Thailand is a popular holiday destination with tons of natural and man-made attractions that have continued to draw millions of individuals to it. Besides, the country is believed by many individuals to be a relatively affordable place to live in or visit. When talking about the affordability of this country, you might be wondering whether $100 is considered to be a lot of money or not in Thailand.
In a nutshell, $100 is a lot of money in Thailand as some individuals can survive on the amount for several days. However, if your lifestyle is expensive, the amount may seem small to you. For some people, $100 can be considered a lot of money in Thailand whereas the amount is relatively small for others. Having noted this, $100 will go further in Thailand than many other countries such as Australia, the USA, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and other developed countries around the globe.
The most important factors that will determine whether $100 is a lot or not in Thailand are your financial capability and your lifestyle. Nevertheless, you can still use this amount of money for several things in the Land of Smiles. Below, we will show you examples of things you can buy with $100 when you are in Thailand.
How valuable is $100 in Thailand?
Simply put, the value attached to $100 in Thailand or other places will likely depend on your finances. For instance, if you are an international visitor with lots of money, you may want to consider the amount that you will spend on daily expenses. Some tourists in this Southeast Asian country spend multiple of hundred dollars every day.
However, for some locals, $100 is much more than what they can afford to spend on daily expenses. Basically, when converted to the local currency, 100 USD should be worth around 3,430 Thai Baht (THB) at the moment according to Currencylive.com. In Thailand, this particular amount is a lot of money for numerous individuals.
As noted by the National Statistical Office of Thailand, the minimum daily wage in different places in Thailand is around 313 THB to 336 THB in 2022. According to Wagecentre.com, the wage was even about 5 to 6 THB lower in 2019. The local Occupational Safety Health Act dictates that a worker should work for a maximum of 7 to 8 hours per day. Therefore, a typical minimum wage earner in Thailand will need to work for around 70 to 80 hours (on an average of 10 days) to be able to earn about 3,400 THB ($100).
It will even take some skilled workers around 2 to 4 days to earn up to 3400 THB ($100). Based on these figures, you will agree that $100 is undoubtedly a lot of money for several individuals in Thailand. The amount can go a long way in improving the quality of life of a lot of people.
What can $100 buy you in Thailand?
Now, let us talk about what you can afford to buy if you have $100 in the Land of Smiles. Of course, you can hardly buy anything directly with your $100 bill. Therefore, you have to convert the dollars to Thai Baht. Once you are done with the conversion, you will likely get around 3,400 THB, depending on your exchanger.
According to Tripsavvy.com and other sources, $100 can buy you the following things in Thailand:
- About 15 meals for different street food vendors or stalls in Phuket, Bangkok, Pattaya, etc. If you want to eat in a fancy restaurant, you may not eat more than 4 to 5 times.
- 2 to 5 nights in a 3-star hotel in most cities in the country. Check out the prices of 3-star hotels in Thailand on Tripadvisor.com.
- Lots of Thai beers. Notably, foreign alcoholic drinks are heavily taxed in Thailand, so they are usually more expensive than Thai beers.
- Tens of tuk-tuk rides, depending on where you are going.
- One or two one-way flights from Phuket to Bangkok or vice versa.
- More than 100 one-way trips on the MRT or BTS (the rail system of Bangkok). Notably, a single trip is around 0.3 USD.
With $100, you can do everything highlighted above comfortably in Thailand.
If you are thinking about getting some high-quality items for yourself or souvenirs for your friends and family at home, you may need the whole $100 on getting 5 items made from genuine Thai silk, according to Money.com.
If you want to buy some other local items, your $100 can even go further to get lots of things in Thailand. Therefore, as we have shown above, $100 is a lot of money in Thailand and can go far depending on what you are spending the money on.
For how many days can you live on $100 in Thailand?
If you are on a vacation in Thailand, you may be wondering how far $100 can take you in this Southeast Asian nation. The truth is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this inquiry. The best answer will depend on your particular lifestyle as well as where you want to stay in Thailand.
Different sources have given estimates of how much you need to spend per day in Thailand as a tourist. If you are an average traveler that wants to live comfortably during your stay in the country, you should budget around $94 per day, according to Budgetyourtrip.com. This means $100 will only last you for one day. As noted by Nomadicmatt.com, you can cut the budget down to around $66 if you are willing to stay in a cheap hostel or guesthouse. Hence, $100 will last for almost two days.
However, if you are a backpacker, $100 will last you for about 3 to 4 days. As stated by Tripsavvy.com and Nomadicmatt.com, an average backpacker can survive on about $25 to $35 every day in Thailand.
Regardless of your lifestyle, you can also master some tips that can cut down your expenses and ensure that $100 can last longer in Thailand.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, $100 is a lot of money in Thailand as some individuals can survive on the amount for several days. However, if your lifestyle is expensive, the amount may seem small to you.
