Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pleven

For one person, living is cheaper in Pleven: $889 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Pleven
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Pleven Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Pleven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $889 in Pleven, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Pleven $889

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,420 in Pleven, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Pleven $1,420

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,950 in Pleven, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Pleven $1,950

Chiang Mai costs about 6% more than Pleven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Pleven are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Pleven 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.7

$8.76 BGN 15.33

-74.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿644

$30.08 BGN 52.7

-36.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿188

$6.07 BGN 10.62

-7.91%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.9

$2.16 BGN 3.79

-20.37%

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

$0.64 ฿21.63

$1.30 BGN 2.28

-50.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.22

$1.17 BGN 2.04

-71.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.1

$2.10 BGN 3.67

12.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿131

$2.34 BGN 4.10

66.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.9

$1.63 BGN 2.85

25.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.89

$1.12 BGN 1.96

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-23.81%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.6

$3.43 BGN 6.01

-34.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿568

$9.21 BGN 16.12

83.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿92.0

$7.93 BGN 13.87

-65.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿314

$14.04 BGN 24.56

-33.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.23 BGN 2.15

95.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿34.05

$2.03 BGN 3.55

-50.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿54.1

$2.11 BGN 3.69

-23.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$2.27 BGN 3.97

-33.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.07

$1.18 BGN 2.07

8.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.36

$1.07 BGN 1.88

3.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.18

$1.06 BGN 1.85

-32.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.61

$0.70 BGN 1.22

-25.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.58 BGN 6.27

20.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿595

$6.42 BGN 11.23

176.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.6

$0.84 BGN 1.47

94.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.7

$1.13 BGN 1.98

152.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.42

$0.92 BGN 1.61

-7.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,808

$40.41 BGN 70.7

33.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.33

$1.55 BGN 2.72

-24.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.07

$0.86 BGN 1.50

-33.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.5

$12.14 BGN 21.24

-80.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.60 BGN 2.79

-9.38%

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

$20.5K ฿686.9K

$29.5K BGN 51.6K

-30.50%

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

$26.5K ฿889.5K

$25.4K BGN 44.5K

4.20%

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

$62.3 ฿2,091

$98.1 BGN 172

-36.48%

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

$12.27 ฿412

$15.91 BGN 27.85

-22.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿670

$10.44 BGN 18.28

91.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,272

$35.31 BGN 61.8

7.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$24.28 BGN 42.48

-84.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿225

$8.65 BGN 15.14

-22.43%

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

$797 ฿26.7K

$505 BGN 884

57.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$6,150 BGN 10.8K

141.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,787

$40.76 BGN 71.3

30.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿840

$28.23 BGN 49.40

-11.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,074

$92.8 BGN 162

-1.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,465

$102 BGN 178

-27.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.6K

$341 BGN 597

36.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$171 BGN 300

77.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.7K

$563 BGN 986

62.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$330 BGN 577

67.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿64.1K

$1,450 BGN 2,538

31.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.3K

$1,112 BGN 1,946

29.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$932 BGN 1,631

-36.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.85

95.44%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pleven: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Pleven

$171 19.3% 43.8% $133

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Pleven

$233 26.2% 2.1% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Pleven

$118 13.3% 8.2% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Pleven

$124 14% 31.6% $30

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Pleven

$139 15.7% 76.3% $60

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Pleven

$50 5.6% 18.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Pleven

$53 5.9% 2.5% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $341 in Pleven. 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 57% higher in Pleven, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $30.00 in Pleven. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $233 in Pleven – so Pleven wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇬 Pleven

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

00:20 12:20 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

111,567

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 33.55 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 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 Pleven 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pleven

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 Pleven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 6% more than Pleven, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,334 in Pleven. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pleven, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $505 in Pleven. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pleven, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Pleven it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Pleven costs $889 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. 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 Pleven. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.