Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulgaria and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,158 in Bulgaria, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,158
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Bulgaria is 17.5% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 27.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Bulgaria is 33.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 29.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bulgaria
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.46 BGN 20.06
$2.13 ฿71.4
438.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.27 BGN 79.2
$19.40 ฿649
133.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.46 BGN 18.30
$5.47 ฿183
91.22%
Cappuccino
$2.50 BGN 4.37
$1.68 ฿56.4
48.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 BGN 2.85
$0.66 ฿22.10
146.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 BGN 2.18
$0.34 ฿11.52
264.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.26 BGN 3.96
$2.42 ฿81.0
-6.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.44 BGN 6.02
$3.73 ฿125
-7.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bulgaria
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 BGN 3.26
$2.06 ฿68.9
-9.71%
White Bread (500g)
$1.11 BGN 1.95
$1.46 ฿48.78
-23.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.29 BGN 4.01
$1.35 ฿45.09
69.63%
Eggs
$3.57 BGN 6.25
$2.27 ฿76.0
57.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.41 BGN 18.21
$16.31 ฿546
-36.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.75 BGN 13.56
$2.70 ฿90.3
187.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.23 BGN 23.15
$9.20 ฿308
43.80%
Apples (1kg)
$1.70 BGN 2.98
$2.39 ฿80.1
-28.87%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 BGN 3.51
$1.04 ฿34.66
93.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.90 BGN 3.32
$1.60 ฿53.7
18.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.72 BGN 4.77
$1.44 ฿48.37
88.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.11 BGN 1.94
$1.30 ฿43.59
-14.62%
Onion (1kg)
$1.06 BGN 1.86
$1.11 ฿37.29
-4.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.06 BGN 1.86
$0.70 ฿23.55
51.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 BGN 1.31
$0.51 ฿16.99
47.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.94 BGN 6.89
$4.13 ฿138
-4.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.93 BGN 12.12
$17.78 ฿595
-61.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 BGN 1.87
$1.63 ฿54.7
-34.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 BGN 2.96
$2.87 ฿96.0
-41.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Bulgaria
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 BGN 1.55
$0.86 ฿28.76
3.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.55 BGN 49.96
$53.2 ฿1,780
-46.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.47 BGN 2.57
$1.22 ฿40.81
20.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.72 BGN 1.25
$0.56 ฿18.81
28.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.22 BGN 21.39
$2.31 ฿77.5
429.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.61 BGN 2.83
$1.50 ฿50.2
7.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.6K BGN 53.5K
$20.9K ฿698.3K
46.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K BGN 43.6K
$26.7K ฿895.0K
-6.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bulgaria
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$127 BGN 222
$61.3 ฿2,051
106.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.66 BGN 32.66
$12.50 ฿419
49.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.78 BGN 24.12
$20.36 ฿682
-32.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bulgaria
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.58 BGN 60.5
$37.94 ฿1,270
-8.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.25 BGN 31.94
$3.77 ฿126
384.08%
Cinema Ticket
$8.40 BGN 14.70
$6.60 ฿221
27.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bulgaria
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$551 BGN 964
$774 ฿25.9K
-28.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,645 BGN 16.9K
$14.4K ฿483.2K
-33.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bulgaria
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.9 BGN 101
$54.8 ฿1,835
5.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.45 BGN 58.5
$25.26 ฿846
32.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.8 BGN 155
$90.6 ฿3,032
-1.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.5 BGN 155
$73.3 ฿2,453
20.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bulgaria
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$470 BGN 823
$459 ฿15.4K
2.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$363 BGN 634
$294 ฿9,835
23.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$807 BGN 1,413
$919 ฿30.8K
-12.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$581 BGN 1,017
$552 ฿18.5K
5.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,326 BGN 4,071
$1,917 ฿64.2K
21.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,611 BGN 2,819
$1,445 ฿48.4K
11.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bulgaria
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,160 BGN 2,030
$592 ฿19.8K
95.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.12
5.57
-43.99%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bulgaria: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bulgaria
$363
Chiang Mai
$294 19% $69
Groceries & Markets
Bulgaria
$246
Chiang Mai
$236 4% $9.9
Eating Out
Bulgaria
$183
Chiang Mai
$77 57.7% $106
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bulgaria
$159
Chiang Mai
$94 40.9% $65
Clothing & Footwear
Bulgaria
$121
Chiang Mai
$110 9.2% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Bulgaria
$51
Chiang Mai
$51 0.5% $0.3
Getting Around
Bulgaria
$37
Chiang Mai
$61 63.2% $23
Good to know
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
05:36 5:36 AM
09:36 9:36 AM
4 h ahead of Bulgaria
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,795,803
127,240
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bulgaria Chiang Mai 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bulgaria
  • Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bulgaria vs other spots: cost of living compared

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