Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bulgaria

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.

Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,158
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 14.9% cheaper than Bulgaria without rent, and 21.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 25.2% cheaper than Bulgaria without rent, and 23% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Bulgaria
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.13 ฿71.4
$11.46 BGN 20.06
-81.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.40 ฿649
$45.27 BGN 79.2
-57.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.47 ฿183
$10.46 BGN 18.30
-47.71%
Cappuccino
$1.68 ฿56.4
$2.50 BGN 4.37
-32.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 ฿22.10
$1.63 BGN 2.85
-59.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ฿11.52
$1.24 BGN 2.18
-72.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.42 ฿81.0
$2.26 BGN 3.96
7.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 ฿125
$3.44 BGN 6.02
8.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Bulgaria
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 ฿68.9
$1.86 BGN 3.26
10.75%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿48.78
$1.11 BGN 1.95
31.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.35 ฿45.09
$2.29 BGN 4.01
-41.05%
Eggs
$2.27 ฿76.0
$3.57 BGN 6.25
-36.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.31 ฿546
$10.41 BGN 18.21
56.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.70 ฿90.3
$7.75 BGN 13.56
-65.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.20 ฿308
$13.23 BGN 23.15
-30.46%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 ฿80.1
$1.70 BGN 2.98
40.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 ฿34.66
$2.01 BGN 3.51
-48.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.7
$1.90 BGN 3.32
-15.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.44 ฿48.37
$2.72 BGN 4.77
-47.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.30 ฿43.59
$1.11 BGN 1.94
17.12%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 ฿37.29
$1.06 BGN 1.86
4.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.70 ฿23.55
$1.06 BGN 1.86
-33.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.99
$0.75 BGN 1.31
-32.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.13 ฿138
$3.94 BGN 6.89
4.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.78 ฿595
$6.93 BGN 12.12
156.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 ฿54.7
$1.07 BGN 1.87
52.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.87 ฿96.0
$1.69 BGN 2.96
69.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Bulgaria
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 ฿28.76
$0.89 BGN 1.55
-3.37%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.2 ฿1,780
$28.55 BGN 49.96
86.16%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.22 ฿40.81
$1.47 BGN 2.57
-17.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.56 ฿18.81
$0.72 BGN 1.25
-22.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.31 ฿77.5
$12.22 BGN 21.39
-81.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 ฿50.2
$1.61 BGN 2.83
-6.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.9K ฿698.3K
$30.6K BGN 53.5K
-31.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿895.0K
$24.9K BGN 43.6K
7.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Bulgaria
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.3 ฿2,051
$127 BGN 222
-51.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.50 ฿419
$18.66 BGN 32.66
-33.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.36 ฿682
$13.78 BGN 24.12
47.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Bulgaria
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.94 ฿1,270
$34.58 BGN 60.5
9.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿126
$18.25 BGN 31.94
-79.34%
Cinema Ticket
$6.60 ฿221
$8.40 BGN 14.70
-21.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Bulgaria
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$774 ฿25.9K
$551 BGN 964
40.44%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.4K ฿483.2K
$9,645 BGN 16.9K
49.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Bulgaria
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 ฿1,835
$57.9 BGN 101
-5.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.26 ฿846
$33.45 BGN 58.5
-24.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.6 ฿3,032
$88.8 BGN 155
1.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.3 ฿2,453
$88.5 BGN 155
-17.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Bulgaria
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$459 ฿15.4K
$470 BGN 823
-2.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$294 ฿9,835
$363 BGN 634
-18.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$919 ฿30.8K
$807 BGN 1,413
13.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$552 ฿18.5K
$581 BGN 1,017
-5.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,917 ฿64.2K
$2,326 BGN 4,071
-17.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,445 ฿48.4K
$1,611 BGN 2,819
-10.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Bulgaria
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$592 ฿19.8K
$1,160 BGN 2,030
-48.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.12
78.53%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bulgaria: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$294
Bulgaria
$363 23.4% $69
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$236
Bulgaria
$246 4.2% $9.9
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$110
Bulgaria
$121 10.2% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Bulgaria
$159 69.2% $65
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$77
Bulgaria
$183 137% $106
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Bulgaria
$37 38.7% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$51
Bulgaria
$51 0.5% $0.3
Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
🕒 Local time
09:37 9:37 AM
05:37 5:37 AM
4 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
6,795,803
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

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).

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

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

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