How much does it cost to travel in Thailand

We spent the year end 2019 and celebrated the new year 2020 in Thailand. While there, we spent a total of 2 weeks in Thailand, spread across 5 days in Bangkok, 2 days in Sukhothai & 5 days in Chiang Mai. And couple of days in transit. We visited Thailand with family & friends. However, as usual, I planned and executed the whole trip. I did the budgeting for the whole trip and did edits and adjustments, researches and a lot of googling to finally get the trip into a budget which was suitable to everyone traveling. Also, I will provide the complete cost breakup in this post, answering the question that how much does it cost to travel in Thailand. And at the same time, I will try to provide cost saving tips for you to travel in Thailand. So, let’s get started.

A summary of our 2 weeks Thailand Trip Itinerary

The budget for any trip depends a lot on your preferred style of travel, the accommodations you select, the duration of your stay and what all activities you do while you are on your vacation. So, it seems reasonable to start with a summary of our 2 weeks trip to Thailand. And that will give you a fair picture of what derived our expenses and the budget that I am going to show you. So, here it is:

Total duration of trip : 14 days

Cities in Thailand that we visited:

5 days in Bangkok, 2 days in Sukhothai, 5 days in Chiang Mai

Our mode of transportation in Thailand :

Inbound & outbound flights from Bangkok, mostly privately booked vans for local transfers and day trips (remember we were in a group!)

Itinerary inclusions

• Bangkok city attractions
• Bangkok to Pattaya day trip
• A day trip from Bangkok to Ayutthaya
• Bangakok to Sukhothai transfer
• A trip to the Sukhothai Historical Park
• Sukhothai to Chiang Mai transfer
• Chiang Mai Old City Temple tour
• Exploring the other attractions and things to do in Chiang Mai
• A day trip from Chiang Mai to Doi Inthanon
• Chiang Mai to Doi Suthep and Umbrella Making Artist Village day trip
• Chiang Mai to Bangkok transfer

Accommodations booked

Bangkok : Hotel Evergreen Place Siam (Link to book: Agoda, booking.com)

Sukhothai: Sabai Sabai Sukhothai (Link to book: Agoda)

Chiang Mai: The Empire Residence Nimman (Link to book: Agoda, booking.com)

How much does Accommodation cost in Thailand

Thailand is a bachelor’s and backpacker’s paradise. However, it is also one of the best countries to visit with family. So, basically all sort of visitors travel to Thailand. As a result, it has a myriad of accommodation options. Particularly Bangkok. As, there are budget hostels that start with as basic as shared dormitories and shared washrooms. And go up to private rooms. Then, there are budget hotels, airbnbs, serviced apartments and luxurious resorts that together span across all budget ranges. Overall, to give you an idea of how much does accommodation cost in Thailand, here’s a rough range:

• Hostels & Dorm rooms start at 100 tbh – 200 tbh per person per night
• Double room in a budget hotel or guesthouse can range from 600 thb to 1000 thb
• Airbnbs with one room cost from 250 thb – 800 thb per night
• Serviced apartments with one room also cost in the range of 500 thb to 1000 thb
• 4 or 5 star hotel rooms cost 3000 thb or more

 

Now, depending on your choice and needs, your accommodation for 2 weeks in Thailand could cost you as low as 1400 thb (INR 3000!! or USD 50!!) or as high as 42000 thb (~INR 100000 or USD 1300). 

How much we spent on accommodation in Thailand

 

On our own trip to Thailand, since we were visiting in a group of 10 people including family and friends, we stayed mostly in 3 star and 4 star hotels.

Bangkok

Especially, there was a plethora of options in Bangkok to choose from. But I finally settled for Hotel Evergreen Place Siam after much thinking . As it looked like the best to stay in Bangkok with family as per my criteria. And it did turn out as the best accommodation during our trip to Thailand. Read our story of how we got upgraded for free and enjoyed the numerous facilities while at the hotel :

 

 

It cost us THB 4800 per room per night for the whole family suite. (Which our parents shared with us)

Sukhothai

While in Sukhothai, we stayed at Sabai Sabai Sukhothai. While we booked it at a very reasonable price of THB 2000 per room per night. But we enjoyed the resort premises a lot. However it was located far from the Sukhothai Historical Park. And we spent extra on transportation. 

