Thailand trip costs

How much does a trip to Thailand cost?

• Getting there & Tours
• Transportation
• Hotels
• Restaurants
• Sights & ActivitiesThe currency in Thailand is the bhat (THB). US$1 will buy you about 30 THB. Use your ATM card to get bhat from a bank machine; credit cards are accepted at all but some smaller business.

Here's a rough estimate of what things will cost in Bangkok. Obviously, the farther off the beaten path you go, the cheaper things will get. Airfares are round-trip; hotel rates are for double rooms.

Getting to Thailand & Thailand tours

Airfare

from
$998

L.A. – Bangkok

 

Tour (with air)

from
$1,299

9 days

 

Tour (without air)

from
$665

8 days

 

Airport transfer

from
$22

group transfer

 

It's hard to get around the high cost of transpacific airfare to get to Thailand—though, once you're over there, prices on the ground are pretty inexpensive.

That's why sometimes a tour that includes airfare (which tour companies can buy in bulk at a discount) can be a great bargain. Notice that the nine-day tour above costs only $300 more than airfare alone, meaning the touring itself—hotels, meals, guides, etc.—costs only $33 a day. Not bad.

Getting around in Thailand

Tour (without air)

from
$665

8 days

 

Internal airfare

from
$53

Bangkok - Ko Samui

 

Inter-city bus

from
$17

Bangkok - Chiang Mai

 

Rental car

from
$30

per day

 

Taxi

from
$2

tuk tuk

 

If you don't go for an all-inclusive tour with air, you can take an inexpensive land-only tour, or simply get about on public transportation.

Shop front travel agents cluster around backpacker enclaves and bus terminals and are the easiest way to find out the cost and time involved (and book tickets) to get to the next stop on your itinerary.

As a rule of thumb: if a bus or train ride is going to take more than five hours, look into "splurging" on a low-cost airfare instead (usually $80–$140 and 90–120 minutes to get anywhere).

For getting around town, there are city buses (and, in parts of Bangkok, a monorail), but because they're so cheap, most folks simply flag down a tuk tuk, Thailand's ubiquitous three-wheeled motorcycle taxis. In watery Thailand, also handy are public ferries and longtail boats (motorized canoes that act as water taxis).

Lodging options

Five-star hotel

from
$141

Lebua State Tower

 

Tourist hotel

from
$21

For You Residence

 

Backpacker hotel

from
$15

Sawasdee Smile Inn

 

Guesthouse/B&B

from
$21

Fortville Guesthouse

 

Bangkok is the one place where even backpackers save to splurge on staying in a five-star hotel. Why? Because you can easily get one for under $150 a night.

Not that you need to splurge. Modern, tourist-class three-and four-star hotels only charge around $30 to $70 for a double room. Guesthouses (the Thai equivalent to a B&B) run around $20 to $40. Clean, cramped, dull rooms in lively backpacker hotels only cost around $15 a night.

Outside of Bangkok, expect those prices to drop 10–30%.

Meals

Street food

from
$1

stir fry, rice, Pepsi

 

Restaurant meal

from
$6

full meal with beer

 

Dining is amazingly cheap in Thailand. You can pop into a simple local's joint and get a plate of rice topped with stir-fried chicken and a bottle of Pepsi for 85¢. You'll be hard-pressed to spend more than $20 for two at a restaurant, maybe $40 if you go all-out on a feast at a high-end beach hotel or fancy restaurant...

Sights & activities

Sightseeing

from
$12

Grand Palace & Wat Phra Keo (tour: $38)

 

Thai massage

from
$12

1 hr, full body; at Wat Pho

 

Day trip

from
$98

Khao Yai Park & elephant ride

 

River cruise

from
$71

Ayutthaya & Chao Phraya River

 

Hilltribe trek

from
$179

5 days; out of Chiang Mai

 

Aside from the odd museum, most tourists spend the bulk of their sightseeing time wandering historic wats (temple complexes), perusing marketplaces, taking hilltribe treks, and relaxing on beaches.

Individual sight admissions are low. Most are 20–50 THB (70¢–$1.70); a few may charge as much as 100 THB ($3.35)—with a few marquee sights in Bangkok topping out at $12.

Day trip activities—boat excursions, hikes to hill tribe villages, visits from a city to nearby historic sites or parks, elephant rides in the jungle, kayak tours of the islands in Phang Nga Bay—average $35 to $120, including transportation, a guide, any admissions, and often lunch...