thailand travel

How Much Money You Need To Travel In Thailand?

How much money you need to Travel in Thailand? What is the cost of travelling there? Let’s find out

My Southeast Asian odyssey is almost about to finish now, and it’s been unreal. I am currently in Cambodia (as I’m writing this article) and so far the entire journey has been bloody generous – in terms of experiences, as well as the expenses.

I always harp on about travelling being cheaper than people think and I stand by that. I am sure you can travel pretty much anywhere in the world in under USD 25 (or Indian Rupees 1500) a day, and when it comes to Southeast Asia, be rest assured, you can survive for much cheaper. (See this cost of travelling in Cambodia guide where I was travelling on less than 1000 Rupees a day). But what about the cost of travelling in Thailand?

For Thailand, the country can feel expensive or unbelievably inexpensive. Here you can find super cheap hostels, for less than USD 5 a night, and then seemingly right next door you can find a luxurious property charging you a whopping USD 10,000 a night.

During my first 3 days in Bangkok (I visited Bangkok twice during my Thailand trip) I was surviving on less than 900 Baht a day. So the basis of my Bangkok experiences and visiting small towns in the mountains like Pai (read top Pai experiences) this is what I have to suggest in this cost of travelling in Thailand guide…

thailand travelling

Cost of Travelling In Thailand

On a short vacation, you tend to race around and suffocate more activities into your day. This can drive up your costs a little because you’re most likely to hire tuk-tuks and metered taxis to save time. But those who have more time in hand, can go slow and end up saving more money.

To give you an example, you can take an airport taxi (from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok) for 400 Baht and get to the city center conveniently and easily. A fairly cheaper option, which costs 150 Baht, requires you to wait at the airport until the next minivan departs to the city. Those who are literally stone broke, however, can take the BTS (for 35 Baht) to Victory Monument and then a city bus (10 Baht) to the city center – and do the journey in under 50 Baht.

So yea, the basis on that if you will ask me how much you need to travel in Thailand or what is the cost of travelling in Thailand, I will say “Thailand is a cheap travel destination if you know the tricks.”

Budgeting for backpacking is a lot different and cheaper than budgeting for a honeymoon vacation. And since we are talking about budget backpacking here, continue reading if you’re one among those travellers who can wait for public buses, sleep in backpacker hostels, and survive on street food.

thailand street food money cost

How Much Money You Need To Travel In Thailand

I travelled to Thailand for an average of 900 Baht a day.

Other than transport, accommodation, and food expended North Thailand turned out to be the cheapest part of the country. Bangkok was moderately expensive. The islands were the most expensive.

So yea, the cost of travelling in Thailand also depends on which region we are talking about. A day trip to an island will cost much more than an Ayutthaya day trip from Bangkok, or some other place in central or north Thailand.

I travelled for 15 days and spent 12,000 Baht in total. This included 1000 Baht as the Thailand visa on arrival fee (please check the Thailand Embassy website for updated price) around 2,000 Baht on buying useless souvenirs and the remaining 9,000 on everything else.

If you’re going to relax and party in the Islands, then consider a minimum budget of 900 Baht a day (on 1500 Baht a day you can enjoy much better). On the islands, you won’t be spending much on the entry fee to temples and museums, but since the accommodation is comparatively expensive and you would be boozing a bit too, surviving a day in under 900 Baht can be impractical.

For Bangkok and elsewhere, your daily budget can kick off if the idea is to partake in tourist many tourist activities. For those who are only eating (street food) and not doing much – 600 Baht, a day is enough.

Thailand Accommodation Cost

A clean dorm bed with aircon is available between 200 to 450 Baht per night.

For a private room (shared by a minimum of two people) expect to pay at least 500 Baht, per person.

On the islands and beach towns, accommodation costs nearly double.

Thailand Transportation Cost

For Meter Taxis: Nearly 7 Baht/kilometre, with a minimum of 40 Baht as base fare.

Tuktuk: Somewhere between 40 to 100 Baht for a very short ride.

For Bike Taxis: Nearly half the price of a Tuktuk.

