Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Botevgrad

For one person, living is cheaper in Botevgrad: $775 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Botevgrad
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Botevgrad Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Botevgrad

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $775 in Botevgrad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Botevgrad $775

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,226 in Botevgrad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Botevgrad $1,226

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,677 in Botevgrad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Botevgrad $1,677

Chiang Mai costs about 21% more than Botevgrad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Botevgrad are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Botevgrad 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$10.19 BGN 17.83

-79.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$22.88 BGN 40.05

-18.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$8.50 BGN 14.88

-34.12%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.73 BGN 3.03

-4.05%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$1.53 BGN 2.67

-57.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-65.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$1.70 BGN 2.97

36.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.03 BGN 3.56

80.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.70 BGN 2.97

18.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.87 BGN 1.52

62.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-7.95%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$2.24 BGN 3.92

5.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$6.72 BGN 11.76

145.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$6.35 BGN 11.11

-57.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$6.10 BGN 10.68

47.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.17 BGN 2.05

105.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.71 BGN 2.98

-39.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.73 BGN 3.03

-4.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-16.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.87 BGN 1.53

42.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.55 BGN 0.96

98.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.60 BGN 1.04

26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.64 BGN 1.11

-20.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$3.51 BGN 6.14

17.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$5.26 BGN 9.20

240.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.12 BGN 1.96

44.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$1.66 BGN 2.91

69.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.90 BGN 1.57

3.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$25.11 BGN 43.94

110.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$1.27 BGN 2.22

-7.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.64 BGN 1.12

-73.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$11.48 BGN 20.10

-84.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.55 BGN 2.72

-5.16%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$29.4K BGN 51.5K

-28.61%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$23.4K BGN 41.0K

13.30%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$91.4 BGN 160

-31.53%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$14.80 BGN 25.89

-21.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$12.11 BGN 21.19

67.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$25.64 BGN 44.87

47.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$16.95 BGN 29.67

-78.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.53 BGN 7.92

43.71%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$226 BGN 395

221.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$2,264 BGN 3,962

632.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$30.40 BGN 53.2

76.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$19.24 BGN 33.67

28.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$63.1 BGN 110

43.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$50.8 BGN 88.9

41.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$262 BGN 458

83.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$188 BGN 330

64.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$544 BGN 953

94.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$397 BGN 696

65.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$1,318 BGN 2,306

83.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$1,092 BGN 1,910

47.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$764 BGN 1,336

-22.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.99

86.29%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Botevgrad: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Botevgrad

$188 24.3% 39.2% $121

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Botevgrad

$176 22.8% 25.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Botevgrad

$74 9.5% 32.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Botevgrad

$118 15.3% 25.2% $24

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Botevgrad

$150 19.4% 95.8% $73

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Botevgrad

$33 4.3% 43.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Botevgrad

$35 4.5% 31.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $262 in Botevgrad. 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 28% higher in Botevgrad, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $23 in Botevgrad. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $176 in Botevgrad – so Botevgrad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇬 Botevgrad

🕒 Local time

05:17 5:17 AM

00:17 12:17 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

21,241

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.508 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.97 BGN (1 BGN = 0.508 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Botevgrad 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Botevgrad

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

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

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,162 in Botevgrad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Botevgrad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $262 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Botevgrad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $226 in Botevgrad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Botevgrad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.