Thailand on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Thailand is one of the classic budget destinations, with cheap guesthouses, superb street food and good public transport. A realistic daily minimum is about ฿1,250 (roughly €33) per person sharing a room.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | ฿500 | ฿1,500 | ฿4,000 |
| Food & drink | ฿400 | ฿900 | ฿2,000 |
| Sights & tickets | ฿200 | ฿600 | ฿1,500 |
| Local transport | ฿150 | ฿400 | ฿1,000 |
| Per person, per day | ฿1,250 | ฿3,400 | ฿8,500 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Thailand day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Walking Chinatown's Yaowarat Road at night
- Lumphini Park in Bangkok, with monitor lizards and morning tai chi
- Chiang Mai's Sunday Walking Street and Saturday Wualai market
- Many smaller temples in Bangkok and Chiang Mai's Old City
- The Monk's Trail up Doi Suthep to Wat Pha Lat
- Most beaches on the islands and mainland coast
Cheap eats
- Pad thai or noodle soup from a street stall, roughly ฿50-80
- Mango sticky rice, roughly ฿80-120
- Khao man gai (chicken rice), roughly ฿50-70
- Khao soi in Chiang Mai, roughly ฿60-90
- Grilled pork skewers and sticky rice, roughly ฿10-20 a stick
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers stay around Khao San Road in Bangkok and in Chiang Mai's Old City, where guesthouses and hostels cost about ฿700-1,200 for a double and much less for a dorm bed.
Getting around cheaply
Use the BTS, MRT (฿17-65) and river boats in Bangkok. From Suvarnabhumi, the Airport Rail Link costs about ฿45. Trains and buses are cheapest between cities; red songthaews cost about ฿30 in Chiang Mai.
A sample budget day
- Morning: Grand Palace at opening (about ฿500)
- Lunch: noodle soup from a street stall, about ฿60
- Afternoon: Wat Pho (about ฿300), ferry across the river (about ฿5)
- Evening: street food on Yaowarat Road, about ฿200
- Total: about ฿1,250 including a shared guesthouse room
More ways to save
- Carry small notes; street vendors rarely change ฿1,000 notes.
- Refill water at filtered-water machines, often ฿1 a litre.
- Take third-class trains for short trips like Ayutthaya.
- Use 7-Eleven for cheap snacks, toiletries and SIM top-ups.
- Book island ferries directly at piers or official offices to compare prices.
- Visit temples early to avoid crowds and heat.
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Common questions
Can you travel Thailand on a budget?
Yes. Guesthouses, street food and public transport keep costs to about ฿1,250 per person a day.
What is the cheapest way from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok?
The Airport Rail Link to Phaya Thai, about 30 minutes for about ฿45.
Are trains in Thailand cheap?
Yes. Third-class tickets to Ayutthaya start at about ฿20.