How much does a vacation cost in Thailand?
Have you ever wondered, “how much does a vacation cost in Thailand”? If ‘yes’, then please continue reading. Thailand is the ultimate tourist destination in Southeast Asia. With its friendly population, historic landmarks and a rich culture the country tempts visitors and each year several people from all across the globe flock towards Thailand. Similar to any vacation you will plan, the expenses will mainly be influenced by certain important things such as where you are travelling from, what sort of lodging you want and what you want to explore in the country.
For example, being a backpacker will cost you very less since then you will look for cheaper accommodations and food options. However, such a trip is not recommended for everyone. Particularly if you want to spend quality time with your family, this option is not suitable. It’s more likely that you want to have a comfortable trip with affordable costs but with better facilities. For this reason, we have compiled a guide below regarding the costs associated with travelling, staying and exploring Thailand that can help you plan your vacation.
Travelling Costs
Flights
One major chunk of expenses one incurs while vacationing comes from travelling. This is particularly true if you live in one corner of the world and choose to visit a place on the other corner. Flights are usually the most expensive part of the entire travelling plan. In case of Thailand, if you are visiting it from USA or Canada, the flight will cost you hundreds of dollars.
The airfare generally ranges between $500-$800 if you are travelling from USA to Bangkok. These costs may vary depending on the country you are visiting Thailand from. If you are travelling from within Asia, then airfares are likely to be lower. Also, if you are visiting from Canada, you will not find direct flights to Bangkok and rather connecting flights will be available with stopovers at either Hong Kong, Beijing or Shanghai.
Local Transportation Costs
The travelling costs do not just exist until you arrive in Thailand. Even after that since you will be visiting multiple cities, you will need to keep the local transportation expenses in mind. An average of $300 may be spent altogether on the local transportation. However, this may vary according to what you want to explore and which routes you plan. Fortunately, you will find Thailand with easy and accessible local transportation facilities that will help you get around and discover the country.
Such transportation costs include spending on long distance trains, domestic flights, buses, and subways. The transportation within Thai regions is considered to be extremely affordable and cheap. However, using long distance trains will consume a lot of your time as well. Thus, the option is not suitable for anyone who has limited amount of time to explore whole of Thailand.
The cheapest train ticket from Bangkok to Ayutthaya will cost merely 15 Baht and will take two hours to reach Ayutthaya. If you want to travel to Chiang Mai from Bangkok, you can choose from a 300 Baht or 700 Baht overnight sleeper train. Even though these options may appeal to you in terms of how cheap they are, however, be mindful that these do not provide the level of comfort you may be acquainted to. Thus, choosing this will save you a few extra bucks, but, on the other hand, will cost you more time and comfort.
Using the option of domestic flights may still be a more convenient option if you are willing to spend to save time and get a certain level of comfort. You will be able to reach Chiang Mai or Phuket from Bangkok in only $30 while you will have an array of options to choose your carrier or airline from as Vietjet Air, Thai Smile, Bangkok airways and many more operate domestically.
The maximum you may have to spend on a route is $100 which is between Bangkok and Koh Samui. Therefore, if you are looking to save time but are also comfortable in spending few extra bucks, take this option while you wander in Thailand and discover its culture, food and people.
There is also an extensive network of local buses across the cities of Thailand. You can take one for around 10 Baht while a Metro/Sky train will cost you around 15 Baht per station. There is also an option of day pass which will help you travel in Metro multiple times at a low cost.
Another cheaper option is using tuks tuks for local transport, however, the drivers may charge and exploit tourists more. Even taxis in Thailand can be used at very affordable rates as well. One downside of local transportation is that it’s limited at few of the islands, however, you can still rent a scooter in that case.
One word of advice is that you make sure that you have address of your destination in Thai when you use tuk tuks or taxis. This is because majority of the people speak and understand Thai only instead of English. Thus, they may not comprehend the address in English. Also, if you find that the driver is not agreeing on using the meter, then it’s better that you not use the service and wave down another taxi or tuk tuk.
Accommodation Costs
Vacation costs anywhere will include and be greatly influenced by the accommodation charges. Therefore, when you plan your vacation in Thailand, you will need to take your hotel charges into account as well. There are several lodging options in Thailand and you will be surprised to find out that some of those options will be incredibly cheap and affordable. While choosing the best accommodation, your preference will matter as well.
For example, are you looking for something luxurious with extreme level of comfort or do you want to spend more time outdoors thus do not specifically want luxury or extravagance in your lodging? Therefore, what you will choose will be based on your budget and other personal preferences.
There are certain hostels in Thailand which will cost you even less than $10 per night while some hotels will fall in the range of $40-$60 per night. On average, you may find suitable hotels with decent level of comfort in $80 per night. Some of the lodging options are discussed below for you to find the best fit for yourself.
Hotels
It’s not surprising to note that the hotels in Thailand will range a lot in terms of how much they cost per night. This is because Thailand is a tourists’ hub since years and, therefore, sprawling growth of tourism has led to the development of all sorts of hotels. You will very easily find a local brand hotel that will cost you around $45 per night.
If you are looking forward to a more luxurious or extravagant accommodation, then you may be interested in resorts and bungalows that will cost you around $64 per night. It’s also interesting that international hotels’ chains are reasonably priced around $80 per night.
Luxury Hotels
Thailand has a variety of luxury hotels as well which will fall in your budget very easily as well if you are willing to spend a little extra to get more comfort and hospitable services. This will make your vacation a lot easier and comfortable.
