Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dupnica

For one person, living is cheaper in Dupnica: $867 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Dupnica
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Dupnica Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Dupnica

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$867

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $867 in Dupnica, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Dupnica $867

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,378 in Dupnica, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Dupnica $1,378

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,889 in Dupnica, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Dupnica $1,889

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Dupnica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Dupnica are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Dupnica 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$10.42 BGN 18.23

-79.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$51.1 BGN 89.5

-63.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$8.83 BGN 15.45

-36.58%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.22 BGN 3.89

-25.23%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$1.55 BGN 2.71

-58.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-66.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.18 BGN 3.81

6.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$1.95 BGN 3.41

88.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.72 BGN 3.01

17.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.58 BGN 1.01

143.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$0.99 BGN 1.73

40.40%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$2.36 BGN 4.14

0.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$9.34 BGN 16.34

76.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$6.50 BGN 11.37

-58.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$8.29 BGN 14.51

8.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.10 BGN 1.93

118.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.71 BGN 3.00

-39.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.75 BGN 3.06

-5.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.95 BGN 3.41

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.94 BGN 1.64

31.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.70 BGN 1.23

55.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.52 BGN 0.91

46.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.52 BGN 0.92

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$3.74 BGN 6.55

10.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$5.11 BGN 8.95

250.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$0.76 BGN 1.32

113.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$1.69 BGN 2.96

66.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.55 BGN 0.97

69.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$25.87 BGN 45.28

104.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$1.34 BGN 2.35

-11.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.64 BGN 1.12

-73.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$11.32 BGN 19.81

-84.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.66 BGN 2.90

-11.45%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$30.0K BGN 52.4K

-29.84%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$24.1K BGN 42.1K

10.21%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$93.9 BGN 164

-33.40%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$14.81 BGN 25.92

-21.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$12.40 BGN 21.70

63.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$31.43 BGN 55.0

20.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$17.10 BGN 29.92

-78.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.59 BGN 8.03

41.83%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$226 BGN 395

222.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$2,321 BGN 4,062

614.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$29.91 BGN 52.3

79.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$19.10 BGN 33.43

29.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$64.0 BGN 112

41.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$51.6 BGN 90.3

39.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$328 BGN 574

46.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$253 BGN 444

22.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$548 BGN 959

93.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$407 BGN 712

61.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$1,324 BGN 2,316

82.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$1,077 BGN 1,884

49.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$1,050 BGN 1,838

-43.36%

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 Dupnica: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Dupnica

$253 29.2% 18.2% $56

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Dupnica

$184 21.3% 22.1% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Dupnica

$74 8.5% 31.6% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Dupnica

$121 14% 28.2% $27

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Dupnica

$161 18.6% 110% $84

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Dupnica

$33 3.8% 44.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Dupnica

$41 4.7% 20.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $328 in Dupnica. 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 77% higher in Dupnica, 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 $51 in Dupnica. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $184 in Dupnica – so Dupnica wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇬 Dupnica

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

15:55 3:55 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

37,081

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 4, 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 Dupnica 7,470 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Dupnica

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 Dupnica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Dupnica, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,301 in Dupnica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dupnica, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $328 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

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

Groceries cost about 28% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $867 in Dupnica, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Dupnica – 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.