Viktoria Marinova's beaten corpse, which showed signs of rape and brutal violence, was found on Saturday in the northern Bulgarian city of Ruse.
Bulgarian Interior Minister Mladen Marinov told the media in Sofia that the detained man was identified as a resident of Ruse, Efe news reported.
Bulgarian officers found several objects related to the victim in the man's house in Ruse. His DNA samples also matched those found on the woman's body, the minister said.
Public prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov said that at the moment it was not possible to say whether the journalist's murder was in linked to her work.
He added that they were filing charges of rape and murder, which could lead to life imprisonment.
Tsatsarov said the suspect had drunk heavily and it appeared to be a case of spontaneous assault with sexual intent.