Thailand: How much does it cost?

For the last Newsletter about Thailand, I am going to talk about what it costs to visit this amazing country. Lucky for you, it’s not expensive, and you don’t have to break the bank to get luxury accommodations. Thailand is ranked as the 4th cheapest country to travel to in the world. So without further ado, let’s break it down.

Air Travel.

Air travel will probably be the most tedious part of your trip. The average flight time from LAX to Bangkok Thailand is 24 hours long, and because of that this is also probably the part of the trip you should splurge the most on.

Based on my research, using Google Flights, and Kayak, the cheapest seat you can expect to find is upwards of $850 per person for Economy, but those are few and far between. The average price I’ve found for an economy ticket is around $1,500 with the most expensive being over $5,000. This is also assuming you fly out of Los Angeles.

Now of course, business and first class will cost quite a bit more. On flights to Thailand, first class is going to be quite fancy if you choose the right airline. It can be like an Emirates first class where you have your own little suite, and it’s your decision to make if that’s worth the money or not. But you can expect to pay a minimum of $3,000 for business class per person or you can be really stupid and pay $40,000 per person and not sit in first class. If you’re going to pay that much, just go with first class, the tickets start at $13,000 but that’s still significantly cheaper, and gets you a better class. With that said First class does also reach the $40,000 range, but I can’t find a price higher. So yeah, if you’re going to pay for Business class you might as well just go First class instead.

Accommodations

Now this is where you can really save some money without having to sacrifice luxury. Thailand is known world wide for having cheap hotels that are still incredibly nice.

Like this room for example. This is a Junior Level suite that you can book for at little as $59 dollars a night. Here in the US, that wouldn’t even get you a room at the Super 8 in most cities. When you stay at this hotel you also get a complimentary breakfast. But I can’t find an all-inclusive option. So you will need to budget food for your trip if you book here.

Or if you’re like me and you really love the All Inclusive option there is this resort.

Now the image shown is of their Two Bedroom suite, which is their most expensive option by far at $700 a night. However, they do have very nice Balcony rooms for $272 a night, and if you don’t want the all-inclusive package that price drops down to $192 a night.

There are other great options, that are also cheaper. But for the sake of keeping this fairly short, I will stop there and move on to the next section.

Excursions

In past news letter I did highlight a couple of excursions, but I never went into detail, or explained how much you should expect to pay. And because of that, I now have to include it.

Temples

For the most part, visiting the Buddhist temples is free. Some may charge a small fee, and it is customary to leave a small donation, especially if you’re Buddhist yourself. But if your plan is to temple hop your entire trip, then you really shouldn’t plan on bringing more than you’re comfortable donating.

Elephant Sanctuary

In Thailand it seems they have almost as many Elephant Sanctuaries as temples. And from the best that I can a visit to one ranges from $40 to $100 per person. I do recommend that when budgeting for travel to always plan for the high end of the scale. So I’d say plan on $100 per person and then do your research before booking. It is also important to note that some of these places are run like bad zoos and do not properly care for the animals. So please find a reputable sanctuary before going. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293917-d601884-Reviews-Elephant_Nature_Park-Chiang_Mai.html

Bangala Road.

If you’re the bar-hopping type Bangala road is probably the place for you. This is also a place where you might run into a tab scam. So be careful of that. And based on what I can find the average price of a drink is about $3. So if you’re a big drinker bring a lot of money, and if you don’t drink then don’t worry about it.

Andamanda Phuket Water Park

Now a water park might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Thailand, but I love water parks, and this is my Newsletter so I’m including it. With 5 different zones, this water park has something for everyone to enjoy, unless you don’t like water parks. It also isn’t the cheapest thing you can do and costs about $54 per person.

Transportation/Food

If you plan right you can book a hotel that has a complimentary shuttle to and from the airport, saving you a little bit more money. And if you’re feeling adventurous you can rent a motorcycle for around $15 a day. That might be scary though, especially if you don’t know how to ride a motorcycle. And maybe motorcycles aren’t your thing, but that’s OK. You can take a taxi. The average taxi fare starts at $.95 for one kilometer. So if you go 25 miles (40 kilometers) it’ll only cost you $25. Just go with the motorcycle.

Food is where you’ll really save your money if you’re an adventurous eater and will eat the street food. Each meal will then cost you barely more than $1. But if you’re like me, and you are not an adventurous eater you can go to the Smokin Pug American BBQ and get yourself some ribs for $30.

In Conclusion.

I hope this has given you an insight on how to budget your trip to Thailand, and I hope these past few newsletters have convinced you to book a trip. Thank you for joining me. Next time we are off to Finland to learn about another part of the world.