 

 

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai was again economical when it came to booking an accommodation. Although we stayed at upscale nimman area, we booked the Empire Residence Nimman at around THB 1200 per room per night. And totally enjoyed our stay here. It was a basic hotel but was located in the centre of all the major things that we wanted to access in Chiang Mai.

Overall, our accommodation cost us: THB(2400*5 + 2000*2 + 1200*5) = THB 22000 (~INR 55000 or ~USD 720) 

In all the above accommodations, breakfast was included. Which was an added plus for us vegetarians. Who would otherwise spend time roaming around for proper vegetarian breakfasts.

PS: I booked my accommodations way in advance, almost 3 months before the actual trip. This is one reason I could get fairly good hotels at reasonable prices. Also, I mostly look through agoda.com and booking.com for my bookings as I really like the options of hassle free cancelations till last moment, no payment till a couple of days before the journey and many different options that they provide to select from. 

How much does transportation cost in Thailand

Cost of traveling to Thailand

Many of the major cities of Thailand like Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket etc. have international airports that are well connected with rest of the world. However, Bangkok has the highest number of flights operating through it’s airports. So, mostly you will get direct low duration flights which will be not so heavy on your pocket as well when you plan to fly in and out of Bangkok compared to the other cities. Once in Bangkok, you can always book a shared transport to one of the other cities that you intend to visit. 

On our own trip to Thailand, we chose to fly in and out of Bangkok for the same reasons. So, we booked a round trip flight from India to Bangkok, which was a direct 4 hours flight. It cost us nearly THB 11400 (INR 28000 or USD 367) when booked couple of months in advance. I am sure there will be much cheaper options available. Particularly if you can afford the flexibility of flying with longer duration flights or connecting flights. And don’t mind a few hours of layover here and there. Do compare the available flight options on websites like skyscanner.in before you book. And if you are booking way in advance, its always good to choose flights with refund options on cancellations. 

 

Cost to travel in Thailand when commuting inside the country

The cities in Thailand are well connected by road. And most of the major ones are also connected by rail. Here’s a quick comparison of different commute options available for traveling within Thailand and what it costs to travel in Thailand with each one of them:

Metro and Skytrains

fastest, cheapest (a few THB between stations per head). But you mostly find these in big cities like Bangkok. And they are super crowded during peak hours. Convenient for individual travellers but maybe not so convenient for families.

Tuk Tuk

100-300 thb for a ride in big cities like Bangkok and the distance you want to cover. Always remember to bargain. The drivers will generally agree to half the initial price they mention. Also, it might prove cheaper if you are sharing the ride with family and friends and plan to split the cost.

Songthaew

It is another kind of shared tuk tuk. It typically charges 20 THB per head. If you are in a big group, check if you can book it for a fixed price instead of per head ticket.

Car rental 

Renting a car in Thailand is another great option, which may not be the cheapest. But offers the most freedom and flexibility. There are plenty of options for car or bike rental in Thailand, regardless of your location. This option enables you to go to places not accessible to other tourists but also worthy of a visit. For instance, you can fly to Khon Kaen, rent from car rental Khon Kaen airport, and go on a tour of Isaan which is still relatively untouched by mass tourism.

 

Private transfers

Many tour agencies in Thailand provide private doorstep to doorstep transfer. Here you book the whole vehicle for your group. This again makes sense if you are in a big group and you want to split the cost. This is the most costly and the most comfortable transfer option that you can get between cities or for day tours.

Buses 

Most of the Thai cities are very well connected through buses. And the tickets start at as low as THB 30-40 per head. So, you can do trips like Bangkok to Pattaya or Bangkok to Ayutthaya by bus as well. Within the city bus tickets cost a few THB for travel between one stop to another. And buses frequently ply in bigger cities like Bangkok.

How much did it cost to travel within Thailand for us?

I pre-booked all of my day trips and inter city transfers with a tour agency beforehand. Overall it cost THB 70000 which was split in our group of 10 people. So, per head, it came to THB 7000 (= INR 20000 or USD 260 per head). Apart from this, there was tuk tuk and songthaew cost which we paid as we hired one while in Thailand. Roughly that came to THB 2000 per head in the entire journey. So, overall, our per head transportation cost was around THB 9000 (INR 23000 or USD 285) for the entire 14 days.

