I am travelling to Thailand in November and am staying there for one month.
I plan to travel around as much as possible using public transport and night buses (to save on accommodation).
Also I would like visit some attractions like the temples and I plan to stay in the cheapest dorm rooms in hostels and eat street food.
I also do plan on going out at night as well but plan to do it as cheap as possible, any ideas??
My question is around how much money would I need for the month including accommodation, food, attractions and everything else??( € or baht)
And how much of a daily budget should I allow??
If anyone has any ideas it would be great!
How much do you have to start with? How much left after paying for round trip flights to Bangkok?
You have 30 days planned so divide your available money after paying for flights by 30. This is how much you have available per day. A hotel will take a big chunk out of your budget. The cost of some hostels and small hotels or guest houses is pretty close. Know how much you want to spend for your hotel each night when you ask for suggestions.
Choose your hotels by how much you can afford each night. Some tourists can afford over 100 euros a night for their room and others have a hard time coming up with 10 euros a night. There is no one budget price for everyone. Some tourists eat in fancy restaurants and drink at nightclubs. Other tourists eat in cheap places and drink at cheaper beer bars and pubs. Or buy food and beer from supermarkets.
Staying a month. Over 30 days, since you say euros, means you must buy a visa. Thirty days or under for many tourists from Western countries means a free 30 day entry with a Visa Exemption stamp you get at the airport. This is with a round trip ticket or proof of onward travel. (Round trip is usually cheaper than 2 one way plane tickets.) Over 30 days in Thailand might require a tourist visa you apply and pay for.
A quick Google check will give you some of the prices for food, drinks, etc. In Bangkok you have a cheap rail system that connects many parts of the city. Even from Suvarnabhumi airport. It is possible to walk from some stops to hotels.
In my opinion a smart budget traveller can have a decent time on $45/day. If you stay in the north then it's considerably cheaper.
Well we have flights paid for already.. And I have €1,000 for Thailand alone to start off with but would like to spend less if I could as I am going on the Australia and New Zealand afterwards. ( have separate budget for those places
All these flights are included as well.
We also already have all visas as well.
I am planning to stay in hostels priced between €6-€10 a night. And not eating in restaurants only stalls and cooking.
Do you think €1,000 is ok, as that is my max??
Thanks for replies! Really helps
I said $45/day. For one month that's less than €1,000 in total.
Hey 1000 Euro is plenty of money judging by the standard of living you have stated.
Lots of people would consider it too much and equally, lots would say too little.
The truth is you can certainly live OK in Thailand on that amount, even with the odd beer thrown in every 12.36 days. (j/k).
The only way anyone ever really finds out there personal comfort level is when they get off the plane, but as stated 100 Euro is a good amount of cash for a month to start with.
"I am planning to stay in hostels priced between €6-€10 a night. And not eating in restaurants only stalls and cooking."
Six to 10 Euros a night is around 400 baht. Not a lot of hostels in Thailand after Bangkok. That is not a lot of money. You will have some hot and sweaty nights. Maybe cold water showers too.
You will shortly get tired of eating strange stuff of uncertain cleanliness from street vendors. Once you get the runs you will be looking for something different. You can also buy food stuff from supermarkets and make sandwiches and instant noodle soup. I travel with an electric coil for decades that I use for coffee and instant soup. Looks like this but you can find it cheaper.
I personally could survive on fried rice in any Asian country. But most of the strange stuff sold on streets I pass up even after over 30 years in and out of Asia. Some of the stuff makes me gag just looking at it not to mention some of the less pleasing smells.
There are some things I do like such as noodle soup and boiled pork and vegetables. But I am selective on where I eat. Also no heads, no feet, no entrails, no buttholes - and well done. I choose what goes in the soup!!! Fried rice usually fills me up. When you eat fruit make sure you wash it off. Drink bottled water. (Cheap in Thailand and sold in Seven Eleven stores, supermarkets, etc.)
Keep your hands clean when touching food that goes in your mouth. Consider every door, chair back, door knob/lever, hand rail, etc. is contaminated with feces, urine, blood and other nasty stuff! Clean hands means you have less chance of getting sick. Too bad some of the street vendors don't wash their hands off more frequently!
Carry toilet paper and moist hand wipes in your walk around bag when away from your hotel for several hours. Not all toilets have water to wash your hands. Often no TP too!
You mention not many hostels after bangkok..
Do you mean it will be more expensive in other places?? Do you have any ideas around like chang Mai?? I have been researching as well but keep getting conflicting prices.
I don't mind living on rice if I have to!! I do plan to cook myself as well..
Also I already have 7 nights accommodation already paid for so its just 3 weeks accommodation I will need to pay for.
Thanks for the tips, very useful, have been seeing similar comments on other sites as well..
"You mention not many hostels after bangkok.."
It has been long time since i stayed in a room less than 500 baht. I like A/C, TV, private toilet/bath and privacy.
Yeah, not so many hostels but you might luck out with guest houses which are not so expensive compared to fancier hotels.
Fried rice is cheap even when you buy it from small restaurants. Cooking your own food might save you a little money but that means buying a rice cooker and dishes. Carrying this junk might be more of a bother.
When I used the Montri Hotel (Hotel M now) in the Thapae area there were some cheaper places available nearby. I prefer a safety box, some cheaper places did not have them.
Any cheap places I come up with now will be by using Google.
Google up "Captain Bob" Chiang Mai. He owns a guest house and posts on LP and a few other forums. Also consult the Thai Visa EXPAT Forum - Chiang Mai section.
I think you will be spending a little more than 6 euros per night for your room, bunk or whatever.
Look this over:
Using a credit card in an ATM back home for 300 euros cash will give you a little more spare money each day that you can pay back over time.