Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kardzhali and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Kardzhali: $653 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Kardzhali
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Kardzhali Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kardzhali

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$653

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kardzhali and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $653 per month in Kardzhali vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kardzhali $653
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,071 per month in Kardzhali vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kardzhali $1,071
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,489 per month in Kardzhali vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kardzhali $1,489
Chiang Mai $1,914

Kardzhali is about 30% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kardzhali and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kardzhali 52% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.22 BGN 19.52

$2.26 ฿75.4

396.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.74 BGN 39.57

$19.18 ฿641

18.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.05 BGN 15.75

$5.59 ฿187

61.90%

Cappuccino

$1.11 BGN 1.92

$1.72 ฿57.6

-35.47%

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

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.64 ฿21.54

62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 BGN 1.21

$0.33 ฿11.18

112.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$2.36 ฿78.7

-31.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 BGN 2.31

$3.90 ฿130

-65.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$2.05 ฿68.6

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 BGN 1.29

$1.40 ฿46.70

-47.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 BGN 2.49

$1.28 ฿42.89

11.72%

Eggs

$2.81 BGN 4.89

$2.25 ฿75.3

24.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 BGN 17.68

$16.94 ฿566

-40.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 BGN 9.75

$2.74 ฿91.6

104.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.74 BGN 11.73

$9.36 ฿313

-27.99%

Apples (1kg)

$0.90 BGN 1.56

$2.40 ฿80.3

-62.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.55

$1.01 ฿33.92

101.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.35

$1.61 ฿53.9

19.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.71

$1.52 ฿50.7

40.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 BGN 1.13

$1.28 ฿42.90

-49.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 BGN 2.22

$1.11 ฿37.22

14.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$0.72 ฿24.09

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 BGN 1.39

$0.52 ฿17.54

53.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.59 BGN 6.25

$4.33 ฿145

-17.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.56 BGN 7.94

$17.73 ฿593

-74.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 BGN 1.83

$1.63 ฿54.4

-35.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 BGN 2.46

$2.85 ฿95.3

-50.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 BGN 0.95

$0.85 ฿28.31

-36.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.13 BGN 19.36

$53.9 ฿1,801

-79.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.17 ฿39.18

44.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 BGN 1.23

$0.57 ฿19.00

22.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 BGN 9.83

$2.37 ฿79.2

138.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

$1.45 ฿48.32

17.24%

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

$29.7K BGN 51.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

45.14%

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

$22.4K BGN 39.0K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-15.50%

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

$60.9 BGN 106

$62.3 ฿2,083

-2.23%

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

$5.73 BGN 9.97

$12.27 ฿410

-53.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.65 BGN 13.30

$19.97 ฿668

-61.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.14 BGN 40.26

$37.91 ฿1,267

-38.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 BGN 14.67

$6.71 ฿224

25.63%

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

$230 BGN 401

$797 ฿26.6K

-71.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K BGN 25.2K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-2.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.87 BGN 39.79

$53.3 ฿1,780

-57.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.49 BGN 21.73

$25.05 ฿837

-50.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.07 BGN 78.4

$91.6 ฿3,062

-50.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 BGN 130

$73.5 ฿2,455

2.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 BGN 198

$464 ฿15.5K

-75.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 BGN 198

$305 ฿10.2K

-62.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$228 BGN 396

$915 ฿30.6K

-75.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 BGN 479

$552 ฿18.5K

-50.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,145 BGN 1,993

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-40.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$858 BGN 1,493

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-40.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,281 BGN 2,229

$595 ฿19.9K

115.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

5.57

-41.65%

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

Last update for Kardzhali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kardzhali

$189 28.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 26.1% $49

Eating Out

Kardzhali

$148 22.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 46.6% $69

Accommodation & Living

Kardzhali

$114 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 167% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kardzhali

$74 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 27.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Kardzhali

$70 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 56.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Kardzhali

$40 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 28.4% $11

Getting Around

Kardzhali

$19 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 231% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $114 in Kardzhali versus $464 in Chiang Mai. 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 115% higher in Kardzhali, 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 $23.00 in Kardzhali versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $189 in Kardzhali vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Kardzhali wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Kardzhali

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:50 2:50 PM

18:50 6:50 PM

4 h ahead of Kardzhali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,421

127,240

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kardzhali Chiang Mai 7,290 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Kardzhali
Chiang Mai

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

Kardzhali vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 44% more than Kardzhali, 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 $980 per month in Kardzhali and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kardzhali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $230 per month in Kardzhali and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kardzhali, where all-in costs run around $653, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Kardzhali 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. Kardzhali costs $653 versus $938 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 Kardzhali. 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.