We spent nearly one month (26 days) traveling through Thailand, from the western islands through the Malay Peninsula over to the Gulf of Thailand and then up to Bangkok. We had previously been to Thailand one time for our honeymoon, during which we visited Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Railay Beach. (If you are traveling to Thailand for the first time, I highly recommend Chiang Mai! We would have gone again on this trip, but it was burning season, so we opted to move on to Cambodia instead.)
Note: The Thai islands we visited were Ko Lipe, Ko Lanta, Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan. Alternate spellings for these islands include Koh Lipe, Koh Lanta, Koh Samui, and Koh Phangan or Ko Phangan or Koh Pha Ngan.
Thailand: $3,475.34
Transportation: $431.67
We took a mix of buses and ferries around Thailand. Our most expensive travel days (for transportation) were from Ko Lipe to Ko Lanta ($88.39 USD for two ferry tickets) and from Ko Pha Ngan to Bangkok ($67.67 for ferry tickets and $28.03 for our 8-hour bus ride = $95.70 for two people). We also rented a motorbike on Ko Pha Ngan for 250 baht/day (~$8). In an earlier post, I speculated that our costs might maintain even as we moved to cheaper countries because we would be more willing to pay for less expensive things, and Thailand showed that was correct! We took a few Grabs (Ubers) and tuk tuks around cities for journeys we most certainly would have walked in Europe. (The heat and humidity might have influenced those choices as well.) Average: $16.60/day.
Lodging: $478.70
We stayed at a variety of places in Thailand, from beach bungalows to Airbnbs to small hotels to bed and breakfasts. Our most expensive stay was our Airbnb in Ko Pha Ngan ($70/night) because we inadvertently visited during their monthly Full Moon Party, which draws a lot of visitors. Our cheapest stay ended up being one of our favorites: Khao-Sok Bed and Breakfast ($22/night). We also linked up with Megan’s dad during this portion of our trip, who generously paid for our lodging in Ko Lanta and Phuket, and we used our credit card points for a free stay at a Dong Talay Beach Resort private cottage on Ko Lipe, so our overall spending is deceptively low for this category. As with the rest of the world, and especially Southeast Asia, you can save a lot more on your lodging in Thailand if you stay at hostels or other shared accommodations. Average: $18.41/night (or $47.87/night excluding our no-cost nights).
Eating out + groceries: $428.51 + $96.81
We took full advantage of the night markets in Thailand, but we also ate at some touristy (i.e. expensive) restaurants when we wanted to take a break from Thai food (I know … I never thought I would say that, either), so our spending each day could really vary. To be honest, most of the “grocery” spending was probably on Jonathan’s self-guided “Taste of Thailand” potato chip tour. 😉 Average: $20.20/day.
Treats: $176.85
We like treats, so this category includes any coffee, dessert or alcohol that was not purchased as part of a meal (or a grocery run). We drank alcohol more than usual in Thailand—including celebratory birthday drinks when Megan’s dad visited!—and continued to drink a lot of iced coffee. We also sampled desserts at a few night markets. Average: $6.80/day.
Personal care: $101.46
Over the course of our month in Thailand, we paid for laundry service a few times, restocked some toiletries (including bug spray!), and treated ourselves to two pedicures for 200 THB each (~$5.50 each) and a massage for 400 THB (~$11), plus tips. Jonathan also visited local gyms on a few islands, which usually cost around $6-8 USD for a day pass. Average: $3.90/day.
Entertainment (tours, etc.): $1,015.58
We did quite a few expensive activities in Thailand, but it was also the longest we had stayed in any one country at this point during our RTW trip, so that makes sense! The vast majority of this spending was on our scuba diving certifications in Ko Lipe (10,000 THB each for the two-day certification course ~ $680 USD total). We did a “fun dive” first to see if we liked it, and then the company let us apply that toward our certification training and expenses. If you’re thinking about getting certified and have not been scuba diving before, I highly recommend that course of action! Other entertainment costs in Thailand included a visit to Lanta Elephant Sanctuary (~$59/person), a Muay Thai lesson for Jonathan (~$20), an overnight tour at Cheow Lan Lake in Khao Sok National Park, and two group day trips from Bangkok to see some historical sites outside the city and a floating market, and various tips throughout our stay. Average: $39.06/day (or $12.85/day excluding scuba).
Gifts & souvenirs: $54.29
We bought our usual postcards in Thailand (and a lot of stamps because we had a backlog of previous postcards to mail out), plus a few small souvenirs like a cute espresso mug with a tuk tuk painted on it. (No, this is not something I would have bought earlier in the trip, but we had a rendezvous planned with Jonathan’s parents the following month and I was hoping to send it home in their luggage!) We also spent $43 USD on photos from our scuba diving course, which is ridiculous, but I think the pictures turned out pretty good! Average: $2.09/day.
Travel insurance: $154.44
We had travel insurance through World Nomads for $5.94/day. Travel insurance costs will vary depending on chosen plan, length of travel, location, etc.
Total: $133.67/day = $66.83/person* per day (or $52.91 excluding scuba costs)
Feature image: Megan at Bang Pa-In Palace outside Bangkok, Thailand (February 2020)
*Did you know we have a page on the blog completely dedicated to Money & Budgeting? We also list our country-specific costs on this page, but those numbers might differ a bit from the numbers shown here. The numbers in our detailed budgeting posts (like this one) are a true reflection of what we personally spent on our trip. The numbers on the Money & Budgeting page are meant to reflect what a typical tourist traveling at our comfort level can expect to spend.
For example, in the daily cost for Thailand you see on our Money & Budgeting page, I deducted the cost of the scuba certification because that was a special expense, but I kept the cost of the elephant sanctuary, even though it was high, because that’s a popular activity that many tourists in Thailand do. I also adjusted the lodging cost to discount the impact of our free stays. That’s why the average daily cost number on our Money & Budgeting page differs from the one above (which is what we actually spent).
Of course, you can always spend far less (or far more) than the numbers listed here or on our Money & Budgeting page. These figures are provided as a loose guide to help you plan travels within your budget range.
