Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Smolyan

For one person, living is cheaper in Smolyan: $723 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Smolyan
Learn more

Smolyan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Smolyan

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $723 in Smolyan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Smolyan $723

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,156 in Smolyan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Smolyan $1,156

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,589 in Smolyan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Smolyan $1,589

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than Smolyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Smolyan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Smolyan 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$6.38 BGN 11.17

-66.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$37.37 BGN 65.4

-50.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$5.79 BGN 10.14

-3.28%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.32 BGN 2.32

25.76%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$1.07 BGN 1.87

-39.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.78 BGN 1.36

-61.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$1.72 BGN 3.02

34.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.18 BGN 3.81

68.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.75 BGN 3.06

15.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.93 BGN 1.63

51.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.73 BGN 3.03

-19.65%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$3.37 BGN 5.89

-29.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$10.22 BGN 17.89

61.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$5.73 BGN 10.03

-53.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$8.63 BGN 15.11

4.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.13 BGN 1.98

112.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.73 BGN 3.02

-39.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.15 BGN 2.01

44.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$2.31 BGN 4.05

-32.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.17 BGN 2.05

5.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-26.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.93 BGN 1.63

-18.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.60 BGN 1.05

-15.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.40 BGN 5.94

21.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$5.55 BGN 9.72

223.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$0.60 BGN 1.04

170.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$1.67 BGN 2.92

68.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.88 BGN 1.54

5.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$32.36 BGN 56.6

63.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$1.30 BGN 2.28

-9.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.59 BGN 1.04

-71.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$12.19 BGN 21.33

-85.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.54 BGN 2.69

-4.55%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$23.1K BGN 40.4K

-9.00%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$23.4K BGN 40.9K

13.35%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$100 BGN 175

-37.47%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$14.39 BGN 25.18

-19.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$9.26 BGN 16.21

119.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$21.86 BGN 38.26

73.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$16.71 BGN 29.25

-77.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$7.64 BGN 13.38

-14.79%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$230 BGN 402

216.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$5,915 BGN 10.4K

180.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$28.19 BGN 49.33

89.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$21.01 BGN 36.77

18.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$58.9 BGN 103

53.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$62.8 BGN 110

14.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$202 BGN 353

138.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$141 BGN 247

119.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$290 BGN 507

265.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$238 BGN 417

176.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$1,302 BGN 2,279

85.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$1,091 BGN 1,910

47.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$694 BGN 1,215

-14.32%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Smolyan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Smolyan

$141 19.5% 54.4% $169

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Smolyan

$199 27.6% 15.7% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Smolyan

$77 10.6% 29% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Smolyan

$124 17.1% 30.9% $29

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Smolyan

$105 14.5% 36.7% $28

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Smolyan

$40 5.6% 31.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Smolyan

$37 5.1% 27% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $202 in Smolyan. 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 17% higher in Smolyan, 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Smolyan. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $199 in Smolyan – so Smolyan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇬 Smolyan

🕒 Local time

16:49 4:49 PM

11:49 11:49 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

30,507

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.97 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Smolyan 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Smolyan

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 Smolyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than Smolyan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,085 in Smolyan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Smolyan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $202 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $230 in Smolyan. 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 the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Smolyan – 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.