One advice that I would like to give is that you don’t really need to book the transportations in advance for commute in the big cities. I realised it when I reached Bangkok. And saw that even my hotel travel desk was capable of arranging the same day trips at the same cost which I had pre-booked at, despite the peak tourist season.

However booking in advance proved really useful when we were in Sukhothai. Since the accommodation was remotely located with no public transport nearby. And the resort itself didn’t have a proper travel desk. 

So, I will suggest, book in advance for inter city transfers to remote places or smaller towns. And book your day trips from the cities when there. 

How much does food cost in Thailand

Thailand is also called the food lover’s Paradise. And you will know why when you land here. Every day is like a food celebration here. Particularly towards the evening when street side stalls get set with numerous varieties of food all over Thailand. So, how much does food really cost in Thailand? Here’s a brief summary to give you an idea:

• Thai food from the stalls and in food courts normally costs 40-80 THB per dish per plate
• Fancy meals might cost 200-300 THB per head per meal
• Indian, continental and fast food chains also cost around 200 THB per head per meal
• Some items like desserts, cut fruit packs, tender coconut water or a steak of meat can come as low as 20-30 THB as well.
• Some stalls sell salads by weight (ex. THB 20 per 100 gm)

So, on an average, you can do fairly well by having a Thai meal in the range of 50 – 60 THB each time.

Coming to how much the cost of food came for us while visiting Thailand. We had our breakfast included in the accommodation deal, so, we didn’t pay for it separately. For lunch and dinner, we mostly had a mix of Thai and non Thai food. As we were traveling with family and old parents who needed Indian food time to time. Besides it, we did cook a couple of times but rarely. Overall, it cost us around 3200 THB (INR 8200 or USD 100) per head for food in Thailand.

I guess we did pretty good surviving as vegetarians in Thailand at this budget!

How much is the cost of attractions in Thailand

Good news once again! Most of the things that you want to see in Thailand are either free or come at a very small admission fee of less than THB 100 per head – historical parks, temples, beaches etc. included. We did a self designed free walking tour in Chiang Mai. As a part of which we visited several Buddhist temples. Only 2 of them had admission fee of 40 THB each. Similarly, of all the attractions that we visited in Bangkok, only the palace had an admission fee of 500 THB per head. But rest all came for 100 THB or less. There are a lot of other things that can be done at nominal or no cost, like enjoying the nature, beaches, walk by the rivers etc. 

Overall, we spent less than 2000 THB per head on attractions while on our 2 weeks Thailand trip itinerary. 

How much does it cost to travel in Thailand

So, we stayed in 3 to 4 star hotels. Mostly travelled by private point to point vehicles and visited attractions that had admission fee. We also ate a lot of 3 course Indian meals in fancy restaurants. (Actually, I am just realising, we did travel through Thailand luxuriously!). So, here’s a summary of what it cost us to visit Thailand for 14 days (per head):

You can easily assume that your own cost of travel in Thailand will be easily one third of it, i.e, around USD 350 for spending 2 weeks in Thailand if you are doing a really basic budget travel or backpacking trip to Thailand. Having said that let me summarise here a few tips using which you can save further on your trip to Thailand even if you almost use the same itinerary as mine.

Tips to save further to bring down your cost to travel in Thailand

• When visiting Sukhothai, stay near to the Sukhothai Historical Park which will definitely save you a lot on transport. And public buses or tuktuk will also be readily available for commute.
• Eat more of local food. That way, per meal, you can save upto 100-120 THB compared to an Indian or continental meal or a fast food.
• Further, if you can cook a few meals, nothing like that.
• Stay in airbnbs, that will be further cost effective compared to staying in hotel of the same standard.
• Use public transport as much as possible – subways, trains, buses, shared tuk tuk and all are so much cheaper and also readily available. We actually did travel from Chiang Mai to Bangkok by a bus on our last day in Thailand. The bus journey was very comfortable and we did this journey at half the cost of a private transfer per head.
• Stay in localities where there are plenty of food and other amenities nearby. And also public transport is available readily. This way you will not need to walk too much or take a private transport to reach places like restaurants and bus stops.
• Many historical parks have bicycles available on rent for exploring around. These come at super cheap rate of just 10 THB per head for the complete day. So, make use of it when visiting there. Being with a baby, we couldn’t really leverage on this option.

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