Public Buses (in Bangkok): 10 Baht for Non/AC buses and 15 Baht for AC buses, per ride for a short ride

Scooter Rental: Start from 150-200 Baht for a 100 cc scooter.

Food: A basic (meat+rice or meat+noodles) meal is available throughout Thailand from 40 to 60 Baht. For a fancy seafood dinner or an international fast food restaurant meal, spare a minimum of 200 Baht.

Water & Drinks: A 1ltr water bottle costs around 18 Baht (though you can refill them across Thailand at a water refilling station for 1 Baht 1 litre). The cheapest Pint of beer in the supermarket costs around 50 Baht.

Ticket to Museums: Most Temples cost between 50 and 100 Baht. National Parks costs between 100 and 500 Baht. Day tour packages start from a minimum of 600 Baht. The famous Royal Palace, in Bangkok, costs a whopping 400 Baht)

To give you a better idea, here’s the breakdown of how much money I spent travelling in Thailand…

  • Around 150 Baht for three meals
  • 50 Baht on water (which can be saved using the public refilling stations)
  • 100 Baht on other drinks
  • 250 Baht on accommodation
  • 50 Baht on transportation
  • 100 Baht on miscellaneous things

This gave me a fairly nice, relaxing day for under 700 Baht a day.

I hope you found this article on the cost of travelling in Thailand and how much money you need useful. If you have any questions, write me a comment below.

Continue planning your trip to Thailand with my Thailand travel guide

Categories Thailand

About

I am Dev, and I've been travelling full-time since 2016. I was a journalism student & started my corporate career as a documentary film-maker in England, before moving to India & becoming a full-time nomad. 25+countries. 50+ Brand Partnerships. And the adventure continues...

  1. ~200 baht per night for a room… that’s only $6… crazy!

  2. Leonardo Caetano

    I liked the tips.. I am currently planning to meet Thailand next month. 🙂

  3. I’d love to visit Thailand one day, and your post seems very helpful. thanks Dev!

  4. Anirudh Singh

    Hi Dev,

    I visited Thailand way back in 2011 still spend more than what you mentioned here. I am a travel blogger as well from past 1.5 yrs. Good to read about your experience. Was it a solo trip ? Which all cities did you cover ?

    • I know. I can be super frugal. I was on a 15 day short VISA and thus tried to hurry things a bit. If you are in Thailand, for let’s say a few months, and the idea is to only relax and survive, you can be well off in 300 Baht a day. 100-150 Baht for hostel (which can be cheaper if you rent something for weeks) +3 meals for 40 Baht (though there are places which gives you full meal in 20 Baht – Meat+rice/noodles, and in Bangkok). I wont even count the cost of water (because you’d most likely use 1 Baht water refill stations). This still leaves you with some money to rent a bicycle for 50 Baht a day. ISLANDS CAN SURE COST A LITTLE MORE.

      Yea, I travelled solo. I covered Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pai, Patayya, Ayutthaya, Amphawa.

  5. Hey Dev,

    Thanks for sharing this. I’ll be visiting Thailand for 3 months starting from November this year. I hope to share some insights myself once I experience living there.

  6. Manu Khandelwal

    Very informative post! I am planning to visit Thailand with my friends for around 8-10 days. Can you tell me that how much would it cost us per person including visa and all? (approximate expense, exclude shopping)

    • I’d have to copy paste the entire article to answer you in detail. I’d recommend, read the story again and you’d get a better idea. If a short, incomplete reply suffices, then consider 500 Baht (1000 INR) a day – for a slow traveller. 1 Baht = 2 INR. Stay in hostels (use hostels.com or agoda.com for pre booking) to keep the expenses low. When I visited Thailand, Visa on Arrival cost 1000 Baht (2000 INR). But they’ve increased it to 2000 Baht (4000 INR) recently. You can still apply the visa here in India and it would only cost you 2000 INR.

      But yea, as I mentioned in the story, since you’re there for a short holiday, you’d more likely race around and cram more activities in a day, so the total cost might go a little high. But still no more than 6000 to 8000 Baht in 8 days., including everything, but flights.

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