Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Smolyan and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Smolyan: $723 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Smolyan
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Smolyan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Smolyan

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$723

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $723 per month in Smolyan vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Smolyan $723
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,156 per month in Smolyan vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Smolyan $1,156
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,589 per month in Smolyan vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Smolyan $1,589
Chiang Mai $1,999

Smolyan is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Smolyan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Smolyan 47% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.38 BGN 11.17

$2.13 ฿71.7

199.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.37 BGN 65.4

$18.62 ฿625

100.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.79 BGN 10.14

$5.60 ฿188

3.39%

Cappuccino

$1.32 BGN 2.32

$1.66 ฿55.9

-20.48%

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

$1.07 BGN 1.87

$0.65 ฿21.73

64.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 BGN 1.36

$0.30 ฿10.24

160.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 BGN 3.02

$2.32 ฿78.0

-25.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 BGN 3.81

$3.67 ฿123

-40.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 BGN 3.06

$2.02 ฿67.7

-13.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$1.41 ฿47.29

-34.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.03

$1.39 ฿46.75

24.46%

Eggs

$3.37 BGN 5.89

$2.37 ฿79.5

42.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 BGN 17.89

$16.52 ฿555

-38.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 BGN 10.03

$2.67 ฿89.7

114.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 BGN 15.11

$9.02 ฿303

-4.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.13 BGN 1.98

$2.40 ฿80.6

-52.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$1.04 ฿34.98

66.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.66 ฿55.7

-30.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 BGN 4.05

$1.56 ฿52.4

48.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 BGN 2.05

$1.24 ฿41.57

-5.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 BGN 2.60

$1.09 ฿36.50

36.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$0.76 ฿25.59

22.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 BGN 1.05

$0.51 ฿17.27

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.40 BGN 5.94

$4.12 ฿138

-17.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 BGN 9.72

$17.93 ฿602

-69.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 BGN 1.04

$1.62 ฿54.5

-62.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.92

$2.82 ฿94.8

-40.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$0.93 ฿31.39

-5.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.36 BGN 56.6

$52.9 ฿1,777

-38.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 BGN 2.28

$1.18 ฿39.52

10.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 BGN 1.04

$0.17 ฿5.76

247.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.19 BGN 21.33

$1.81 ฿60.9

573.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 BGN 2.69

$1.47 ฿49.47

4.76%

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

$23.1K BGN 40.4K

$21.0K ฿705.8K

9.89%

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

$23.4K BGN 40.9K

$26.5K ฿890.7K

-11.77%

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

$100 BGN 175

$62.6 ฿2,101

59.93%

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

$14.39 BGN 25.18

$11.60 ฿390

24.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.26 BGN 16.21

$20.30 ฿682

-54.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.86 BGN 38.26

$37.88 ฿1,272

-42.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.71 BGN 29.25

$3.70 ฿124

351.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 BGN 13.38

$6.51 ฿219

17.36%

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

$230 BGN 402

$727 ฿24.4K

-68.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,915 BGN 10.4K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

-64.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.19 BGN 49.33

$53.5 ฿1,798

-47.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.01 BGN 36.77

$24.80 ฿833

-15.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.9 BGN 103

$90.4 ฿3,036

-34.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.8 BGN 110

$72.0 ฿2,418

-12.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$202 BGN 353

$481 ฿16.2K

-58.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$141 BGN 247

$310 ฿10.4K

-54.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 BGN 507

$1,058 ฿35.5K

-72.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 BGN 417

$659 ฿22.1K

-63.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,302 BGN 2,279

$2,418 ฿81.2K

-46.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,091 BGN 1,910

$1,609 ฿54.0K

-32.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$694 BGN 1,215

$595 ฿20.0K

16.71%

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 Smolyan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Smolyan

$199 27.6%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 18.7% $37

Accommodation & Living

Smolyan

$141 19.5%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 119% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Smolyan

$124 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 23.6% $29

Eating Out

Smolyan

$105 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 26.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Smolyan

$77 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 40.9% $31

Getting Around

Smolyan

$40 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 46.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Smolyan

$37 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 37% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $202 in Smolyan 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 17% higher in Smolyan, 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 $37 in Smolyan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $199 in Smolyan vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Smolyan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Smolyan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

16:42 4:42 PM

5 h ahead of Smolyan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,507

127,240

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.97 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Smolyan Chiang Mai 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Smolyan
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than Smolyan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,085 per month in Smolyan 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 Smolyan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $202 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $230 per month in Smolyan 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 19% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Smolyan – 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.