How much will Southeast Asia cost? How much money do I need for backpacking around Southeast Asia? Is Southeast Asia travel expensive? What will the daily budget be for each country in Southeast Asia? What is the cost of rooms? How much are buses? How much are local meals?
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These are all questions that we get asked often and ones that aren’t answered well anywhere else on the web. Of course, the answers are different for every country, so that’s why we made this quick & easy guide to budgeting a Southeast Asia backpacking trip.
Prices have been checked and updated for 2023. All figures are in US dollars.
How Much Will Southeast Asia Cost?
We spent more than a year backpacking around Southeast Asia, visiting the top tourist spots as well as more out-of-the-way destinations. We learned the price of traveling there firsthand, sometimes even by overpaying for things like accommodation and meals that we later learned how to find for cheaper.
We learned how to travel Southeast Asia on a budget by doing it ourselves, and now we want to share our experiences with you.
We found that, while traveling Southeast Asia on the budget end, you should be able to live on an average daily budget of about $50 – $60/day for two people (around $35 – $40/day for solo travelers).
This is including everything while on the road, apart from travel insurance and flights to and from your home country (we’ve broken the costs down based on each individual country below).
If you hardly take any flights and balance your lifestyle with reasonable amounts of drinking and entertainment, and mostly stick to tasty local food, this is an easy travel budget to achieve. *Note, drinking booze is one of the biggest budget busters when on the road. If you can avoid drinking, or at least only drinking a couple of days a week, you’ll save a lot of money.
Some people (including Lonely Planet) may tell you that it’s possible to survive off of less than our suggested budget during a Southeast Asia trip, but that truly is just surviving. Nobody wants to travel Southeast Asia to just “survive” so don’t try to travel on such a ridiculously low budget that you miss out on all the things that make this region so incredible.
There’s not just one Southeast Asia backpacking budget that will cover every country in the region, although they are pretty similar. For the purpose of easy reading, most countries here will be compared to Thailand. It’s usually the jumping-off point and often the most visited country in Southeast Asia. Some countries, however, cost a bit more, while some cost a bit less.
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Here’s a breakdown of the daily budget for every country in Southeast Asia (except for East Timor – which costs around $75 – $80 / day on the budget end). The following include visas, a few flights, meals, accommodation, beers, sights, tours, motorbike rental and whatever else a budget traveller may need.
Note: To make a relatively accurate budget calculation for your South East Asia trip, plan for $50 – $60 per day for a couple, which equals $1,500 – $1,800/month. Plan on $35 – $40 per day for one person traveling, which equals $1,050 – $1,200/month.
Thailand Budget
Thailand: ($50/day) This is a great budget for Thailand. With this budget, we were able to sleep in nice, fan-cooled beach huts, have a few beers at sunset, and enjoy a Western breakfast once in a while – although we preferred to mostly stick to delicious Thai food.
Every week or so you can go out and have a “bucket” party night. This will also get you into some temples, cover transportation in nice buses, boats and planes.
The following budget is specific to Thailand but can be loosely followed for all of Southeast Asia:
Big Beer at 7-11:
60 THB ($1.75)
Big Beer in a Restaurant:
75-100 THB ($2.20-2.90)
Bucket Cocktail:
250-400 THB ($7.30-11.60)
Regular Cocktail:
100 THB ($2.90)
Pad Thai On The Street:
30-50 THB ($0.90-1.50)
Pad Thai in a Restaurant:
50-120 THB ($1.50-3.60)
Budget Private Hostel/Hotel Room:
300-600 THB ($9-18)
Dorm Bed:
100+THB ($3+)
Hut On The Beach:
350+ THB ($10 +)
Massage On The Beach:
300-400 THB/hr ($9-12)
Cheap Internal Flight:
1200+ THB ($35+)
Flight/Boat/Bus Combo to Koh Samui From Bangkok:
1,666 THB ($50)
24hr Motorbike Rental:
100-200 THB ($3-6) (Depends on Place & Duration)
Where to Stay: Cheap Hostels in Thailand
Bangkok – from $9 / night
Koh Phangan – from $2 / night
Koh Phi Phi – from $5 / night
Phuket – from $2.50 / night
Koh Samui – from $3 / night
Chiang Mai – from $3 / night
Pai – from $3 / night
Don’t want hostels?
☞ Click here to compare prices for hotels and guesthouses in Thailand on Booking.com
READ MORE:
- Budget Backpacking Guide to Thailand
- Top 15 Places to Visit in Thailand
- Digital Nomad Guide to Living in Koh Samui
- 25 Awesome Things to Do in Thailand
- Top 10 Must-Try Foods in Thailand
- A Digital Nomad Guide to Living in Bangkok
- Silom Road Bangkok: Everything You Need to Know
- A Digital Nomad Guide to Living in Chiang Mai
- Koh Phangan: Experiencing The Full Moon Party
Cambodia Budget
Cambodia: ($45/day) Here you may get by on a little bit less than Thailand but much of the above budget will be exactly the same. Keep in mind that you will likely be using American dollars here as well as the local currency, Reil. The reason you may save $5 off of your daily budget is that the rooms in Cambodia can be a bit cheaper. During your stay around Phnom Penh, the Killing Fields, and Angkor Wat you may spend a bit more money, but trust us, the sites are worth it and it all evens out in the end.
