Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shumen and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Shumen and in Chiang Mai: $913 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Shumen
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Shumen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Shumen

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$913

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $913 per month in Shumen vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Shumen $913
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,422 per month in Shumen vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Shumen $1,422
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,931 per month in Shumen vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Shumen $1,931
Chiang Mai $1,979

Shumen and Chiang Mai have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Shumen and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Shumen 33% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.14 BGN 15.99

$2.24 ฿75.6

308.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.66 BGN 60.7

$19.00 ฿641

82.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 BGN 15.99

$5.55 ฿187

64.68%

Cappuccino

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$1.67 ฿56.5

1.20%

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

$1.43 BGN 2.50

$0.64 ฿21.54

123.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 BGN 1.87

$0.31 ฿10.31

245.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 BGN 5.15

$2.36 ฿79.5

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 BGN 5.06

$3.66 ฿124

-21.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BGN 3.23

$1.95 ฿65.7

-5.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 BGN 1.89

$1.44 ฿48.46

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 BGN 4.49

$1.33 ฿45.03

93.23%

Eggs

$2.85 BGN 4.98

$2.28 ฿77.1

25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 BGN 15.94

$16.45 ฿555

-44.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.11 BGN 8.95

$2.78 ฿93.9

83.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.86 BGN 15.51

$9.31 ฿314

-4.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 BGN 2.66

$2.35 ฿79.4

-35.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$0.97 ฿32.79

110.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.80

$1.60 ฿53.9

35.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 BGN 4.02

$1.50 ฿50.6

53.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.59

$1.28 ฿43.11

60.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 BGN 2.20

$1.10 ฿37.18

13.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 BGN 1.53

$0.71 ฿23.82

23.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 BGN 1.34

$0.49 ฿16.36

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.67 BGN 6.41

$4.14 ฿140

-11.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.00 BGN 12.25

$17.52 ฿591

-60.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 BGN 1.69

$1.61 ฿54.5

-39.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 BGN 2.57

$2.78 ฿93.9

-47.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$0.87 ฿29.30

1.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.12 BGN 45.72

$54.1 ฿1,825

-51.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$1.16 ฿39.04

51.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 BGN 0.93

$0.53 ฿17.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 BGN 2.78

$1.45 ฿48.88

9.66%

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

$30.9K BGN 54.1K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

46.80%

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

$22.3K BGN 39.1K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-17.10%

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

$133 BGN 232

$62.2 ฿2,098

113.41%

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

$17.68 BGN 30.94

$12.17 ฿411

45.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.94 BGN 29.64

$20.12 ฿679

-15.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.15 BGN 66.8

$37.31 ฿1,259

2.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.41 BGN 19.97

$3.77 ฿127

202.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.04 BGN 12.32

$6.49 ฿219

8.47%

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

$561 BGN 982

$736 ฿24.8K

-23.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K BGN 18.4K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-28.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.91 BGN 83.8

$53.4 ฿1,801

-10.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 BGN 90.4

$24.64 ฿831

109.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 BGN 165

$91.5 ฿3,087

2.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 BGN 106

$71.9 ฿2,427

-15.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 BGN 460

$482 ฿16.3K

-45.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 BGN 315

$309 ฿10.4K

-41.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 BGN 748

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-57.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 BGN 584

$633 ฿21.4K

-47.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,231 BGN 2,154

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-47.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$997 BGN 1,744

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-37.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,024 BGN 1,792

$590 ฿19.9K

73.66%

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 Shumen: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shumen

$214 23.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 9.7% $21

Accommodation & Living

Shumen

$180 19.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 71.9% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shumen

$167 18.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 43.5% $73

Eating Out

Shumen

$151 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 48.7% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Shumen

$114 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 5.1% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Shumen

$52 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 3.8% $2

Getting Around

Shumen

$34 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 80.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $263 in Shumen 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 74% higher in Shumen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Shumen versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $214 in Shumen vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Shumen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Shumen

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:12 1:12 AM

06:12 6:12 AM

5 h ahead of Shumen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,504

127,240

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shumen Chiang Mai 7,150 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Shumen
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,369 per month in Shumen 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 Shumen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $263 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Shumen and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Shumen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $913 in Shumen and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Shumen – 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.