Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pleven and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Pleven and in Chiang Mai: $893 and $925 a month, rent and utilities included.

43

Cost of Living Index in Pleven
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Pleven Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Pleven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$893

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pleven 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 Pleven and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $893 per month in Pleven vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pleven $893
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,425 per month in Pleven vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pleven $1,425
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,956 per month in Pleven vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pleven $1,956
Chiang Mai $1,903

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

Both Pleven and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Pleven 34% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.42 BGN 14.64

$2.29 ฿76.5

267.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.36 BGN 51.1

$19.64 ฿656

49.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.26 BGN 10.90

$5.61 ฿188

11.59%

Cappuccino

$2.09 BGN 3.64

$1.66 ฿55.6

25.90%

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

$1.27 BGN 2.21

$0.70 ฿23.40

81.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 BGN 1.97

$0.31 ฿10.24

264.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 BGN 3.84

$2.41 ฿80.4

-8.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 BGN 4.00

$3.71 ฿124

-38.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 BGN 2.83

$1.95 ฿65.3

-16.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 BGN 1.98

$1.41 ฿47.03

-19.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$1.31 ฿43.62

27.48%

Eggs

$3.58 BGN 6.23

$2.18 ฿72.9

64.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 BGN 15.93

$16.65 ฿556

-45.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.23 BGN 14.33

$2.76 ฿92.2

198.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 BGN 24.70

$9.11 ฿304

55.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.23

$2.39 ฿80.0

-46.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.03 ฿34.26

92.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 BGN 3.89

$1.63 ฿54.4

36.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 BGN 3.87

$1.50 ฿50.0

48.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 BGN 2.03

$1.29 ฿43.13

-9.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.87

$1.11 ฿37.03

-2.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 BGN 1.85

$0.72 ฿24.08

47.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BGN 1.23

$0.53 ฿17.59

33.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.62 BGN 6.30

$4.31 ฿144

-16.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 BGN 11.18

$17.95 ฿600

-64.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 BGN 1.34

$1.58 ฿52.9

-51.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 BGN 2.08

$2.84 ฿95.0

-58.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.86 ฿28.86

6.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.64 BGN 70.7

$53.3 ฿1,780

-23.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 BGN 2.79

$1.21 ฿40.29

33.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.57 ฿18.99

49.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.21 BGN 21.25

$2.35 ฿78.6

419.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.44 ฿47.96

15.97%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.2K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

44.71%

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

$24.4K BGN 42.5K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-8.80%

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

$95.9 BGN 167

$62.3 ฿2,083

53.92%

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

$16.22 BGN 28.22

$12.11 ฿405

33.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.87 BGN 18.91

$19.94 ฿666

-45.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.76 BGN 62.2

$37.07 ฿1,239

-3.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.07 BGN 41.88

$3.78 ฿126

536.77%

Cinema Ticket

$8.81 BGN 15.33

$6.50 ฿217

35.54%

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

$519 BGN 903

$793 ฿26.5K

-34.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,309 BGN 11.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-57.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.92 BGN 72.9

$53.7 ฿1,796

-21.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.77 BGN 50.1

$24.62 ฿823

16.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.8 BGN 165

$90.9 ฿3,036

4.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 BGN 179

$71.1 ฿2,378

44.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 BGN 579

$455 ฿15.2K

-26.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 BGN 302

$298 ฿9,954

-41.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$568 BGN 989

$908 ฿30.4K

-37.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 BGN 580

$554 ฿18.5K

-39.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,454 BGN 2,530

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-24.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,136 BGN 1,977

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-21.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 BGN 1,591

$591 ฿19.7K

54.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.82

5.57

-49.37%

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

Last update for Pleven: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pleven

$236 26.4%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 0.1% $0.3

Accommodation & Living

Pleven

$174 19.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 71.6% $124

Eating Out

Pleven

$136 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 42.4% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pleven

$123 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 23.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Pleven

$121 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 10.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Pleven

$53 6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 6.2% $3.3

Getting Around

Pleven

$50 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 21.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $333 in Pleven versus $455 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 55% higher in Pleven, 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 $29.00 in Pleven versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Pleven

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

4 h ahead of Pleven

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,567

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 20, 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 20, 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

Pleven Chiang Mai 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Pleven
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Pleven, 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 $1,340 per month in Pleven and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $519 per month in Pleven and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pleven, where all-in costs run around $893, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Pleven 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. Pleven costs $893 versus $925 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 Pleven. 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.