Where to Stay: Cheap Hostels in Cambodia
Phnom Penh – from $2 / night
Siem Reap – from $3 / night
Sihanoukville – from $2.50 / night
Battambang – from $2 / night
Don’t want hostels?
☞ Click here to compare prices for hotels and guesthouses in Cambodia on Booking.com
READ MORE:
- A Mini-Guide to Travelling Cambodia
- A Guide to Cambodia’s Coastal Region
- A Guide to Planning a Trip to Angkor Wat
Laos Budget
Laos: ($55/day) Surprisingly, Laos is slightly more expensive than Thailand. Rooms will cost you a bit more and for some reason so does everything else. The Southern regions of Laos have a tendency to try to “outdo” their tourist crazy neighbor and their prices reflect this. But Laos is worth every penny, still giving you great value for money. It was one of our favorite places and one we’ll definitely return to on our next backpacking trip in Southeast Asia.
Where to Stay: Cheap Hostels in Laos
Vang Vieng – from $3.50 / night
Vientiane – from $5 / night
Luang Prabang – from $4 / night
Don’t want hostels?
☞ Click here to compare prices on hotels and guesthouses in Laos on Booking.com
READ MORE:
- A Mini Guide to Travelling Luang Prabang, Laos
- The Cost of Travel in Laos: Everything You Need to Know
- Highlights of Travelling in Laos: SE Asia’s Landlocked Gem
Vietnam Budget
Vietnam: ($45/day) This budget will get you into some pretty nice rooms in Vietnam. The value for money here is great. Nice a/c hotels with wi-fi can run you about $10/night depending on where you are, and which time of the year you travel. Delicious phu (local soup) on the street will be around $1 and the transportation is affordable.
The cost of renting motorbikes is also very cheap and we recommend it. We had much more fun getting around ourselves on a motorbike than squeezing into Vietnam’s crowded, hot, and often slow public buses. Also, if you’re into tours, you can get some great deals out of Ho Chi Minh City going down into the Mekong Delta.
Where to Stay: Cheap Hostels in Vietnam
Hanoi – from $4 / night
Ho Chi Minh City – from $5 / night
Nha Trang – from $4 / night
Hue – from $3.50 / night
Sapa – from $3 / night
Don’t want hostels?
☞ Click here to compare prices on hotels and guesthouses in Vietnam on Booking.com
READ MORE:
- A Mini Guide to Phu Quoc Island
- 7 Amazing Places to Travel in Vietnam
- A Mini Guide to Hoi An Vietnam
- 5 Off the Beaten Track Destinations in Vietnam
- Where to Go in Vietnam: 11 Cool Places You Don’t Want to Miss
- Top 11 Best Things to Do in Hanoi
Malaysia Budget
Malaysia: ($40/day) In Kuala Lumpur this budget would be difficult (probably add $15-20 more), but the rest of Malaysia is great value for money. You’ll find comfortable rooms for under $10, cheap flights for travelling across Asia (AirAsia Airline hub is in KL), amazing food for $1 or less and great buses at great prices!
Just keep your hands off of the alcohol if you want to keep to this daily amount. Beer in this Muslim country will rack up your budget quickly. Compare alcohol prices to North America ($4-5/beer) unless you’re on duty-free Langkawi Island where you can get that down to less than a dollar per can of beer.
Where to Stay: Cheap Hostels in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur (KL) – from $4.75 / night
Kota Kinabalu (Borneo) – from $4.75 / night
Penang – from $6 / night
Melaka – from $4 / night
Don’t want hostels?
☞ Click here to compare prices on hotels and guesthouses in Malaysia on Booking.com
Singapore Budget
Singapore: ($75/day) Wow! Get your wallet ready for Singapore and don’t come here during F-1 races or festivals if you want to keep this budget down. It’s possible to live off of $60/day in Singapore but this is a big, exciting city. There’s no point in coming here if you’re not going to sample the nightlife, see some sights and indulge in some amazing cuisine.
Keep in mind that private rooms will be around $50/night and taxis and transportation are comparable to Western prices. You can hit up China Town or Little India for some cheap(er) beers and food. These were frequent destinations for use during our action-packed time in bustling Singapore.
