Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dobrich

For one person, living is cheaper in Dobrich: $596 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Dobrich
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Dobrich Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Dobrich

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Dobrich actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $596 in Dobrich, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Dobrich $596

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $984 in Dobrich, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Dobrich $984

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,372 in Dobrich, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Dobrich $1,372

Chiang Mai costs about 57% more than Dobrich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Dobrich are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Dobrich 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.93 BGN 12.12

-67.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$28.09 BGN 49.16

-32.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$11.53 BGN 20.18

-51.86%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.73 BGN 3.04

-3.47%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-28.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.53 BGN 0.92

-41.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.96 BGN 3.43

20.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.80 BGN 4.90

30.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.70 BGN 2.97

14.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.84 BGN 1.47

71.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$2.09 BGN 3.65

-36.36%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.16 BGN 5.53

-27.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.28 BGN 10.98

161.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$8.88 BGN 15.54

-68.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.51 BGN 20.14

-19.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.26 BGN 3.96

3.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.97 BGN 3.44

-50.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.12 BGN 3.72

-24.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.47 BGN 4.32

-39.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.17 BGN 2.05

9.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.43 BGN 2.50

-23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.94 BGN 1.65

-24.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.51 BGN 0.90

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.20 BGN 5.59

29.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.98 BGN 12.22

151.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.93 BGN 1.62

73.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.87 BGN 3.27

48.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.92 BGN 1.61

-5.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$22.18 BGN 38.81

143.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.71 BGN 2.99

-32.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.71 BGN 1.24

-25.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$11.90 BGN 20.82

-79.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.52 BGN 2.66

-4.61%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$29.7K BGN 52.0K

-29.06%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$22.1K BGN 38.7K

21.79%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$51.2 BGN 89.7

21.33%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$14.48 BGN 25.33

-15.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$11.68 BGN 20.45

72.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$25.38 BGN 44.42

47.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.61 BGN 8.07

40.78%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$232 BGN 406

217.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$15.0K BGN 26.3K

-1.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$58.5 BGN 102

-8.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$29.26 BGN 51.2

-15.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$70.6 BGN 124

29.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$51.2 BGN 89.6

40.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,016 BGN 1,778

-41.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.25

71.38%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dobrich: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Dobrich

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Dobrich

$227 38% 3.3% $7.7

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Dobrich

$94 15.8% 13.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Dobrich

$77 13% 18.1% $17

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Dobrich

$132 22.1% 70% $54

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Dobrich

$31 5.2% 49.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Dobrich

$35 5.8% 31.2% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 72% higher in Dobrich, 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 $28 in Dobrich. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $227 in Dobrich – so Dobrich wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇬 Dobrich

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

02:08 2:08 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

89,627

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Dobrich 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Dobrich

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 Dobrich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 57% more than Dobrich, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $894 in Dobrich. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $232 in Dobrich. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $596 in Dobrich, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $596 in Dobrich to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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