Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pomorie

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Pomorie: $925 and $900 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Pomorie
Learn more

Pomorie Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Pomorie

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$900

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $900 in Pomorie, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Pomorie $900

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,417 in Pomorie, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Pomorie $1,417

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,933 in Pomorie, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Pomorie $1,933

Chiang Mai costs about 3% more than Pomorie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Pomorie are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Pomorie 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$12.91 BGN 22.46

-82.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$45.36 BGN 78.9

-56.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$8.82 BGN 15.35

-36.39%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.25 BGN 3.91

-26.22%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.57 BGN 2.73

-55.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-62.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.03 BGN 3.53

18.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.25 BGN 3.91

64.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.74 BGN 3.02

12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.79 BGN 1.38

78.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.51 BGN 2.63

-13.25%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-7.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$10.02 BGN 17.44

66.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$6.51 BGN 11.33

-57.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$8.56 BGN 14.89

6.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.45 BGN 2.53

64.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.63 BGN 2.84

-36.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-5.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.04 BGN 3.55

-26.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.94 BGN 1.64

37.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.89 BGN 1.55

24.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.01 BGN 1.75

-28.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.62 BGN 1.08

-14.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.59 BGN 6.25

20.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$5.16 BGN 8.98

247.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.00 BGN 1.75

58.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.67 BGN 2.91

70.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.88 BGN 1.53

-2.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$23.83 BGN 41.46

123.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.33 BGN 2.32

-9.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.60 BGN 1.04

-5.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$11.53 BGN 20.05

-79.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.66 BGN 2.89

-13.25%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$30.0K BGN 52.2K

-30.87%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

24.44%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$91.6 BGN 159

-31.95%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$14.58 BGN 25.38

-16.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$12.07 BGN 21.00

65.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$29.50 BGN 51.3

25.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$16.91 BGN 29.42

-77.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$8.80 BGN 15.31

-26.14%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$231 BGN 401

243.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$2,302 BGN 4,005

543.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$29.97 BGN 52.2

79.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$19.57 BGN 34.05

25.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$63.7 BGN 111

42.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$51.5 BGN 89.6

38.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$328 BGN 570

39.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$250 BGN 435

19.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$545 BGN 948

66.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$397 BGN 691

39.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,796 BGN 3,126

7.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,074 BGN 1,869

34.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

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: October 17, 2026

Last update for Pomorie: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Pomorie

$250 27.8% 16% $48

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Pomorie

$198 22% 15.9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Pomorie

$74 8.2% 31.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Pomorie

$118 13.1% 25.3% $24

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Pomorie

$181 20.1% 130% $102

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Pomorie

$32 3.5% 47.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Pomorie

$47 5.2% 5.9% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $328 in Pomorie. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $45.00 in Pomorie. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $198 in Pomorie – so Pomorie wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇬 Pomorie

🕒 Local time

19:03 7:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

13,919

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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 Pomorie 7,100 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pomorie

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 Pomorie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 3% more than Pomorie, 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 $1,351 in Pomorie. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pomorie, 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 $231 in Pomorie. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% 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 Pomorie, where all-in costs run around $900, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Pomorie 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. Pomorie costs $900 versus $925 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 Pomorie. 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.