How much does it cost to go to Thailand?
Planning a trip to somewhere you haven't been can be difficult. Luckily, we have been to Thailand more than a few times, so we can help! This guide will help you understand the costs of traveling to Thailand and bring you one step closer to your vacation.
How much is a flight to Thailand?
Thailand is quite far away for many people - those in the US and Europe are trying to travel across the world, so the prices for a ticket are not exactly cheap. The good news is that you can find promotions or save a little if you are willing to travel in the off-season. We have seen flight deals for as cheap as $500 USD, but an average round-trip flight to Thailand during the high season will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $700-900 USD. If you do want to buy a ticket during peak season and on short notice, that price can easily climb to over $1000 USD.
How much are hotel prices in Thailand?
Hotels and hostels are amazingly affordable in Thailand. A 4-star hotel room in Thailand with breakfast buffet, full amenities, and a central location can be had for well under $100 USD/night. Those wanting to focus on value can find many good options between $30-$50 USD/night. Are hotels not quite your thing? Hostels can be as cheap as $5 USD/night. $5! That will leave you with so much more budget for local trips and eating out if you want to experience that social, backpacker lifestyle. Chances are you will probably want to spend more than $5, but the option is there if you want it.
How much does food cost in Thailand?
Food in Thailand is what you want it to be. If you enjoy the thought of finding street food vendors and eating at local-style restaurants, a decent meal can be very, very affordable. For example, the Thai staple of two grilled pork skewers and sticky rice costs about 25 Thai Baht - that is under $1 USD. A bowl of green curry with rice and a drink should cost around 100 Thai Baht at a reasonably priced sit-down restaurant, or about $3 USD. If you want to enjoy some well-prepared food at a nicer sit-down restaurant, you can expect an average Thai dish to cost in the neighborhood of 100-200 Thai Baht (about $3-6 USD). These prices can go up if you are in a tourist zone or down if you are far off the beaten path. A reasonable food budget for most parts of the country is between 600-1000 Thai Baht per day. That is around 200-350 Thai Baht per meal which is more than enough to allow for some wiggle room - a cheap breakfast can leave an extra 50-100 baht for a nicer diner. This budget does not include alcohol and you can easily spend 100-200 baht for a couple of beers. Those on a tighter budget can make do with about 500 baht per day, but you will need to actively find more affordable food. This won’t be hard almost anywhere you go unless you are in the heavy tourism zones such as Patong Beach in Phuket. Your options will dry up a bit because the vendors are actively pricing for a foreigners budget.
What is the cost of traveling in Thailand?
Once you get to Thailand there are many, many affordable options for getting around the country. Trains, flights, and buses are all great options for getting around Thailand. Train tickets usually range from 20-60 Thai Baht for short trips - such as Bangkok to Ayutthaya. You won’t get a seat with air conditioning at this price. AC will cost you around 250 Thai Baht per ticket. There are longer trips such as Bangkok to Chiang Mai which will cost you around 1,000 Thai Baht for a second-class sleeper with AC. Local flights in Thailand are very affordable. Popular flights such as Bangkok to Phuket will cost around 1,600 Thai Baht for a round trip - that is around $50 USD. A longer flight like Bangkok to Chiang Mai will run you a bit under 2,500 Thai Baht. The most popular choice for locals are public buses and vans. This is the slowest option, but is also the cheapest. A seat on a bus from Bangkok to Pattaya costs about 150 Thai Baht. Such an affordable ticket will leave a healthy budget for hotels and food. You may not get there the fastest, but you will get there the cheapest. As a final option, you can choose to hire your own driver or charter a van for your group. Prices can vary depending on where you are going and where you book. For a half day trip, such as Bangkok to Hua Hin, you can expect around 2,000 Thai Baht. This might sound a bit pricey compared to other options, but when you split this among a group of people it suddenly becomes way more reasonable.
Are there any hidden costs?
