Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ruse

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $990 in Ruse, rent and utilities included – about $780 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Ruse
Learn more

Ruse Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Ruse

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $990 in Ruse, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Ruse $990

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,470 in Ruse, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Ruse $1,470

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,949 in Ruse, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Ruse $1,949

Chiang Mai is about 7% cheaper than Ruse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$9.07 BGN 15.77

-74.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$34.26 BGN 59.6

-42.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$9.55 BGN 16.62

-41.26%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-1.19%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.48 BGN 2.58

-52.70%

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

$1.76 BGN 3.07

36.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.80 BGN 4.88

32.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.75 BGN 3.04

11.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.01 BGN 1.76

39.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$2.28 BGN 3.96

-42.54%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.55 BGN 4.43

-14.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$8.93 BGN 15.54

86.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$7.77 BGN 13.52

-64.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$14.42 BGN 25.10

-36.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.40 BGN 2.44

70.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.85 BGN 3.21

-44.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.01 BGN 3.50

-18.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.02 BGN 3.52

-25.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.08 BGN 1.87

19.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.06 BGN 1.84

4.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.21 BGN 2.11

-40.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.66 BGN 1.15

-19.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.40 BGN 5.91

26.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$6.12 BGN 10.66

193.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.13 BGN 1.97

39.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.17 BGN 2.04

142.74%

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

$15.93 BGN 27.71

234.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.25 BGN 2.17

-3.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.61 BGN 1.06

-6.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$10.22 BGN 17.79

-77.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.51 BGN 2.63

-4.64%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$30.2K BGN 52.5K

-31.26%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$22.6K BGN 39.3K

18.73%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$104 BGN 182

-40.26%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$17.91 BGN 31.17

-32.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$12.89 BGN 22.44

54.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$31.68 BGN 55.1

17.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$8.80 BGN 15.32

-57.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$5.60 BGN 9.74

16.07%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$518 BGN 902

52.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$5,381 BGN 9,363

175.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$50.9 BGN 88.6

5.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$28.15 BGN 48.99

-12.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$72.0 BGN 125

26.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$87.2 BGN 152

-18.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$348 BGN 606

30.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$305 BGN 531

-2.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$526 BGN 914

72.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$409 BGN 712

35.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,660 BGN 2,889

16.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,210 BGN 2,105

19.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$966 BGN 1,681

-38.85%

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 Ruse: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Ruse

$305 30.9% 2.5% $7.6

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Ruse

$230 23.3% 2.2% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Ruse

$107 10.8% 0.9% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Ruse

$135 13.7% 43.2% $41

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Ruse

$145 14.7% 84.6% $67

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ruse

$24 2.4% 61.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ruse

$43 4.3% 14.4% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $348 in Ruse. 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 64% higher in Ruse, 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 $34.00 in Ruse. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $230 in Ruse – so Ruse wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇬 Ruse

🕒 Local time

18:38 6:38 PM

14:38 2:38 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

159,798

💱 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 Ruse 7,230 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ruse

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 Ruse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ruse costs about 7% 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 $1,485 in Ruse. 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 $518 in Ruse. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Ruse – 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 Ruse at $990. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ruse it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $990 in Ruse. 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, Ruse makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.