Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tutrakan

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Tutrakan: $936 and $967 a month, rent and utilities included.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Tutrakan, Bulgaria
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Tutrakan
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$967
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $967 in Tutrakan, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Tutrakan $967

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,500 in Tutrakan, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Tutrakan $1,500

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,032 in Tutrakan, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Tutrakan $2,032

Chiang Mai is about 3% cheaper than Tutrakan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Tutrakan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Tutrakan 29% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Tutrakan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.7
$9.20 BGN 16.10
-75.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿642
$44.90 BGN 78.6
-57.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿188
$8.74 BGN 15.29
-36.50%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.6
$1.88 BGN 3.28
-11.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.56
$1.59 BGN 2.78
-59.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.32
$0.96 BGN 1.68
-67.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$1.74 BGN 3.04
35.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$2.91 BGN 5.09
25.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Tutrakan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$1.80 BGN 3.15
8.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.51
$0.91 BGN 1.59
58.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.07
$1.79 BGN 3.13
-25.70%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$3.15 BGN 5.52
-27.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿556
$9.25 BGN 16.18
77.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$8.22 BGN 14.39
-66.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$10.41 BGN 18.22
-10.57%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.5
$1.39 BGN 2.43
69.06%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.82
$1.88 BGN 3.28
-48.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$1.71 BGN 2.99
-6.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$2.30 BGN 4.02
-34.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.15
$1.09 BGN 1.91
17.43%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.22
$1.04 BGN 1.81
5.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.84
$0.88 BGN 1.54
-19.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.71 BGN 1.24
-30.99%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$3.49 BGN 6.10
18.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿592
$6.63 BGN 11.60
164.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.00 BGN 1.75
61.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$1.61 BGN 2.81
72.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Tutrakan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.33
$0.84 BGN 1.47
3.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,827
$25.71 BGN 44.99
110.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.08
$1.30 BGN 2.27
-10.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.82
$0.68 BGN 1.19
-22.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$11.38 BGN 19.92
-78.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$1.62 BGN 2.84
-10.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿711.2K
$31.9K BGN 55.8K
-33.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.8K
$23.2K BGN 40.7K
15.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Tutrakan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,100
$103 BGN 180
-39.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$16.99 BGN 29.73
-28.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿680
$11.92 BGN 20.85
68.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Tutrakan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,260
$35.79 BGN 62.6
4.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$17.05 BGN 29.84
-77.89%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$7.00 BGN 12.25
-7.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Tutrakan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.9K
$512 BGN 896
43.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.6K
$5,433 BGN 9,508
171.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Tutrakan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,802
$47.71 BGN 83.5
11.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿832
$27.44 BGN 48.02
-10.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,089
$88.5 BGN 155
3.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,429
$82.6 BGN 145
-12.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Tutrakan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$299 BGN 523
61.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$272 BGN 476
13.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿34.0K
$562 BGN 984
78.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$408 BGN 714
55.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$1,340 BGN 2,344
76.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.7K
$1,096 BGN 1,919
44.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Tutrakan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
2.99
86.29%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tutrakan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Tutrakan
$272 11.9% $37
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Tutrakan
$222 5.1% $12
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Tutrakan
$111 2% $2.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Tutrakan
$132 39.4% $37
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Tutrakan
$147 89.5% $69
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Tutrakan
$34 44.9% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Tutrakan
$50 1% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $299 in Tutrakan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $45 in Tutrakan. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $222 in Tutrakan – so Tutrakan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇧🇬 Tutrakan
🕒 Local time
21:12 9:12 PM
16:12 4:12 PM
5 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
8,000
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.513 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Tutrakan 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Tutrakan

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 Tutrakan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Tutrakan?
Tutrakan costs about 3% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Tutrakan?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,451 in Tutrakan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Tutrakan?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tutrakan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $299 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Tutrakan?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $512 in Tutrakan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Tutrakan?
Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Tutrakan – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Tutrakan?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $967 in Tutrakan. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Chiang Mai or Tutrakan?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $967 in Tutrakan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Tutrakan?
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.

Chiang Mai vs other spots: cost of living compared

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