Can you buy an iphone in the States without a monthly plan there? If you can, it would probably be cheaper. Anyway, if you decide to buy a smartphone in Bulgaria, they will probably want you to switch to a monthly plan and will offer you their more expensive ones. Keep in mind that you can ask to buy the phone (at a slightly higher price) with a much cheaper monthly plan - something around 10-15 levs per month. Choosing a smartphone is a tough decision anyway, mainly because everybody will be trying to convince you to buy an iphone. It's not a bad idea to check some other options, like HTC and Samsung Galaxy S. Good luck!