Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sliven

For one person, living is cheaper in Sliven: $779 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Sliven
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Sliven Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Sliven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $779 in Sliven, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Sliven $779

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,232 in Sliven, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Sliven $1,232

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,684 in Sliven, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Sliven $1,684

Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Sliven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Sliven are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Sliven 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$11.37 BGN 19.78

-79.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$35.06 BGN 61.0

-43.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$10.19 BGN 17.74

-44.95%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.79 BGN 3.11

-7.26%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.25 BGN 2.17

-44.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.88 BGN 1.53

-64.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.71 BGN 2.97

40.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.36 BGN 4.10

57.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.55 BGN 2.70

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.79 BGN 1.37

78.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$2.58 BGN 4.49

-49.22%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.09 BGN 3.63

4.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$8.12 BGN 14.12

105.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$5.50 BGN 9.57

-49.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$6.67 BGN 11.61

36.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.47 BGN 2.56

62.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.65 BGN 2.88

-37.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.45 BGN 2.52

12.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.16 BGN 3.77

-30.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.51 BGN 0.88

152.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.88 BGN 1.53

26.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.02 BGN 1.77

-29.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.48 BGN 0.83

10.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.49 BGN 6.08

23.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$6.14 BGN 10.68

192.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.01 BGN 1.77

56.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.27 BGN 2.21

123.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.70 BGN 1.22

22.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$34.80 BGN 60.6

53.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.12 BGN 1.96

8.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-3.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$8.71 BGN 15.16

-73.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.53 BGN 2.66

-5.88%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$30.3K BGN 52.7K

-31.54%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$22.2K BGN 38.6K

20.72%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$86.7 BGN 151

-28.11%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$20.37 BGN 35.44

-40.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$9.44 BGN 16.43

111.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$23.32 BGN 40.58

58.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$5.80 BGN 10.09

12.07%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$508 BGN 885

55.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$6,395 BGN 11.1K

131.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$58.1 BGN 101

-7.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$22.56 BGN 39.25

9.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$69.1 BGN 120

31.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$61.6 BGN 107

15.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$231 BGN 402

97.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$146 BGN 253

104.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$329 BGN 572

176.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$254 BGN 441

118.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,147 BGN 1,996

68.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$915 BGN 1,593

57.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$1,325 BGN 2,306

-55.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.82

97.52%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sliven: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Sliven

$146 18.7% 51.1% $152

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Sliven

$181 23.2% 23.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Sliven

$95 12.2% 12.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Sliven

$117 15% 23.4% $22

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Sliven

$165 21.1% 110% $86

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sliven

$42 5.4% 31.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sliven

$35 4.5% 30.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $231 in Sliven. 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 124% higher in Sliven, 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 $35.00 in Sliven. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $181 in Sliven – so Sliven wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇬 Sliven

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

10:10 10:10 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

95,806

💱 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 25, 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 25, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sliven 7,210 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sliven

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 Sliven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Sliven, 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 $1,169 in Sliven. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sliven, 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 $508 in Sliven. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% 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 Sliven, where all-in costs run around $779, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Sliven 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. Sliven costs $779 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 Sliven. 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.