Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Plovdiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,227 in Plovdiv, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
Learn more

Plovdiv Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,227

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,227 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Plovdiv $1,227

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,874 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Plovdiv $1,874

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,522 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Plovdiv $2,522

Chiang Mai is about 24% cheaper than Plovdiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Plovdiv are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Plovdiv 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$9.16 BGN 16.12

-75.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$45.67 BGN 80.4

-58.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$9.43 BGN 16.60

-41.15%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.86 BGN 5.04

-41.61%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.76 BGN 3.10

-63.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.58 BGN 2.79

-80.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.54 BGN 4.47

-7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.35 BGN 7.65

-15.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.81 BGN 3.19

7.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.22 BGN 2.14

18.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.23 BGN 3.93

-40.36%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.77 BGN 6.63

-39.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.62 BGN 20.45

41.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$8.55 BGN 15.05

-67.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.32 BGN 25.20

-34.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.62 BGN 2.86

45.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.84 BGN 3.24

-47.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.93 BGN 3.39

-17.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.63 BGN 4.63

-42.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.09 BGN 1.92

17.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.04 BGN 1.83

5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.16 BGN 2.04

-38.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.71 BGN 1.24

-30.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.90 BGN 6.86

6.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$6.03 BGN 10.61

190.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.16 BGN 2.04

38.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.98 BGN 3.49

40.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.60 BGN 1.05

45.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$29.11 BGN 51.2

85.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.29 BGN 2.27

-10.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.61 BGN 1.08

-13.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$10.46 BGN 18.40

-76.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.70 BGN 2.99

-14.71%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$30.3K BGN 53.4K

-30.59%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$24.6K BGN 43.3K

9.44%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$113 BGN 198

-44.87%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$18.40 BGN 32.39

-33.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$15.41 BGN 27.11

30.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$41.91 BGN 73.8

-10.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$20.61 BGN 36.28

-81.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.31 BGN 16.39

-30.29%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$599 BGN 1,053

23.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$5,404 BGN 9,510

173.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$67.3 BGN 118

-20.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$41.80 BGN 73.6

-41.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$96.9 BGN 171

-5.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$102 BGN 179

-29.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$553 BGN 974

-12.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$420 BGN 738

-26.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$880 BGN 1,548

14.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$663 BGN 1,167

-4.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,228 BGN 3,921

6.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,512 BGN 2,661

5.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,162 BGN 2,044

-49.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.1

79.68%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Plovdiv: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Plovdiv

$420 34.2% 35.8% $111

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Plovdiv

$255 20.8% 8.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Plovdiv

$139 11.3% 27.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Plovdiv

$147 12% 55.2% $52

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Plovdiv

$171 13.9% 120% $93

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Plovdiv

$36 2.9% 41.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Plovdiv

$61 4.9% 20.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $553 in Plovdiv. 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 97% higher in Plovdiv. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $46 in Plovdiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $255 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

23:35 11:35 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

368,983

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BGN = 0.568 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 BGN (1 BGN = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Plovdiv 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Plovdiv

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 Plovdiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Plovdiv costs about 31% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,840 in Plovdiv. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $553 in Plovdiv.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $599 in Plovdiv. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Plovdiv, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,227 in Plovdiv. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,227 in Plovdiv. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Plovdiv makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.