Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Popovo

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Popovo: $925 and $911 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Popovo
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Popovo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Popovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$911

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $911 in Popovo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Popovo $911

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,380 in Popovo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Popovo $1,380

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,849 in Popovo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Popovo $1,849

Chiang Mai costs about 2% more than Popovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Popovo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Popovo 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$8.53 BGN 14.84

-73.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$28.74 BGN 50.0

-31.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$7.04 BGN 12.25

-20.31%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.16 BGN 2.02

43.10%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.72 BGN 1.26

-2.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.55 BGN 2.71

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.52 BGN 4.39

-4.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.27 BGN 7.42

-13.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.44 BGN 2.51

35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.03 BGN 1.79

36.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$2.12 BGN 3.68

-38.21%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.55 BGN 4.43

-14.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$6.81 BGN 11.84

144.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$7.96 BGN 13.84

-65.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$13.99 BGN 24.34

-34.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.46 BGN 2.53

63.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.44 BGN 2.51

-28.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.39 BGN 2.42

17.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.13 BGN 3.70

-29.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.05 BGN 1.82

22.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.04 BGN 1.81

6.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.20 BGN 2.09

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.76 BGN 1.33

-30.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.82 BGN 6.65

12.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$6.23 BGN 10.84

188.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$0.84 BGN 1.46

88.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.03 BGN 3.53

39.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.84 BGN 1.46

2.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$24.48 BGN 42.60

117.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.59 BGN 1.03

105.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-3.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$7.70 BGN 13.40

-69.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-7.69%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$28.7K BGN 50.0K

-27.81%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$22.1K BGN 38.4K

21.48%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$113 BGN 197

-45.07%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$18.33 BGN 31.90

-33.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$15.37 BGN 26.75

29.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$20.26 BGN 35.26

82.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$17.14 BGN 29.83

-77.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.22 BGN 10.82

4.50%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$518 BGN 901

53.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$5,408 BGN 9,410

173.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$50.7 BGN 88.3

5.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$40.28 BGN 70.1

-38.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$69.7 BGN 121

30.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$46.17 BGN 80.3

54.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$328 BGN 571

38.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$256 BGN 445

16.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$547 BGN 952

65.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$406 BGN 707

36.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,337 BGN 2,326

44.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,062 BGN 1,848

36.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$1,261 BGN 2,194

-53.13%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Popovo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Popovo

$256 28.1% 14.2% $42

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Popovo

$218 23.9% 7.6% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Popovo

$93 10.2% 13.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Popovo

$147 16.2% 55.9% $53

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Popovo

$134 14.7% 69.9% $55

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Popovo

$31 3.4% 48.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Popovo

$33 3.6% 34.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $328 in Popovo. 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 113% higher in Popovo, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $29.00 in Popovo. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $218 in Popovo – so Popovo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇬 Popovo

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

14:41 2:41 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

15,878

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Popovo 7,210 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Popovo

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 Popovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 2% more than Popovo, 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 $1,367 in Popovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Popovo, 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 $518 in Popovo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Popovo, where all-in costs run around $911, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Popovo 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. Popovo costs $911 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 Popovo. 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.