Hostels
This is an option only suitable for backpackers and solo travelers who are on a budget and are looking for a cheap lodging option. Getting a hostel room in approximately $12 is very common and easy in Thailand. This may be the cheapest option, however, this is not suitable for many tourists especially travelling with children or spouses.
Airbnb
If you do not feel comfortable with the options present, then Airbnb is also an option. It can help you find your own place if hotels or hostels are not what you are looking for.
This is also important to note that with certain credit card services you can further save a lot on accommodation. This is true for some Canadian Mastercard services that give you bonuses when you spend a certain amount within a given amount of time. Thus, Thailand is extremely affordable in terms of accommodations along with several options for lodging to choose from.
Food Costs
Thailand is known for cheap, affordable and sufficient serving of delicious food. You can get a large serving of street food such fried rice for as low as 30 Baht or $1. In $2 you can get more food options such as Pad Thai, Khao Soi (a delicious noodle and chicken curry) and fresh fruits. If you are not a fan of Thai food then Thailand also offers great, affordable Western, Chinese, and Indian eateries spread all across the country costing you around $10 per meal.
On average you will find sufficient and tasty meals for as low as $15. If you are looking for cheap, delicious meals, try going for street food. It’s not only part of Thailand’s soul and culture, but also super delicious to eat. Certain stores sell decent food options for around $4 so that is another option. You can easily spend your entire day on $35 for food.
Attraction Costs
If you are visiting Thailand to heartily spend your vacations, it’s natural that you would want to allocate the largest part of your budget for sightseeing and participation in important tourist activities. This attraction costs look like the entrance fees and ticket prices needed to access historical landmarks, sightseeing spots, amusement parks, museums, preserved sites, temples, and parks in general. Most of such attractions have an entrance fee ranging anywhere between $1 to $15. But, of course, this entrance fee goes up depending on the significance of the attraction site and the quality of services provided.
Let’s categorically look at what these costs actually look like with real examples.
If we include entertainment spots which offer games like billiards and bowling in the attraction costs, then these games are available at significantly cheaper rates in Thailand. For a typical billiard table, you can expect to be charged anywhere between $7 to $8. For bowling, your expected expenditure should be $4 to $4.5 for one round.
Overhead cost of renting shoes and socks would typically bring the cost of bowling up to $10 maximum. Similarly, you can access gaming zones and arcades for kids and expect to spend around $1 for each game that your little tykes choose to play.
But this was just small entertainment opportunities that you can fit into your budget to fill any extra time that you might have in between important sightseeing tours and adventure trips. It’s these things which will primarily eat up your budget, so managing and prioritizing the kind of activities that you want to book for yourself is must. The attraction costs also differ from city to city, so it’s important to bear in mind that the more attractive and touristy a place, the more it will cost you.
In Bangkok, for example, the price of going on a tuk-tuk tour of the city starts from $60. Depending on different service providers and the nature of the tour, the price of such a tour would only go up. Similarly, tours of the entire city which cover most of the important sight-seeing spots often cost $100 or more.
The tours are cheaper if you are planning to get on a hop-on-hop-off bus. On such bus tours, you should expect to spend anywhere between $25 to $30. Unlike Bangkok, city tours of Phuket are a lot less costly. You can easily visit three main sites of the island in $25 while longer tours can easily cost you up to $50.
Similarly, price of Chiang Mai city tours which involve visiting important temples of the city start from $35 and can extend up to as much as you want to spend on exploration of the city. In the same vein, you can visit and explore major attraction of Samui City by spending as low an amount as $25.
If you want to have the full Thailand experience, you might want to travel to Phi Phi Island as well. Doing so in a ferry or a yacht can cost you anywhere between $45 to $60. You can also go on a tour of Khai Island for roughly the same price. You do not need to spend as much for smaller islands such as the island of Koh Lan which is accessible from Pattaya. You can get on a boat to reach Koh Lan for just $1 and can swim with dolphins for $25.
If you want to look at individual prices of certain activities, then tour of the floating markets of Damoen Saduak is a good example to gauge the cost of such attractions. Being on a bit of a costly side of the spectrum, the price of the tour of the floating market starts from $85. There are also some attractions for which you can buy passes.
You can even get an unlimited ‘attractions pass’ which would cost you about $200 but will grant you access to many of the country’s major attractions such as the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew temple.
Essential Costs
Essential costs refer to those things which are absolutely necessary to sustain your vacation in Thailand. These include things like getting a local SIM card, buying an internet package, paying for your laundry, and covering basic medical costs. If we were to offer a lump sum amount which you can expect to cover the basic essential costs, it would approximately be around $95. You should definitely expect it to be higher if you want to ensure your comfort during your trip.
Essential costs are also something you should not be compromising on, so it’s suggested that you allow yourself the luxury of spending quite a bit to make your vacation as successful as possible.
Conclusion
Thailand might not be the most economical place to head to in Southeast Asia, particularly if you are on a budget. But this does not mean that it’s impossible to vacation here if you are, in fact, on a budget. From flights you can take to the kind of accommodation you want to spend, if you evaluate your options carefully, you can make vacationing in Thailand absolutely work.
So, how much does a vacation cost in Thailand? On average, people spend $1500 to $2000 on a vacation. We think that is a reasonable enough amount to spend when going someplace as rich and as entertaining at Thailand. However, at the end of the day, nobody knows your financial situation better than yourself. This means you are in full control of how much you want to spend and the kind of services you choose will largely determine the how much a vacation in Thailand will cost for you.
By the way, to ensure that you have a great vacation, you may want to click the link below, so that you’ll know what should I avoid in Thailand.
https://holidaynomad.com/asia/what-should-i-avoid-in-thailand/
