Thailand is one of those countries where a little money goes a very long way, but how far depends heavily on where you are. In Pai you live on €16 a day, and on Koh Phi Phi that same €16 will not get you through the day. That gap of almost ten euros is exactly why an average daily budget tells you so little.
Every one of our destination pages shows what a day there costs: a dorm bed, three meals, a beer and local transport. Put them side by side and you see straight away which stops make your trip more expensive and which ones stretch your money.
For the country as a whole, count on about €30 a day. That is higher than every single figure below, and that is right: it also covers the transport between stops and the activities you came for.
Daily budget per stop
This is what you spend per day in each place, without the transport to get there and without tours:
- Pai: €16, the cheapest village in the country
- Chiang Rai: €17
- Chiang Mai: €18
- Bangkok: €20
- Krabi: €20
- Koh Lanta: €20
- Khao Sok: €22
- Koh Samui: €22
- Koh Phangan: €22
- Koh Tao: €22
- Phuket: €22
- Koh Phi Phi: €25, the most expensive stop on the route
The pattern is clear: the north is cheap, the south and the islands cost more. If you want your money to last, give the mountains more days than the beaches.
Our verdict: mix your cheap stops with your expensive ones and the average takes care of itself
What a bed costs
A dorm bed starts at €4 in Pai and €5 in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. In Bangkok, Krabi and on Koh Lanta you pay around €6, on the Gulf islands, in Khao Sok and on Phuket around €7. Koh Phi Phi is the most expensive at €9.
That is the biggest fixed cost of your day, and also the one that is easiest to steer. One night on Phi Phi costs more than two nights in Pai.
What food and drink cost
Food is cheap all over Thailand, and in the north it is almost free. A meal costs €1.20 in Pai, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, €1.50 in Bangkok, €2 on most of the islands and €2.50 on Koh Phi Phi. That is street food and the simple places; sit down on a terrace with a view and you multiply it.
Beer goes from €1.20 in the north to €1.80 on the Gulf islands and €2 on Phi Phi. Of the five countries on our route, Thailand is not the cheap one for drinking, and you notice that most on the party islands.
Our verdict: eat where Thai people eat and your meals stay under two euros, wherever you are
What local transport costs
In the cities it is next to nothing. A ride on the BTS in Bangkok costs about €1, and so does a red songthaew in Chiang Mai. On the islands and in the north you rent a scooter: €4 a day in Pai, €5 in Chiang Rai and Khao Sok, and €6 on Koh Lanta, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Krabi and Phuket. There are no scooters on Koh Phi Phi, so you pay about €8 per trip for a longtail.
Transport between places is not included here. Count on about €8 for a regular bus ride, and more for the night trains, the flights and the boats. What those cost and how they connect is in our guide to getting around Thailand.
Where the money really goes
The daily budgets above are not what makes a trip expensive. The things you came for are.
Your dive certificate on Koh Tao is the biggest one-off cost of an average trip through Thailand: around ฿11,000, about €290, for your Open Water. That is about eighteen days of living in Pai, and it is worth every cent, but it works best as something you plan for rather than something that catches you out. Beyond that, it is the boat trips, the national parks and the tours that make the difference.
And then there is the cost nobody budgets for: the night that gets out of hand. On the islands that happens faster than you think, and one evening can wipe out a whole week of saving.
Our verdict: budget your dive course and your tours separately from your daily budget, and the numbers will still add up at the end of your trip
How much do three weeks in Thailand cost?
On the classic three-week route, from Bangkok through the north to the islands, you end up at about €30 a day, so around €630 for the whole country. That covers your beds, your food, your local transport, the buses and trains between stops and a normal amount of activities.
What comes on top: your flights there and back, your travel insurance, a visa if your passport needs one, and the big things like a dive course. Doing Koh Tao with a certificate? Add about €290.
Travel on a tight budget and lean on the north, and you come in lower, towards €500. Linger on the islands and do lots of tours, and you go well over. What those three weeks look like is in our Thailand itinerary.
How to keep it cheap without ruining your trip
Sleep in dorms and book a day or two ahead instead of weeks: in Thailand you get a bed almost anywhere, and last minute is rarely more expensive. Eat at the stalls and the simple places, because that is not the budget option, it is the best food in the country. Rent a scooter together and split the cost. And take out cash in big amounts rather than a little every day, because the ATM charges a fee on every withdrawal and that adds up fast. More on that on our travel cards page.
How much money do you need for a month in Thailand?
Count on about €900 for a month, if you sleep in dorms, eat street food and use local transport. That is €30 a day, including transport between places and a normal amount of tours and boat trips.
Want to be sure you are never short? Bring €1,100 and keep the difference in reserve for the things you come across on the way: a dive course on Koh Tao, an extra boat trip, a night that runs late. Whatever you do not spend simply comes with you to the next country, because in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia the same amount goes further.
