Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Gabrovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $984 in Gabrovo, rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Gabrovo
Learn more

Gabrovo Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Gabrovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $984 in Gabrovo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Gabrovo $984

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,471 in Gabrovo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Gabrovo $1,471

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,958 in Gabrovo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Gabrovo $1,958

Chiang Mai is about 6% cheaper than Gabrovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Gabrovo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Gabrovo 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$7.38 BGN 12.83

-68.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$31.14 BGN 54.2

-36.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$16.09 BGN 27.99

-65.13%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.55 BGN 2.70

7.10%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.19 BGN 2.08

-41.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.68 BGN 1.19

-54.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.55 BGN 2.69

55.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.64 BGN 4.59

40.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.74 BGN 3.02

12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.96 BGN 1.68

46.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.99 BGN 3.46

-34.17%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$3.18 BGN 5.53

-31.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$8.19 BGN 14.25

103.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$7.80 BGN 13.57

-64.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$11.80 BGN 20.54

-22.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.55 BGN 2.70

54.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-40.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.81 BGN 3.15

-9.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.23 BGN 3.88

-32.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.01 BGN 1.75

27.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.16 BGN 2.01

-4.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.97 BGN 1.68

-25.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.70 BGN 1.22

-24.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.34 BGN 5.81

29.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$8.54 BGN 14.87

110.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.02 BGN 1.78

54.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.53 BGN 2.67

85.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-3.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$18.75 BGN 32.62

184.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.41 BGN 2.46

-14.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.17 BGN 2.04

-51.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$11.83 BGN 20.59

-80.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-11.11%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$36.2K BGN 63.0K

-42.70%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$33.1K BGN 57.5K

-18.93%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$152 BGN 264

-58.96%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$17.55 BGN 30.53

-31.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$22.07 BGN 38.40

-9.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$23.72 BGN 41.28

56.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$13.97 BGN 24.31

-72.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$5.66 BGN 9.84

14.84%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$84.7 BGN 147

836.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$46.73 BGN 81.3

15.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$45.64 BGN 79.4

-46.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$78.5 BGN 137

15.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$110 BGN 191

-35.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$298 BGN 519

52.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$229 BGN 399

29.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$454 BGN 790

100.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$353 BGN 614

57.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,147 BGN 1,995

68.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$961 BGN 1,673

50.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$910 BGN 1,583

-35.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.95

88.81%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Gabrovo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Gabrovo

$229 23.3% 23% $68

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Gabrovo

$226 23% 4% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Gabrovo

$126 12.8% 16.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Gabrovo

$191 19.5% 103% $97

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Gabrovo

$146 14.9% 86.3% $68

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Gabrovo

$30 3% 51.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Gabrovo

$35 3.6% 30% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $298 in Gabrovo. 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 54% higher in Gabrovo, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $31.00 in Gabrovo. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $226 in Gabrovo – so Gabrovo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇬 Gabrovo

🕒 Local time

04:00 4:00 AM

00:00 12:00 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

59,611

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Gabrovo 7,290 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Gabrovo

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 Gabrovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gabrovo costs about 6% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,476 in Gabrovo. 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.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $84.7 in Gabrovo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Gabrovo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Gabrovo at $984. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gabrovo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $984 in Gabrovo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Gabrovo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.