Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samokov and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,052 in Samokov, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Samokov
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Samokov Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Samokov

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,052

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,052 per month in Samokov vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Samokov $1,052
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,641 per month in Samokov vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Samokov $1,641
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,229 per month in Samokov vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Samokov $2,229
Chiang Mai $1,999

Samokov costs about 12% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Samokov and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Samokov 22% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.18 BGN 16.06

$2.13 ฿71.8

330.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.91 BGN 80.3

$18.62 ฿626

146.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 BGN 17.27

$5.60 ฿188

76.25%

Cappuccino

$2.78 BGN 4.87

$1.66 ฿55.9

67.47%

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

$1.75 BGN 3.06

$0.65 ฿21.75

169.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 BGN 2.66

$0.30 ฿10.25

406.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 BGN 4.52

$2.32 ฿78.1

11.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 BGN 7.50

$3.67 ฿123

16.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.05

$2.02 ฿67.8

-13.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.41 ฿47.34

-16.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 BGN 3.92

$1.39 ฿46.79

61.15%

Eggs

$3.77 BGN 6.59

$2.37 ฿79.6

59.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.31 BGN 19.80

$16.52 ฿555

-31.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.18 BGN 14.32

$2.67 ฿89.8

206.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.13 BGN 24.73

$9.02 ฿303

56.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 BGN 2.86

$2.40 ฿80.6

-32.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 BGN 3.17

$1.04 ฿35.01

74.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 BGN 3.45

$1.66 ฿55.8

18.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 BGN 4.59

$1.56 ฿52.4

67.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 BGN 1.90

$1.24 ฿41.61

-12.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 BGN 1.83

$1.09 ฿36.53

-3.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.04

$0.76 ฿25.61

52.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$0.51 ฿17.29

49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 BGN 6.91

$4.12 ฿139

-4.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.34 BGN 11.09

$17.93 ฿603

-64.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.62 ฿54.6

-27.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 BGN 3.67

$2.82 ฿94.9

-25.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.93 ฿31.42

-10.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.19 BGN 44.08

$52.9 ฿1,778

-52.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 BGN 2.18

$1.18 ฿39.56

5.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.13

$0.17 ฿5.76

282.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.19 BGN 17.84

$1.81 ฿60.9

462.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 BGN 3.08

$1.47 ฿49.51

19.73%

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

$29.7K BGN 51.9K

$21.0K ฿706.4K

41.19%

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

$24.2K BGN 42.4K

$26.5K ฿891.4K

-8.72%

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

$113 BGN 198

$62.6 ฿2,103

80.80%

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

$18.76 BGN 32.83

$11.60 ฿390

61.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.53 BGN 27.17

$20.30 ฿683

-23.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.44 BGN 55.0

$37.88 ฿1,274

-17.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 BGN 29.09

$3.70 ฿124

349.19%

Cinema Ticket

$9.17 BGN 16.04

$6.51 ฿219

40.86%

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

$510 BGN 892

$727 ฿24.4K

-29.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,364 BGN 9,387

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-67.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 BGN 120

$53.5 ฿1,800

28.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.35 BGN 74.1

$24.80 ฿834

70.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 BGN 166

$90.4 ฿3,039

5.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$72.0 ฿2,420

45.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$337 BGN 590

$481 ฿16.2K

-29.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 BGN 453

$310 ฿10.4K

-16.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$549 BGN 961

$1,058 ฿35.6K

-48.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 BGN 707

$659 ฿22.1K

-38.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,301 BGN 2,277

$2,418 ฿81.3K

-46.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,113 BGN 1,949

$1,609 ฿54.1K

-30.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$728 BGN 1,275

$595 ฿20.0K

22.46%

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 Samokov: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samokov

$259 24.6%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 19.9% $51

Groceries & Markets

Samokov

$252 24%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 6.2% $16

Eating Out

Samokov

$171 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 55.2% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samokov

$147 14%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 35.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Samokov

$140 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 22.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Samokov

$50 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 2.3% $1.1

Getting Around

Samokov

$33 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 77.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $337 in Samokov versus $481 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 22% higher in Samokov. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Samokov versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Samokov

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:09 3:09 PM

20:09 8:09 PM

5 h ahead of Samokov

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,138

127,240

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Samokov Chiang Mai 7,430 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Samokov
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

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

Samokov costs about 12% 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 $1,578 per month in Samokov 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 Samokov, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $510 per month in Samokov and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Samokov, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,052 in Samokov and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,052 in Samokov. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Samokov makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.