Thailand is well-famed as one of the best places to visit in the world when it comes to enjoying a cheap vacation. In fact, many individuals from developed countries visit the Land of Smiles because they consider it a cheap place to visit. But is it true that Thailand is a cheap place to visit?
Thailand is an affordable place to go. This is especially true if you are coming from a developed country such as the USA, the UK, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Australia, etc. This is because the cost of living in Thailand is relatively lower than the cost of living in the aforementioned countries.
However, if you compare the cost of living in Thailand to the costs of living in Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and a few other Southeast Asian nations, Thailand is not cheap. You will spend more in Thailand than in her neighboring countries. Hence, people coming from these countries may see Thailand as an expensive place to visit.
How cheap are things in Thailand compared to other countries?
It is worthwhile to know that the Thai Baht is the official currency spent in Thailand. Currently, $1 is worth around 30 Baht. Due to the low currency value and low standard of living in the country, it often seems as if things are cheap in Thailand.
As stated by Blardiblah.com, most things are quite cheaper in Thailand than in developed countries around the globe. Let’s compare the cost of things in Thailand to the cost of things in the USA, which is a country with lots of international visitors in Thailand. If you have about 30 to 40 Thai Baht, you can enjoy a local meal from one of the street food vendors in the country.
To eat a three-course meal in Thailand, you should have a budget of about 650 Thai Baht whereas the same meal will cost you an equivalent of around 1,600 Thai Baht in the US.
Similarly, accommodation, transportation, clothes, and other everyday items are somewhat cheap in Thailand, especially when compared to their prices in developed countries.
However, imported luxury items are usually expensive in Thailand because of the costly taxes placed on them. So, if you want to buy cigarettes, foreign beers, vehicles, branded clothes, gasoline, and other imported goods in Thailand, you will likely pay more for them than in other countries. However, this will hardly be a problem for people visiting Thailand.
How much does it cost to visit Thailand?
To understand if Thailand is truly cheap, we have to look at the cost of things in this Southeast Asian country. As noted by Nomadicmatt.com, your lifestyle is the major factor that will determine how cheap visiting Thailand will be for you. For a backpacker with a limited budget, about $25 to $35 should be enough to spend daily. With this budget, you can stay in a room, eat local food, visit a few places, use local transportation, etc.
If you are a typical vacationer that wants to manage the budget but still enjoy some basic amenities in Thailand, you will spend at least $50 per day. This budget should be enough for staying in a nice, air-conditioned room, eating some good meals, enjoying some tours, etc.
But if you can afford to spend more than $100 per day, then you can enjoy a luxury holiday in the Land of Smiles. You can stay in a high-end resort, eat Western delicacies in a fancy restaurant, take some drinks, visit lots of tourist centers, and lots more. With some additional money, you can even go shopping in Thailand.
Cheap ways to visit Thailand
If you would like to cut down on how much you spend on your visit to Thailand, you can do a few things. According to Volunteerforever.com and Creativetravelguide.com, the following tips can help you:
- Look for cheap flights
One of the ways to cut down the cost of visiting Thailand is to get cheap flights. You can go to CheapAir.com to check out cheap flight tickets. If you also want to travel from one place to another in the city by air, you shouldn’t hesitate to look for cheap flights.
- Visit Thailand during the off-season
From March to October, many international visitors don’t go to Thailand because of the harshness of weather. Consequently, the costs of air tickets, accommodations, attractions, and so on are usually lower during the period. So, to visit Thailand cheaply, this is the best time to go. But you may need to face a few weather inconveniences.
- Avoid tourist traps
Thailand has tons of tourist traps that can make you lose lots of money. These traps are often used by criminals to get money unlawfully from tourists. So, you need to learn about these tourist traps and avoid them throughout your stay in Thailand.
- Haggle for everything
Perhaps you are not used to negotiating things. Well, you have to change that in Thailand because you have to haggle almost everything. From tuk-tuk fares to costs of street meals, etc., you have to negotiate the price of various things. This is the only way to ensure that you don’t pay more than required for any product or service in Thailand.
- Visit free attractions
Many temples, farms, Buddha statues, forests, monasteries, beaches, etc. are open to everyone for free. So, if you want to visit Thailand cheaply, you should visit these attractions.
- Travel with a package deal
A package deal helps you to plan your itinerary without costing you an arm and a leg. Therefore, if you are thinking about visiting Thailand without breaking the bank, you should consider traveling with a package deal.
Conclusion
With the points above, you can now understand that Thailand is somewhat cheap, especially if you are a more expensive and developed country. Even if you are looking for ways to make it cheaper, the above tips can assist y
