Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,227 in Plovdiv, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
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Plovdiv Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,227

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,227 per month in Plovdiv vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,227
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,874 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,874
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,522 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Plovdiv $2,522
Chiang Mai $1,979

Plovdiv costs about 31% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Plovdiv and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Plovdiv 10% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.16 BGN 16.12

$2.24 ฿75.7

308.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.67 BGN 80.4

$19.00 ฿642

140.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 BGN 16.60

$5.55 ฿188

69.91%

Cappuccino

$2.86 BGN 5.04

$1.67 ฿56.6

71.26%

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

$1.76 BGN 3.10

$0.64 ฿21.56

175.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 BGN 2.79

$0.31 ฿10.32

409.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 BGN 4.47

$2.36 ฿79.6

7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 BGN 7.65

$3.66 ฿124

18.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 BGN 3.19

$1.95 ฿65.8

-7.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 BGN 2.14

$1.44 ฿48.51

-15.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 BGN 3.93

$1.33 ฿45.07

67.67%

Eggs

$3.77 BGN 6.63

$2.28 ฿77.1

65.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 BGN 20.45

$16.45 ฿556

-29.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.55 BGN 15.05

$2.78 ฿94.0

207.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.32 BGN 25.20

$9.31 ฿314

53.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.86

$2.35 ฿79.5

-31.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.24

$0.97 ฿32.82

89.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$1.60 ฿53.9

20.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 BGN 4.63

$1.50 ฿50.7

75.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 BGN 1.92

$1.28 ฿43.15

-14.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.83

$1.10 ฿37.22

-5.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.04

$0.71 ฿23.84

63.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BGN 1.24

$0.49 ฿16.38

44.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 BGN 6.86

$4.14 ฿140

-5.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 BGN 10.61

$17.52 ฿592

-65.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.04

$1.61 ฿54.5

-27.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.49

$2.78 ฿94.0

-28.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 BGN 1.05

$0.87 ฿29.33

-31.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.11 BGN 51.2

$54.1 ฿1,827

-46.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.27

$1.16 ฿39.08

11.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.08

$0.53 ฿17.82

15.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.46 BGN 18.40

$2.42 ฿81.8

332.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 BGN 2.99

$1.45 ฿48.93

17.24%

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

$30.3K BGN 53.4K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

44.08%

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

$24.6K BGN 43.3K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-8.62%

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

$113 BGN 198

$62.2 ฿2,100

81.39%

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

$18.40 BGN 32.39

$12.17 ฿411

51.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.41 BGN 27.11

$20.12 ฿680

-23.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.91 BGN 73.8

$37.31 ฿1,260

12.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.61 BGN 36.28

$3.77 ฿127

446.68%

Cinema Ticket

$9.31 BGN 16.39

$6.49 ฿219

43.45%

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

$599 BGN 1,053

$736 ฿24.9K

-18.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 BGN 9,510

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-63.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 BGN 118

$53.4 ฿1,802

26.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.80 BGN 73.6

$24.64 ฿832

69.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 BGN 171

$91.5 ฿3,089

5.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 BGN 179

$71.9 ฿2,429

41.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 BGN 974

$482 ฿16.3K

14.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 BGN 738

$309 ฿10.4K

35.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 BGN 1,548

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-12.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 BGN 1,167

$633 ฿21.4K

4.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,228 BGN 3,921

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-5.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,512 BGN 2,661

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-4.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,162 BGN 2,044

$590 ฿19.9K

96.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

5.57

-44.34%

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

Last update for Plovdiv: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$420 34.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 26.4% $111

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$255 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 8.2% $21

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$171 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 54.6% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$147 12%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 35.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$139 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 21.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$61 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 16.9% $10

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$36 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 71.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $553 in Plovdiv versus $482 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 97% higher in Plovdiv. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Plovdiv versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

02:59 2:59 AM

5 h ahead of Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

127,240

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 BGN (1 BGN = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Plovdiv
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

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

Plovdiv costs about 31% 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 $1,840 per month in Plovdiv and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $553 in Plovdiv.

Kindergarten costs $599 per month in Plovdiv and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Plovdiv, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,227 in Plovdiv and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,227 in Plovdiv. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Plovdiv makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.