁷Official
Population	70,708 people	31 Dec 2025	NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities¹⁰Official

Foreign residents over time10 published observations, 2011–2022

912

1,255

1,597

1,940

1,86920112015201720192022

Foreign residents rose 90.1% between 2011 and 2022, from 983 to 1,869.

Alternatives for people set on Blagoevgrad

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Pernik as a Blagoevgrad alternative in the same country

Better on 3 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.

Rent: €1.17/m² Pernik vs €2.25/m² Blagoevgrad−48%
Foreign residents: 0.7% Pernik vs 2.8% Blagoevgrad−75%
Nearest airport: 33.0 km Pernik vs 80.0 km Blagoevgrad−59%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 1,140 Pernik vs 975 Blagoevgrad+17%
Unemployment: 9.0% Pernik vs 10.0% Blagoevgrad−10%
Residents: 80,576 Pernik vs 70,708 Blagoevgrad+14%

Full comparison More about Pernik

Alternative cities in Bulgaria

Other cities in Bulgaria to compare with Blagoevgrad, nearest in population first.

All Bulgaria cities

Kardzhali67,238 residents Veliko Tarnovo77,049 residents Shumen77,095 residents Haskovo78,235 residents Kazanlak62,923 residents Pernik80,576 residents

How does Blagoevgrad compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Blagoevgrad's.

Open the full comparison

Blagoevgrad in rankings

#3 of 16 in Most international cities in Bulgaria #13 of 17 in Cheapest cities to rent in Bulgaria #14 of 30 in Largest cities in Bulgaria #22 of 30 in Cities with lowest unemployment in Bulgaria

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Blagoevgrad when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 7 to 16, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: Free Bulgarian-language training for migrant children (school-based intensive language preparation). How to enrol a child (mon.gov.bg).

A country-wide rule for Bulgaria; Blagoevgrad's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Blagoevgrad?

The published population was 70,708 people in 2025. Source: NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities.

How much does it cost to rent in Blagoevgrad?

Average net cold rent is 2.25 EUR/m² per month (2020), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 158 EUR a month before utilities. Source: NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m2.

How safe is Blagoevgrad?

Police recorded about 975 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population.

What is the unemployment rate in Blagoevgrad?

The unemployment rate is 10 % (September 2021). Source: NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality.

How many foreign residents live in Blagoevgrad?

1,285 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Blagoevgrad.

Is Blagoevgrad a good place to live?

Blagoevgrad may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria: population, rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version dd7377597309fa82a2c577384af26eed]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/blagoevgrad/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_blagoevgrad-bulgaria-population-rent-salary-jobs_7cbfed09205a,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria: population, rent, salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {dd7377597309fa82a2c577384af26eed},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/blagoevgrad/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria: population, rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/blagoevgrad/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version dd7377597309fa82a2c577384af26eed; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

A1 Bulgaria fixed internet a1.bg · checked 2026-09-15
Average annual wages and salaries of the employees under labour contract by statistical regions and districts in 2024 (EUR) nsi.bg · checked 2026-09-23
EEA air quality statistics — BG NO2 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Blagoevgrad) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
EEA air quality statistics — BG PM10 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Blagoevgrad) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Blagoevgrad Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
migrationfit.com migrationfit.com · checked 2026-06-14
NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m2 NSI City Statistics · nsi.bg · checked 2026-09-18
NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities NSI Infostat 1062 · nsi.bg · checked 2026-07-27

Show 5 more sources

NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality NSI Infostat 2016 · nsi.bg · checked 2026-07-27
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population mvr.bg · checked 2026-09-28
Vivacom mobile data plan vivacom.bg · checked 2026-09-15

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.