The honest answer is that it depends on the year, and in a weak one it can be about what a long-term tenant pays. These are the figures for Varna and Golden Sands after everything that comes out of what guests pay — VAT, the platforms' commission and the management fee. They are estimates, not a promise, and they are worked out exactly as in our calculator.
1In short: Varna
What the owner keeps in an average month after VAT, commission and our fee, before bills and income tax:
| Weak year | Average | Strong | Long-term rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | €290 | €410 | €530 | €250–320 |
| 2 bedrooms | €470 | €630 | €810 | €400–500 |
In a weak year a one-bedroom apartment leaves about €290 a month — much what a long-term tenant pays. The difference comes in the average and strong years: €410 and €530.
2Where the figures come from
Nightly rate: €65 for a one-bedroom apartment (Varna median, Airbtics, March 2026) and €101 for two bedrooms (Doorstep, Airbnb, March 2026).
Occupancy: the data providers disagree on Varna by nearly a factor of two — 33% according to AirROI (September 2026) and 58% according to Airbtics (March 2026). They count different listings over different periods, and neither is "the right one". So we do not pick one: the weak year is the lower estimate, the strong year the higher, and the average sits between them at 45%.
A year's revenue is the rate times 365 nights times occupancy. For a one-bedroom apartment in an average year that is about €10,700 paid by guests.
3What comes out of what guests pay
- VAT on the nights, 9%. It is inside the price the guest pays, so it is 9/109 of it, not 9% on top. It is charged when the operator is VAT registered, as Arc Stay is.
- The platforms' commission — about 16% of what guests pay. From 13 October 2026 Airbnb takes 15.5% from hosts in the EEA, and Booking.com 15% plus 1.1–3.1% for payments.
- The management fee. Ours is 40% with VAT (33.33% before it), on what is left after VAT and commission — never on the tax.
An example: a one-bedroom apartment in Varna, average year.
| Per year | |
|---|---|
| Paid by guests | €10,700 |
| VAT on the nights (9%) | −€900 |
| Platform commission | −€1,700 |
| Management fee (40% with VAT) | −€3,200 |
| For the owner | €4,900 |
| Average month | €410 |
If you manage it yourself, the fee stays with you, and if you are not VAT registered your nights carry no VAT. The work stays with you too: messages with guests, cleaning after every stay, prices set day by day, and every guest entered in ESTI within 24 hours. What else the law asks is in the owner's guide.
4What these figures leave out
Every amount is before the costs that stay with the owner:
- electricity, water, internet and heating — with a long-term tenant these are usually theirs, with short-term guests they are yours;
- the building's maintenance fee — the owners' assembly may set a higher one for flats used commercially;
- repairs, and wear on the furniture, which is faster with short stays;
- the tourist tax on every night;
- tax on your income — the patent tax or 15% as a sole trader, depending on your case.
So in a weak year short-term letting can leave not as much as a long-term let, but less.
5Golden Sands: a different sum
In the resort the season decides everything: about half the year's revenue comes in July and August, and October to April brings about a fifth. So here we do not multiply a rate by occupancy but work from a year's revenue. The owner's average month:
| Weak year | Average | Strong | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | €230 | €440 | €550 |
| 2 bedrooms | €330 | €650 | €820 |
The average and strong years are a model built on the prices of our six apartments in Golden Sands. 2026 is our first full season, so it is a model, not a report. The weak year is what the average Bulgarian listing makes — €450–550 a month according to Investropa.
Here "average month" is the most misleading figure in the article: a winter month in the resort is far below it.
6When short-term letting is not worth it
- When your place is closer to the weak year than to the average. You then earn what a long-term let would pay, with more work and more risk.
- When you need the same amount every month. A long-term let pays evenly; short-term pays unevenly, above all in the resort.
- When you want to use the place yourself in July and August — exactly the months that earn the most.
If one of these is your case, we will tell you so in the consultation.
7The sum for your property
The calculator on the owners' page shows the same figures for your size and location. For a studio, a larger place or a particular address, we will work it out separately. What you would keep managing it yourself is in on Airbnb yourself or with a management company.