Despite price rises and comparatively high costs in Sofia, Plovdiv and along the coast, the essentials remain inexpensive. If you're camping and buying food in local markets, you can live on US$20 a day. Staying in modest hotels or private rooms and eating out regularly, US$40-50 should be sufficient, while on a daily budget of US$70 or above you can enjoy a very good life, staying in mid-range hotels and taking taxis everywhere. Only if you require business-class accommodation will you need more than that.

The most unpredictable factor is the cost of accommodation , which varies from region to region, as well as depending on the facilities, age and ownership of the place in question. Private rooms and B&Bs can cost anywhere from US$6-20 per person and hotels are equally variable, with two-star places costing from US$10-30 per person, three-star hotels from US$40-80, and four-and five-star establishments from US$90-150. There is less variation in the cost of hostels (US$5-10), mountain huts (US$6-10) and campsites (US$4-6), but their standards vary even more.

Once you've sorted out a bed for the night, your remaining daily costs can be very low. Public transport is cheap, with flat fares of about US$0.40 on most urban transport and inexpensive rates on intercity buses and trains: travelling second-class by train, you can cross the entire country from east to west for US$15, though international services to neighbouring countries are another matter. Providing you avoid deluxe hotel restaurants, eating should likewise prove economical. An average evening meal with drinks will set you back US$8-12, less if you stick to standard local food such as simple grills and salad. Drinking Bulgarian wine or spirits (about US$3 and US$5 a bottle respectively) will hit your liver harder than your wallet, and snatching a quick cup of coffee or a sandwich won't set you back more than about US$0.60.

Most museums and tourist attractions charge foreigners about five times the amount paid by the natives, and with rates averaging US$1-2, and a few places charging as much as US$6, they can become a significant expense if you're on a very low budget. Note also that we don't cite museum entry fees less than US$1.