@Ivet this is a great point.  As a Fulbright scholar this year I make a considerable amount more than the average Bulgarian but I do pay expat prices for my housing. Still, it's hard for me to even imagine what living on that little is like.

This said, when I was in Berlin recently I was shocked by the prices.  I knew that the Leva is pegged two to one to the Euro and I couldn't imagine how any Bulgarian could afford to travel given how expensive it would be to eat, sleep or shop in Berlin.