You should be able to plan for almost everything, but something that is routinely forgotten about is travel insurance. We highly, highly recommend you get some coverage when traveling abroad. Decent coverage can be had for under $50 USD. It can end up saving you thousands of dollars in a worst-case scenario or just provide peace-of-mind if you end up not needing it. Some insurances even cover your trip and travel gear. Taxis are definitely worth mentioning here. In most parts of mainland Thailand you will be able to get taxis to charge by meter. These start at 35 Thai Baht plus another 2 Thai Baht per kilometer. If you do plan on spending lots of time in tourist hot-spots, you may end up having to pay a lot more for taxis. For example, in Phuket most drivers charge between 200 and 600 Thai Baht pert trip - 200 to travel locally and 600 to take you to a different beach/town. These costs can add up if you are traveling alone and spend many days bouncing all over Phuket. Something else to consider is what you want to do for fun. If you plan on going on many day trips, like taking a boat to Phang Nga Bay while in Phuket, you will definitely need to add to your budget. That Phang Nga Bay trip will take most of a day and costs around 1,000-1,500 Thai Baht per person. This is roughly the running cost for most guided trips anywhere you will go, but you can sometimes save money if you can share the cost as a group or negotiate a lower price.
How much is an average trip to Thailand?
That is the million-dollar question. The cost of visiting Thailand depends on your tastes, but we have provided a couple of sample budgets below to help you get an idea. Adjust the amounts as needed if you know you want to spend more or less. Definitely add money to your budget if you know you will go out to drink often.
Creature of Comfort
Trip Length | 2 Weeks |
Flight | $850 USD |
Insurance | $50 USD |
Hotel | $840 USD ($60 USD/night) |
Food | $700 USD ($50 USD/day) |
Taxi/Public Transit | $175 USD |
Flight to Phuket | $45 USD |
Two Guided Day Trips in Phuket | $100 USD |
Two Half-Day Trips in Bangkok | $100 USD |
Spending Money & Souvenirs | $300 USD |
Total | $3,160 USD |
Budget-Conscious Traveler
Trip Length | 2 Weeks |
Flight | $850 USD |
Insurance | $50 USD |
Hotel | $420 USD ($30 USD/night) |
Food | $420 USD ($30 USD/day) |
Taxi/Public Transit | $175 USD |
Flight to Phuket | $45 USD |
Two Guided Day Trips in Phuket | $100 USD |
Two Half-Day Trips in Bangkok | $75 USD |
Spending Money & Souvenirs | $250 USD |
Total | $2,385 USD |
The 1-Week Trip
Trip Length | 1 Week |
Flight | $850 USD |
Insurance | $50 USD |
Hotel | $210 USD ($30 USD/night) |
Food | $210 USD ($30 USD/day) |
Taxi/Public Transit | $100 USD |
Flight to Phuket | $45 USD |
Guided Day Trip in Phuket | $50 USD |
Half-Day Trip in Bangkok | $40 USD |
Spending Money & Souvenirs | $150 USD |
Total | $1,705 USD |
These are some costs for an average trip - someone who wants to be comfortable while experiencing the usual activities. It is definitely possible to spend much less if you are willing to hunt for travel deals, make some sacrifices in your hotel budget, and watch your day-to-day spending. You could probably bring these budgets down by as much as 20% with some thought-out planning and smart spending. Backpackers can push their costs way down by choosing hostels over hotels, saving hundreds of dollars.
Summary
It is not the cheapest vacation out there, but the beautiful country of Thailand makes the cost absolutely worth it. Once you book your flight and hotel you have the most expensive purchases out of the way - these two alone make up over half of your costs. Those wanting to travel on a reasonable budget should expect to spend in the neighborhood of $2,000-$2,500 USD for a two-week trip. That is definitely not a small amount of money, but you get to experience a wonderful two weeks in tropical paradise that you will remember for a lifetime. Also don't forget, just because you budget $2,500 USD doesn't mean you have to spend it all!
We hope this helps you while planning your trip to Thailand. We absolutely recommend going - it is one of our favorite countries to travel to. If you want some quick tips on stashing some money away for you trip, head over to our post on How to Save For a Vacation. Also, don’t forget to check out our Thailand Travel Guides before planning your trip!