Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sunny Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,038 in Sunny Beach, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Sunny Beach
Learn more

Sunny Beach Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Sunny Beach

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Sunny Beach

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,038 in Sunny Beach, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Sunny Beach $1,038

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,578 in Sunny Beach, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Sunny Beach $1,578

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,117 in Sunny Beach, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Sunny Beach $2,117

Chiang Mai is about 10% cheaper than Sunny Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Sunny Beach are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Sunny Beach 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.6

$8.39 BGN 14.68

-73.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿643

$44.87 BGN 78.5

-57.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿188

$9.63 BGN 16.85

-41.95%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.8

$2.86 BGN 5.01

-39.86%

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

$0.64 ฿21.61

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-63.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.22

$1.56 BGN 2.73

-78.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.0

$2.31 BGN 4.05

2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿131

$1.73 BGN 3.03

125.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.9

$1.76 BGN 3.08

16.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.86

$0.75 BGN 1.31

86.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.03

$2.18 BGN 3.81

-41.28%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$3.69 BGN 6.46

-39.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿568

$8.40 BGN 14.70

101.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.9

$8.56 BGN 14.99

-67.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿314

$14.28 BGN 24.99

-34.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.70 BGN 2.97

41.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿34.03

$1.77 BGN 3.09

-42.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿54.1

$1.91 BGN 3.34

-15.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$2.63 BGN 4.60

-42.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.04

$1.07 BGN 1.88

19.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.34

$1.05 BGN 1.84

5.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.17

$1.16 BGN 2.03

-37.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.60

$0.71 BGN 1.24

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$4.10 BGN 7.17

5.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿595

$6.27 BGN 10.98

182.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.6

$1.13 BGN 1.97

44.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.7

$2.06 BGN 3.60

38.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.40

$1.13 BGN 1.98

-24.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,807

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.31

$1.27 BGN 2.22

-7.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.06

$0.65 BGN 1.13

-12.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.4

$10.32 BGN 18.06

-77.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.48

$1.58 BGN 2.76

-8.23%

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

$20.5K ฿686.5K

$29.6K BGN 51.8K

-30.76%

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

$26.5K ฿889.0K

$24.4K BGN 42.7K

8.59%

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

$62.3 ฿2,090

$114 BGN 200

-45.43%

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

$12.27 ฿411

$18.46 BGN 32.31

-33.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿670

$15.66 BGN 27.41

27.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,271

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿225

$8.90 BGN 15.57

-24.61%

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

$797 ฿26.7K

$519 BGN 907

53.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.3K

$5,550 BGN 9,713

167.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,786

$33.86 BGN 59.3

57.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿840

$41.32 BGN 72.3

-39.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,072

$95.8 BGN 168

-4.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,463

$103 BGN 181

-28.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.6K

$565 BGN 989

-17.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$341 BGN 597

-10.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.7K

$679 BGN 1,188

34.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$513 BGN 898

7.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿64.1K

$1,328 BGN 2,323

44.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.2K

$1,135 BGN 1,987

26.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$920 BGN 1,611

-35.33%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Sunny Beach: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Sunny Beach

$341 32.9% 11.9% $36

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Sunny Beach

$240 23.1% 0.9% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Sunny Beach

$123 11.9% 12.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Sunny Beach

$148 14.3% 56.9% $54

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Sunny Beach

$159 15.3% 101% $80

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Sunny Beach

$9 * 0.9% 85.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Sunny Beach

$18 * 1.7% 65.3% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $565 in Sunny Beach. 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 55% higher in Sunny Beach, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $45.00 in Sunny Beach. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $240 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇬 Sunny Beach

🕒 Local time

03:43 3:43 AM

23:43 11:43 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

13,347

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sunny Beach 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sunny Beach

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 Sunny Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sunny Beach costs about 11% 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,557 in Sunny Beach. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $45.00 in Sunny Beach. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Sunny Beach, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Sunny Beach at $1,038. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sunny Beach it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,038 in Sunny Beach. 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, Sunny Beach makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.