Travel Budget Backpacking Thailand
Thailand is the perfect destination for a self-planned backpacking trip. The currency used here is the Thai Baht. During our backpacking trip through Thailand, we kept track of all our expenses: from accommodations to public transport and miscellaneous costs. Here’s an overview of a backpacking travel budget for Thailand!
General
For the costs listed below, it’s important to understand what type of trip we made through Thailand. We started in Phuket using public transport (bus and taxi), walked a lot, and mostly stayed in double rooms. We rarely cooked as food was very affordable! By traveling mostly on foot or using public transportation, we were able to keep costs down significantly. Therefore, a backpacking trip through Thailand doesn’t have to be expensive at all!
Overview costs Thailand
In total, we spent around €2100 for 30 days (excluding flights), which comes to about €35 per person per day. Below is a general breakdown of where we spent this amount. The prices are based on 2023 rates, and we did not receive any discounts or special offers.
- Accommodation (36%)
- Food and drinks (31%)
- Transportation (17%)
- Activities (14%)
- Other expenses (2%)
Flight tickets
The price of a flight can vary so much that we won’t mention any specific prices here. Be sure to check the best deals on Skyscanner, and don’t forget to look for options with layovers. We flew from Malaysia to Phuket as it made the most sense in our travel itinerary.
Transportation
As we mentioned before, we’re not fans of renting scooters in Asia, as our regular driver’s license (B-license) is often not suitable. However, we did rent a car for one day to travel from Chiang Mai to Doi Inthanon National Park, which we highly recommend!
In total, we spent about €350 on transportation during our 30 days in Thailand. This includes the car rental and public transport (also the overnight train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok). Most of the time, we booked our ferry trips and minibuses through 12goasia.com to have everything arranged in advance. This can also be done on-site.
Accommodations
In total, we paid around €750 for accommodations, which comes to €25 per night for two people. Not bad at all, right? Especially when you consider that we got a private room each time. Sometimes, it was necessary to share the bathroom, though.
Activities
Taking part in activities in Thailand is definitely not expensive! We frequently booked snorkeling tours or day trips in the areas where we stayed. For example, snorkeling around Koh Phi Phi or Koh Samet. Don’t miss out on Khao Sok National Park either – it’s a must-see!
Food & drinks
Although eating out in Thailand is quite affordable, we still often bought groceries. This included fruits as a supplement to dinner or additional items like shampoo. After all, we had been traveling for over two months, and our supply from home was running low. So, this amount could definitely be lower if you’re just planning a trip to Thailand. Additionally, we occasionally treated ourselves to dining out because we wanted to try new dishes. These small amounts do add up over time!
Other expenses
We always choose between a local SIM card or an eSIM, and of course, we go for the cheapest option! In Thailand, we opted for a local SIM card. You can, of course, make it as expensive as you like, but for us, travel is all about the experiences. Therefore, we usually don’t have many other expenses. In Thailand, we didn’t spend much extra, except for a few small souvenirs or laundry services. For us, the other expenses were limited to just a few tens of euros.
