Thailand Budget... What's your number?

[strawberry]

Hi there!

Anyone who's been to thailand.. how much money did you take?? Is 1 million won enough for bangkok & phuket (2 weeks) (2 mil for 2 people, 1 mil each)?  Accommodation has already been paid!  The 1 mil is for cheap food (street food & cheap cafes), 2 or 3 romantic dinners, a few tours (maybe one every second day, so about 6?). And transportation (ferries to other islands, taxi/tuktuk etc) The rest of the time will be lazy beach days. 

Thanks!

[jurassic82]

If your accomadation and flight has already been paid for then 1 million won is more than enough money for two weeks. Things are cheap in Thailand. Just be careful with tuk tuk drivers and guys trying to sell you adventure packages like elephant rides, jet skiis, motorbikes and things like go Karts in Phuket. Phuket is notorious for these shaddy bastards trying to swindle people. Always compare prices with other agents. Anyways, have a blast!!!!

[mozzermarr]

1 million baht is MORE than enough. You could live off that for a month if need be. Street food is dirt cheap, but yeah, be careful of the touts down on Phuket. It's different there than from the rest of  Thailand.

[strawberry]

Really??? Even for doing some tours?  I've been told to take $3000 for two people which sounds a bit insane.

[JahRhythm]

If accommodation is paid for then 1 mil/person is fine.
But let's not go overboard, if they wanna do tours it isnt MORE than enough but probably just enough. Thailand isn't THAT cheap and if you're like me you don't want to eat street food for 2 weeks.
Dunno bout expense of tours tho so that could put you over budget.
6 tours sounds like too much to me.  Do 3

[strawberry]

3 tours in 2 weeks? really?  I mean like the day trip ones?

[JahRhythm]

Well it depends on what you like, of course. 3 day tours in 2 weeks is plenty for me, but that's just me.

[mozzermarr]

1 mil won is around 27 000 baht. If your hotels are paid for for the entire 2 weeks and all you have to buy is food, drinks and pay for some daytrips , ferries and taxis, then you are loaded. Daytrips out of bkk cost like 5oo or 600 baht to Kanchanaburi and places like this. I'm not sure  how much time you plan on spending in bkk, but you can live off of a few hundred baht a day if you're just relaxing and not boozing or shopping.

Change around 30000 baht to be safe, but I think you'll be fine. Again, I don't know your plans, drinking habits, etc, but Thailand can be shockingly cheap if you do it right.

[Lyn]

3,000 usd sounds about right.  Going through 27,000 baht is extremely easy to do.    Better be safe than sorry.   

[woman-king]

I took $300 USD for a week in Bangkok and Northern Thailand, including accommodation, and came back with some baht left over.

It just depends on how you're going to budget.  Will you be taking expensive tours?  Drinking a lot?  Eating street food or expat-style restaurants?  As someone else said, Thailand can be shockingly cheap if you want it to be.

[strawberry]

Well, we're doing a bit of both.....

We're fine with going to the market and buying a papaya for breakfast.. But like someone else mentioned, we don't want to live off street food for 2 weeks.. We want to have one or two splashy dinners (we pay enough to get to Thailand!) but the rest of the trip we don't mind eating at the thai equivalent of kimbap shops.. local thai mom & pop shops.
We're going in low season so I'm hoping the tours won't be too expensive -- I also read that it's cheaper if you book the day before at one of the gazillion travel agents there. (as opposed to booking online months in advance)  We don't drink a lot.. we'd obviously have a few cocktails in a few beach bars.  But even with that, I wouldn't mind drinking beer on the beach (if that's legal?) and just doing the bar scene once in a while.   

[Lyn]

I took $300 USD for a week in Bangkok and Northern Thailand, including accommodation, and came back with some baht left over.

It just depends on how you're going to budget.  Will you be taking expensive tours?  Drinking a lot?  Eating street food or expat-style restaurants?  As someone else said, Thailand can be shockingly cheap if you want it to be.

Expect the 'special farang discount' if you are not able to speak Thai.   

[woman-king]

^^
Ya know, while I know that prices get jacked up for farangs/tourists...it's still darn cheap.[/i]  I had no complaints.

But.  Strawberry.  I have not been to Phuket but it's known to be more expensive than the rest of Thailand, and 6 or so tours could definitely run the bill up in that area.  Better be safe than sorry, BUT the dilemma to me would be actually carrying that much cash around from Bangkok to Phuket and trusting it to be stashed safely in the guesthouse (if that is indeed your plan--the way you phrased it).  I did bring all my cash in a lump sum, which was smart because I forgot the password for my new Visa card I'd gotten right before coming to Korea and never used since, and wasn't able to take out cash.  (Yeah, I know.  Sooo dumb).  Anyway, Thailand but I'd definitely use a money belt and maybe bring an extra combination lock with you or something for lockers/cupboards in your guesthouse.  And assuming you each have a Visa or other card that should work at international ATMs, maybe bring half of the cash with you and take the second half out later/as needed? 

Seasoned travelers, what do you think?

[strawberry]

^^
Ya know, while I know that prices get jacked up for farangs/tourists...it's still darn cheap.[/i]  I had no complaints.

But.  Strawberry.  I have not been to Phuket but it's known to be more expensive than the rest of Thailand, and 6 or so tours could definitely run the bill up in that area.  Better be safe than sorry, BUT the dilemma to me would be actually carrying that much cash around from Bangkok to Phuket and trusting it to be stashed safely in the guesthouse (if that is indeed your plan--the way you phrased it).  I did bring all my cash in a lump sum, which was smart because I forgot the password for my new Visa card I'd gotten right before coming to Korea and never used since, and wasn't able to take out cash.  (Yeah, I know.  Sooo dumb).  Anyway, Thailand but I'd definitely use a money belt and maybe bring an extra combination lock with you or something for lockers/cupboards in your guesthouse.  And assuming you each have a Visa or other card that should work at international ATMs, maybe bring half of the cash with you and take the second half out later/as needed? 

Seasoned travelers, what do you think?

Ooooh no ways, we never take all our cash.  Usually take about half and put the rest on credit card or withdraw at an ATM.   (The money is saved up already so no real debt!!)  :)

[woman-king]

Ah okay I misinterpreted that. 
Sounds like a sweet trip, you should be set money-wise.  Have a good time!  :)

[strawberry]

Ah okay I misinterpreted that. 
Sounds like a sweet trip, you should be set money-wise.  Have a good time!  :)

Thanks!! So excited!!

[peateacarrot]

The North of Thailand is much cheaper than the South. If you have 27,000b to play with and accommodation is already paid for I would give a rough guideline of this:

Per person per day:
food cheap eats 35-50b x2 = 100b
splashy evening meal 300-500b = 500b
massages,treatments 250-350b = 350b
drinks, snacks, miscellaneous 200b = 200b

1,150b per day average x 14 days was it?

added extras:

Alcohol (beer chang 50b, bucket 300b)
Tours you can look for anything between 1000b-3000b per person.
Then any shopping you want to do.

[rjenman]

I find that 1000 baht a day will get me absolutely whatever in Thailand. VISA trips inc. VISA fees, big splurges, etc. If you really try you can do it to. It's my "safety" marker. (having 1000 baht a day) But I have no doubts you can live off 500 a day or much less if you're don't just ride off the crap that people trying to make money out of foreigners try to feed tourists.