Carolyn,

Bravo to you for doing this experiment. If you haven't already, you should talk to some current Peace Corps Volunteers about how much they live on. I recall (back in 2004-06) I received a stipend of 300 leva per month. My apartment was paid for (100 leva) and so were my utilities (I have no idea what that cost -- but it could not have been much since we didn't have central heat nor did I have any air conditioner). Every few months we received travel money (50 leva) so we could come into Sofia for meetings. I also forgot that our healthcare was paid for by PC, so I didn't have to pay for that.

I found that is was very easy to live on that amount.  I was able to save around a quarter of that money each month and put it away for vacation. Then again, I lived in a town of 3,000 people in the middle of nowhere. I walked everywhere. Food selections were limited. Many people gave me veggies or fruit during the warm months or fed me in their home. I rarely ate out (there was only one restaurant). So I suppose it's not really a fair comparison to those who live in Sofia.

Obviously, it's more expensive to live in Sofia (I found that out last year), but it is possible to live on little in Bulgaria still. Fruits and vegetables are ridiculously cheap. Transport costs little. Alcohol is inexpensive. I know food prices have (comparatively) skyrocketed in the past few years, but Bulgaria is still cheap place to live.

The problem I saw with young people trying to make a living is that no one had the means to save enough money for investments, vacations, large purchases, etc. They were always just getting by. I suppose the same can be said for many people in the US as well.

Good luck!