Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burgas and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,214 in Burgas, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Burgas
Learn more

Burgas Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Burgas

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,214

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burgas and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Burgas and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,214 per month in Burgas vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Burgas $1,214
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,830 per month in Burgas vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Burgas $1,830
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,447 per month in Burgas vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Burgas $2,447
Chiang Mai $1,914

Burgas costs about 29% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Burgas and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Burgas 10% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.69 BGN 23.82

$2.26 ฿75.4

505.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.97 BGN 80.0

$19.18 ฿641

139.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.38 BGN 19.81

$5.59 ฿187

103.58%

Cappuccino

$3.40 BGN 5.92

$1.72 ฿57.6

97.67%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 BGN 1.74

$0.64 ฿21.54

56.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 BGN 1.31

$0.33 ฿11.18

127.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$2.36 ฿78.7

-14.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 BGN 5.05

$3.90 ฿130

-25.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$2.05 ฿68.6

-18.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 BGN 1.78

$1.40 ฿46.70

-27.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.28 ฿42.89

57.81%

Eggs

$3.30 BGN 5.74

$2.25 ฿75.3

46.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 BGN 17.82

$16.94 ฿566

-39.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 BGN 15.70

$2.74 ฿91.6

229.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.41 BGN 19.86

$9.36 ฿313

21.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 BGN 4.13

$2.40 ฿80.3

-0.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.01 ฿33.92

96.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 BGN 3.68

$1.61 ฿53.9

31.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 BGN 4.33

$1.52 ฿50.7

63.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.83

$1.28 ฿42.90

26.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 BGN 2.52

$1.11 ฿37.22

30.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 BGN 1.70

$0.72 ฿24.09

36.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 BGN 1.58

$0.52 ฿17.54

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 BGN 6.32

$4.33 ฿145

-16.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 BGN 11.99

$17.73 ฿593

-61.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 BGN 1.72

$1.63 ฿54.4

-39.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 BGN 3.32

$2.85 ฿95.3

-32.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.51 BGN 60.0

$53.9 ฿1,801

-35.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$1.17 ฿39.18

43.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$0.57 ฿19.00

26.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.76 BGN 20.46

$2.37 ฿79.2

396.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 BGN 3.00

$1.45 ฿48.32

18.62%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.3K BGN 52.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

47.99%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.5K BGN 39.2K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-15.06%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$100 BGN 175

$62.3 ฿2,083

60.90%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.92 BGN 24.23

$12.27 ฿410

13.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.87 BGN 20.65

$19.97 ฿668

-40.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.11 BGN 66.3

$37.91 ฿1,267

0.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.13 BGN 24.59

$3.76 ฿126

275.80%

Cinema Ticket

$8.81 BGN 15.32

$6.71 ฿224

31.30%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$229 BGN 398

$797 ฿26.6K

-71.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.4K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-1.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 BGN 100

$53.3 ฿1,780

8.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.77 BGN 50.1

$25.05 ฿837

14.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.4 BGN 121

$91.6 ฿3,062

-24.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 BGN 129

$73.5 ฿2,455

0.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 BGN 938

$464 ฿15.5K

16.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$430 BGN 747

$305 ฿10.2K

40.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$813 BGN 1,414

$915 ฿30.6K

-11.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 BGN 1,087

$552 ฿18.5K

13.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,501 BGN 4,352

$1,912 ฿63.9K

30.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,943 BGN 3,380

$1,438 ฿48.1K

35.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$986 BGN 1,716

$595 ฿19.9K

65.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

5.57

-41.65%

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

Last update for Burgas: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Burgas

$430 35.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 29.1% $125

Groceries & Markets

Burgas

$248 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 4.1% $10

Eating Out

Burgas

$207 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 61.9% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burgas

$126 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 25% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Burgas

$103 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 5.8% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Burgas

$56 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 7.9% $4.4

Getting Around

Burgas

$43 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 41.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $539 in Burgas versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 66% higher in Burgas, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Burgas versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $248 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Burgas

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

00:28 12:28 AM

4 h ahead of Burgas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

189,741

127,240

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Burgas Chiang Mai 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Burgas
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

Burgas vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,214 in Burgas, $938 in Chiang Mai – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,820 per month in Burgas and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $229 per month in Burgas and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Burgas at $1,214. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burgas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Burgas has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $938 in Chiang Mai to $1,214 in Burgas. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Burgas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.