Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shumen

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Shumen: $936 and $913 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 Shumen
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Shumen Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Shumen

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $913 in Shumen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Shumen $913

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,422 in Shumen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Shumen $1,422

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,931 in Shumen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Shumen $1,931

Chiang Mai and Shumen have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Shumen are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Shumen 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$9.14 BGN 15.99

-75.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$34.66 BGN 60.7

-45.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.14 BGN 15.99

-39.28%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.69 BGN 2.96

-1.18%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.43 BGN 2.50

-55.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.07 BGN 1.87

-71.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.95 BGN 5.15

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.89 BGN 5.06

26.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.84 BGN 3.23

5.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.08 BGN 1.89

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.57 BGN 4.49

-48.25%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.85 BGN 4.98

-20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.11 BGN 15.94

80.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.11 BGN 8.95

-45.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.86 BGN 15.51

5.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.52 BGN 2.66

54.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-52.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.17 BGN 3.80

-26.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.30 BGN 4.02

-34.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$2.05 BGN 3.59

-37.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.25 BGN 2.20

-12.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.88 BGN 1.53

-19.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.77 BGN 1.34

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.67 BGN 6.41

12.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.00 BGN 12.25

150.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.97 BGN 1.69

65.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.47 BGN 2.57

89.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.88 BGN 1.54

-1.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$26.12 BGN 45.72

107.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.76 BGN 3.07

-34.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.53 BGN 0.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.59 BGN 2.78

-8.81%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$30.9K BGN 54.1K

-31.88%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$22.3K BGN 39.1K

20.63%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$133 BGN 232

-53.14%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$17.68 BGN 30.94

-31.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$16.94 BGN 29.64

18.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$38.15 BGN 66.8

-2.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$11.41 BGN 19.97

-66.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.04 BGN 12.32

-7.81%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$561 BGN 982

31.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$10.5K BGN 18.4K

40.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$47.91 BGN 83.8

11.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$51.6 BGN 90.4

-52.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$94.2 BGN 165

-2.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$60.6 BGN 106

18.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$263 BGN 460

83.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$180 BGN 315

71.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$427 BGN 748

135.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$334 BGN 584

89.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,231 BGN 2,154

92.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$997 BGN 1,744

59.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,024 BGN 1,792

-42.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.25

71.38%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shumen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Shumen

$180 19.7% 41.8% $129

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Shumen

$214 23.4% 8.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Shumen

$114 12.5% 5.3% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Shumen

$167 18.3% 77.1% $73

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Shumen

$151 16.6% 95.1% $74

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Shumen

$34 3.7% 44.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Shumen

$52 5.7% 3.9% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $263 in Shumen. 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 74% higher in Shumen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $35 in Shumen. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $214 in Shumen – so Shumen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇬 Shumen

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

01:12 1:12 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

85,504

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Shumen 7,150 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shumen

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 Shumen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,369 in Shumen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shumen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $263 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $35 in Shumen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Shumen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $913 in Shumen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Shumen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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