Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Vratsa

For one person, living is cheaper in Vratsa: $826 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Vratsa
Learn more

Vratsa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Vratsa

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$826

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $826 in Vratsa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Vratsa $826

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,255 in Vratsa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Vratsa $1,255

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,684 in Vratsa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Vratsa $1,684

Chiang Mai costs about 13% more than Vratsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Vratsa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Vratsa 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$8.49 BGN 14.85

-73.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$28.23 BGN 49.41

-32.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.65 BGN 9.88

-1.77%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.22 BGN 3.88

-24.77%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.56 BGN 2.73

-58.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.82 BGN 1.44

-62.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.68 BGN 2.94

40.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.03 BGN 3.55

80.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.33 BGN 2.32

46.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.84 BGN 1.47

71.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.35 BGN 2.36

-1.48%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.28 BGN 3.99

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.35 BGN 16.36

75.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$5.62 BGN 9.83

-50.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.41 BGN 14.71

10.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.25 BGN 2.19

88.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.64 BGN 2.87

-40.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.11 BGN 1.94

44.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.73 BGN 3.02

-13.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.98 BGN 1.72

30.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.71 BGN 1.25

54.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.56 BGN 0.98

26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.54 BGN 0.95

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.49 BGN 6.10

18.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.22 BGN 9.13

235.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.08 BGN 1.90

49.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.74 BGN 3.04

59.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.82 BGN 1.44

6.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$25.24 BGN 44.17

114.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$0.88 BGN 1.54

31.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.62 BGN 1.08

-14.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$6.45 BGN 11.28

-62.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.56 BGN 2.73

-7.05%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$30.4K BGN 53.3K

-30.81%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$23.4K BGN 41.0K

15.08%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$94.3 BGN 165

-34.09%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$12.63 BGN 22.09

-3.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$12.23 BGN 21.40

64.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$22.92 BGN 40.11

62.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$19.29 BGN 33.77

-80.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.80 BGN 10.15

11.90%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$223 BGN 390

230.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$2,257 BGN 3,949

554.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$30.65 BGN 53.6

74.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$19.41 BGN 33.97

26.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$64.4 BGN 113

42.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$50.4 BGN 88.2

42.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$337 BGN 590

42.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$253 BGN 444

21.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$550 BGN 962

82.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$401 BGN 703

57.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,309 BGN 2,291

80.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,114 BGN 1,950

42.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,080 BGN 1,890

-45.40%

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 Vratsa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Vratsa

$253 30.7% 18% $55

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Vratsa

$179 21.7% 23.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Vratsa

$74 9% 31.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Vratsa

$119 14.4% 26.2% $25

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Vratsa

$133 16.2% 72% $56

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Vratsa

$33 3.9% 47% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Vratsa

$35 4.2% 31.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $337 in Vratsa. 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 83% higher in Vratsa, 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 $28 in Vratsa. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $179 in Vratsa – so Vratsa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇬 Vratsa

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

16:30 4:30 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

60,877

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 2, 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 Vratsa 7,430 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Vratsa

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 Vratsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 13% more than Vratsa, 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 $1,240 in Vratsa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vratsa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $223 in Vratsa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Vratsa – 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.