Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sunny Beach and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,038 in Sunny Beach, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sunny Beach
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Sunny Beach Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sunny Beach

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,038

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,038 per month in Sunny Beach vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sunny Beach $1,038
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,578 per month in Sunny Beach vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sunny Beach $1,578
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,117 per month in Sunny Beach vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sunny Beach $2,117
Chiang Mai $1,914

Sunny Beach costs about 11% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sunny Beach and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sunny Beach 23% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.39 BGN 14.68

$2.26 ฿75.7

271.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.87 BGN 78.5

$19.18 ฿644

133.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 BGN 16.85

$5.59 ฿188

72.27%

Cappuccino

$2.86 BGN 5.01

$1.72 ฿57.9

66.28%

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

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$0.64 ฿21.63

171.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 BGN 2.73

$0.33 ฿11.22

372.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 BGN 4.05

$2.36 ฿79.1

-2.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.03

$3.90 ฿131

-55.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 BGN 3.08

$2.05 ฿68.9

-14.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 BGN 1.31

$1.40 ฿46.89

-46.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 BGN 3.81

$1.28 ฿43.06

70.31%

Eggs

$3.69 BGN 6.46

$2.25 ฿75.6

64.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.40 BGN 14.70

$16.94 ฿568

-50.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.56 BGN 14.99

$2.74 ฿92.0

212.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.28 BGN 24.99

$9.36 ฿314

52.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

$2.40 ฿80.6

-29.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$1.01 ฿34.05

75.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 BGN 3.34

$1.61 ฿54.1

18.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 BGN 4.60

$1.52 ฿50.9

73.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 BGN 1.88

$1.28 ฿43.07

-16.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 BGN 1.84

$1.11 ฿37.36

-5.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.03

$0.72 ฿24.18

61.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BGN 1.24

$0.52 ฿17.61

36.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 BGN 7.17

$4.33 ฿145

-5.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.27 BGN 10.98

$17.73 ฿595

-64.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 BGN 1.97

$1.63 ฿54.6

-30.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 BGN 3.60

$2.85 ฿95.7

-27.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 BGN 1.98

$0.85 ฿28.42

32.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,808

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 BGN 2.22

$1.17 ฿39.33

8.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.13

$0.57 ฿19.07

14.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.32 BGN 18.06

$2.37 ฿79.5

335.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 BGN 2.76

$1.45 ฿48.51

8.97%

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

$29.6K BGN 51.8K

$20.5K ฿686.9K

44.43%

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

$24.4K BGN 42.7K

$26.5K ฿889.5K

-7.91%

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

$114 BGN 200

$62.3 ฿2,091

83.27%

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

$18.46 BGN 32.31

$12.27 ฿412

50.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.66 BGN 27.41

$19.97 ฿670

-21.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,272

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$8.90 BGN 15.57

$6.71 ฿225

32.64%

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

$519 BGN 907

$797 ฿26.7K

-34.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,550 BGN 9,713

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-62.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.86 BGN 59.3

$53.3 ฿1,787

-36.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.32 BGN 72.3

$25.05 ฿840

64.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 BGN 168

$91.6 ฿3,074

4.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 BGN 181

$73.5 ฿2,465

40.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 BGN 989

$464 ฿15.6K

21.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$341 BGN 597

$305 ฿10.2K

11.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 BGN 1,188

$915 ฿30.7K

-25.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 BGN 898

$552 ฿18.5K

-7.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,328 BGN 2,323

$1,912 ฿64.1K

-30.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,135 BGN 1,987

$1,438 ฿48.3K

-21.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$920 BGN 1,611

$595 ฿20.0K

54.63%

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 Sunny Beach: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sunny Beach

$341 32.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 10.6% $36

Groceries & Markets

Sunny Beach

$240 23.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 0.9% $2.1

Eating Out

Sunny Beach

$159 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 50.2% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sunny Beach

$148 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 36.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Sunny Beach

$123 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 11.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Sunny Beach

$18 * 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 189% $34

Getting Around

Sunny Beach

$9 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 580% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $565 in Sunny Beach versus $464 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 Sunny Beach, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Sunny Beach versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $240 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sunny Beach

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:10 7:10 PM

23:10 11:10 PM

4 h ahead of Sunny Beach

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,347

127,240

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 14, 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 October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 33.55 THB (100 THB = 2.98 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

Sunny Beach Chiang Mai 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sunny Beach
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

Sunny Beach vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sunny Beach costs about 11% 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 $1,557 per month in Sunny Beach and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Sunny Beach and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Sunny Beach, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Sunny Beach at $1,038. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sunny Beach it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,038 in Sunny Beach. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sunny Beach makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.