Price levels in Thailand

bmwguy

I'm spending a week in Thailand in June en route to Australia and people are telling me how ridiculously cheap it is. But how cheap is cheap? What would be ballpark prices for a nights hotel, a nice meal, a few beers, transport etc... Not on a very tight budget thank god but just wondering if anyone that has been there would like to comment on their experiences?

cosbloodymick

bmwguy wrote: »

I'm spending a week in Thailand in June en route to Australia and people are telling me how ridiculously cheap it is. But how cheap is cheap? What would be ballpark prices for a nights hotel, a nice meal, a few beers, transport etc... Not on a very tight budget thank god but just wondering if anyone that has been there would like to comment on their experiences?

I was there 6 weeks ago and did not find it ridiculously cheap, although still quite a good bit cheaper than here. Beer worked out at about €2 a bottle. Dinner in a half decent restaurant was about €20. You will be able to eat cheaper if you go for street food. Transport both public and taxis/tuk tuks were very cheap in Bangkok but I found taxis much more expensive down south.
Enjoy your trip.

bmwguy

Thanks Mick just after I posted that I went on lonely planet and it said travellers on a budget can get by with about 600 baht a day which is €18, and those looking for more luxuries and can afford a bit more 1500 baht (€45) is loads. Am I using the right exchange rate 30 baht for a euro? It seems a little at odds with your experience.

Tipperary animal lover

All the main tourist areas will be dearer, you'll pay anything from €1:10 up for a small singa and if you eat in local restaurants €2+ for a meal, but if you go a few streets off the main drag the price will come down a small it, Bangkok youll pay more, have a look at Bangkok trip advisor I find it much better than lonely planet, the exchange rate is about €1 to 35/57 bath, there's plenty of cheap hotels but sometimes you pay for what you get ....

Gatica

I think it's more like 40baht ~ 1 Euro. Just check the current exchange rate online.
We had a nice hostel in Bangkok, it was 18 Euro per night for 2 people. Eating locally or off the stalls is about 5 Euro a meal if you're not being extravagant. Dining in restaurants is obviously more expensive, cos it's targeted at tourists.

Stinicker

Gatica wrote: »

I think it's more like 40baht ~ 1 Euro. Just check the current exchange rate online.
We had a nice hostel in Bangkok, it was 18 Euro per night for 2 people. Eating locally or off the stalls is about 5 Euro a meal if you're not being extravagant. Dining in restaurants is obviously more expensive, cos it's targeted at tourists.

No the Thai baht has strengthened enormously (or Euro weakened) in the last 12 months and the current rate today is €100 Euro to 3767.35 Thai Baht so when you factor in the rip-off banks and their levys and surcharges you are realistically looking at 34.5 to 35bt per €1 when I was in Thailand in 2011 it was 42bt per €1 and in 2012 it was 40bt per €1 and with 34.5bt per €1 this year alone the exchange devaluation will cost me more than €100 providing I spend similar amounts to my 2011 and 2012 trips there. Best bet is to change Euro cash for Baht in a Money changer in Bangkok (not the Airport) and at least that way it will gain you a baht or two per Euro.

Thailand nowadays is overrun with Tourists (mainly Chinese and Indian tourists) and with the strong Baht it is not worth going there anymore, the emphasis is no longer on the Farang Westerner and with a strong Baht and the ever increasing cost of airfares it is no longer sustainable to call it an affordable tourist destination. My flights cost €520 in 2011, €660 in 2012 and I paid €712 for this year. I have decided to split my month in Asia this year and am spending half of it in the Philippines because Thailand is getting too expensive, crowded and over-run with tourists. Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia are all suitable alternatives to over-priced Thailand. Basically the more 3rd world a country is the cheaper it is and Thailand is very definitely 2nd world now and is getting too westernized, developed and expensive.