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thailand backpacker travel budget

How Much Money To Budget For A Month In Thailand (2022 Update)

Want to know how much money to budget for travelling in Thailand? Here’s a full breakdown so you can figure out your Thailand trip cost!

Are you busy planning a trip to Thailand? Chances are you’re busy trying to figure out how much to budget for Thailand and work out  your Thailand trip cost!

Well you’ll be stoked to learn that Thailand is one of the most budget friendly countries I’ve travelled (in fact Asia is one of the best places to travel on a budget in general!) so you can enjoy paradise without smashing your wallet too much!

From the bustling cities to tranquil islands, learning to scuba dive to exploring ancient temples – Thailand is the perfect place to discover Asia for the first time, begin your backpacking adventure or head to for a budget friendly holiday.

So here’s a breakdown of how much to budget for a month in Thailand – with a breakdown of all the main costs so you can tailor it to figure out how much your own Thailand trip will cost…

(Last updated Feb 2022)

 

How Much Money To Budget For A Month In Thailand – Thailand Trip Cost Breakdown

Accommodation In Thailand

HQ Hostel Thailand
Hostels, Hotels Or Guesthouses, Take Your Pick!

Thailand is kitted out nicely for all levels of budgets, from backpacker hostels to 5* hotels and you’ll  soon find a level of bed that’s units both your money and style. But given that you’re backpackers like myself it’s safe to say what I’m spending is a good mid ground!

This is also going to be the most consistent Thailand trip cost (you’ll always need somewhere to sleep!) so the level of accommodation you choose is going to have a big impact on your overall spend.

From my personal experience here’s what you can expect.

  • Cheapest Bed – Little Bird Guest House, Chang Mai £3
  • Most Expensive Bed – Cha Da Resort, Koh Lanta £180
  • Average nights accommodation (shared dorm) £5-8
  • Average nights accommodation (double/twin in hostel) £10-20
  • Average nights accommodation in hotel – £25+

 

Estimated monthly accommodation cost = 

£250

Food and Drink

With a good tourism culture Thailand caters for those wanting to get stuck into local dishes and western food too and you’re never too far from a street food stall or restaurant.

I won’t lie to you guys, you’ll probably crave a pizza at some point as you max out on pad Thai…but that’s all part and parcel of travelling!

One of the great things about Thailand is street food is super cheap and REALLY tasty – so if you’re looking to keep your Thailand trip cost to a minimum you don’t have to worry about eating rubbish food! 

thailand street food
Street Food in Thailand – A Great Way to Eat
  • Favourite dish – Massaman curry
  • Cheapest meal – Pad Thai on Koh San road, around £1
  • Average Thai meal – around £2
  • Average western meal – around £3.50
  • Average cost of beer (large Chang, 711) – £1
  • Average cost of beer (large Chang, restaurant) – £2.25
  • Favourite place to eat – Paddys on Phi Phi Island (amazing mix of Thai and western, epic cocktails and portion sizes!)

Estimated food cost per month =

£150 (40 Thai dishes and 20 western dishes)

rtw-banner

 

Cost of Transport In Thailand

Getting around Thailand is pretty cheap and easy too – in fact it’s probably one of the most backpacker friendly places I’ve travelled around and depending on your time and budget there’s a range of options for moving around, from tuk tuks and taxis to night buses and internal flights.

And this is greta news as transport wont be making as big an impact on your Thailand trip cost as you might expect and it’s certainly much more budget friendly than many other countries – including around Asia.

Here’s a couple of the main journeys you’ll want to make and how much they’ll set you back.

 

mopeds thailand
Getting Around Thailand is Heaps Easy!
  • Bangkok – Chiang Mai (Sleeper Train) – £15-25 (depending on time and class)
  • Bangkok – Chiang Mai (Overnight bus) – £25 
  • Bangkok – Koh Tao/Phangan/Samui (sleeper bus and ferry) – £25-32
  • Bangkok – Phuket (sleeper bus) – £28
  • Bangkok – Phi Phi (sleeper bus and ferry) – £35
  • Phuket – Phi Phi Island (ferry) – £15 (return)
  • Phangan – Phi Phi (bus and ferry) – £30
  • Bangkok – Phuket (internal Air Asia flight) – from £35 (exc checked luggage)
  • Bangkok – Chiang Mai (internal Air Asia flight) –  from £35 (exc checked luggage)
  • Chiang Mai – Phuket (internal Air Asia flight) – from £65 (exc checked luggage)

 

I’d say a rough monthly route (click here for my full 4 Week Thailand Itinerary) would cover a return journey from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, bus to Koh Tao, ferry to Koh Phangan, over to Phi Phi and then loop back to Bangkok via Phuket.

 

Estimated transport cost =

£160

 

Activities

Whatever you like to do for kicks I can assure you Thailand will cater for and you can spend your time travelling here doing everything from exploring floating markets to a PADI dive course. In fact if you are looking to learn to dive I’d highly recommend doing it on Koh Tao, which is one of the cheapest places in the world to learn!

Even if diving isn’t your thing Thailand is packed full of amazing things to see and do and day trips usually range in the £10-20 mark depending on what’s included – so you can keep yourself pretty busy without smashing your Thailand trip cost!

And of course there’s always plenty of free and super cheap things to  do along the way too – from stunning lookout points and day hikes to snorkelling coral reefs.

Money wise here are some of my favourites to wet your appetite.

 

full moon party thailand
Full Moon Chaos!

 

If I had to pull out what the average backpacker would do over a month I’d say you’d be looking at the open water, island day trip, Reclining Buddah, Full Moon Party and at least 2-3 other mini day trips around the £10 mark.

Estimated activity cost = 

£572

 

How Much Will A Thailand Trip Cost?

So how much will your Thailand trip cost?

Well obviously there are some variable on the above as not everyone will stick to the budget, want the same level of accommodation throughout however based on my personal experience and estimates a month in Thailand will set you back the following;

Total Thailand trip Cost for 1 month = 

Around £1132 – or roughly £38 per day

 

This includes accommodation, meals, transport and a few activities – including a full PADI open water dive course!

A Solid Basis to Start Planning

I’d like to point out though that this is merely a base point for your budgeting though and it’s always best to over compensate when it comes to money as it’s very much a personal thing – and of course you’re drinking will add some dollar on top.

Some people will easily spend less than this (if you are going to be in Asia for a while I’d certainly expect that to happen as your travel and activity costs per month are reduced) but some people will smash this estimate out of the water…something I’ve personally done without even realising it!

And of course if you really want to keep you budget on track and not worry about over spending then there are some epic backpacker group tours in Thailand that are worth checking out – especially if you’re worried about heading their solo for the first time.

Hopefully that’ll help you guys out with your planning – over the next few weeks I shall follow the same format for all the other countries I’ve travelled to. And of course if you need some seriously detailed travel details for Thailand I suggest checking out the Lonely Planet Thailand Guide too.

 

Found this post helpful? Check out my other How Much To Budget Posts!

 

Is there anything else you’d like added or included to this one or the rest of the series?

 

**PLEASE NOTE; This is to be used as a guide only – currency and cost fluctuate depending on season and exchange rates. Information was correct at the time of writing**

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