Where to Stay: Cheap Hostels in Singapore
Singapore – dorms from $12.50
☞ Click here to compare prices on hotels and guesthouses in Singapore on Booking.com
READ MORE:
- What to Do in Singapore: Top 21 Sights and Activities
- How to Spend 3 Days in Singapore
- A Blast from the Past: Our 3 Day Trip to Singapore
Indonesia Budget
Indonesia: ($35 – $45/day) This is a bare minimum but still includes money for Bintang beers, local transport, basic huts, and the odd snorkel or jungle trek. Depending on which island you travel to, Indonesia can be incredibly cheap and really sets the bar for the rest of Southeast Asia. Not only is it great value for money, but you still get to see and do all you would expect while keeping to a very low budget. If you plan to fly quite a bit between the islands, you’ll need to add more to your daily budget. Check out the airlines of Garuda, Lion Air and AirAsia.
Some of the best things we did while in Indonesia was to visit the Komodo Dragons, trek volcanoes, surf in Bali, hike into the jungle, enjoy world-class diving, and see orangutans. It’s all at your fingertips…with money leftover in your wallet! When backpacking through Southeast Asia, make sure Indonesia is on your itinerary. It truly is amazing.
Where to Stay: Cheap Hostels in Indonesia
Kuta – from $3 / night
Seminyak – from $4 / night
Ubud from $4 / night
Yogyakarta from $4.25 / night
Jakarta from $7 / night
Gili Trawangan from $7 / night
Don’t want hostels?
☞ Click here to see all hotels & guesthouses available in Indonesia on Booking.com
READ MORE:
- 10 Awesome Things to Experience on the Gili Islands
- Where to Stay in Bali: Guide to the Best Areas and Accommodation
- 10 Best Beaches in Bali: Surfing, Swimming and Sunbathing
- Bali Tours – A Guide to the Best Activities
- Scuba Diving in Alor: The Ultimate Diver’s Guide
- How to Travel Indonesia On a Budget
- Diving in Raja Ampat: The Richest Marine Biodiversity on Earth
- Diving in Komodo: Dragons, Dolphins & Mantas
- Canggu Bali: The Ultimate Digital Nomad Guide
- Digital Nomad Life in Bali: Our Time in Canggu
Myanmar Budget
Myanmar: ($50 – $60/day) This budget will be rising with each passing day. Myanmar is quickly becoming a popular tourist destination and while it still remains cheap today, be aware that swarms of package tourists are beginning to descend on this tranquil paradise and their presence is driving the prices up quickly.
However, it’s still a great budget destination. While we were traveling Myanmar, we hired a boat for the day and saw Inle Lake for less than $15/person. We found beautiful rooms for around $20/night and great food for around $3/dish. Of course it’s not the cheapest place in the world, but it is great value for money and worth every penny.
Where to Stay: Cheap Hostels in Myanmar
Yangon – from $5 / night
Bagan – from $12 / night
Mandalay – from $6.50 / night
Don’t want hostels?
☞ Click here to see all hotels & guesthouses available in Myanmar on Booking.com
READ MORE:
Philippines Budget
The Philippines: ($60/day) This includes a few domestic flights (pretty much mandatory), some San Miguel beers, cocktails at sunset and nice (but basic) double rooms on the beach. The Philippines is extremely cheap, but the transportation (mainly flights and ferries) will bring your budget up substantially.
The good news is that alcohol is cheaper than anywhere else in Southeast Asia. If you just stay on one beach and bum around, a couple can probably get by on $25/day. Amazing!
Where to Stay: Cheap Hostels in The Philippines
Manila – from $6 / night
El Nido – from $4 / night
Cebu – from $6.50 / night
Boracay – from $6 / night
Don’t want hostels?
☞ Click here for all available hotels and guesthouses in the Philippines on Booking.com
READ MORE:
- Top 10 Best Beaches in the Philippines
- Top 8 Best Places to Visit in Manila
- Best Palawan Resorts in The Philippines
- Budget Backpacking Guide to The Philippines
- Top 10 Things to Do in The Philippines
- A Solo Traveler’s Guide to Palawan
Brunei Budget
Brunei: ($60 – $65/day) Another budget buster. Brunei is one of the richest countries in the world, so it’s no surprise that it can be costly to travel here. Luckily, you’re likely only going to be stopping here for a night or two on your way through Malaysian Borneo. That’s what we did. It was fun to check out, but we decided that an extended stay here would just be too expensive during our extended Southeast Asia backpacking trip.
In fact, if you want to go from South to North Borneo without taking a flight, you’ll need to stay here. You may find a room for under $35 / night, but you’re going to want to see a couple of things in Brunei and those will cost you. But it’s worth it, so don’t stay in your room all day just to save money!
Where to Stay: Accommodation in Brunei
☞ Click here to see all available hotels & guesthouses in Brunei on Booking.com
Borneo Budget
Borneo: ($60/day) This is strictly referring to Malaysian Borneo, which is considerably more expensive than mainland Malaysia. This budget will get you a double room, local meals, transportation by bus and entrance to some of the less popular national parks. If you want to climb Mount Kinabalu, see Mulu Caves, the Pinnacles, dive Sipadan or anything else, you’ll definitely need to increase this budget.
Many travelers leave Borneo disappointed when they realize that they could only afford to do one excursion. Climbing Mt. Kinabalu alone will cost a couple around $500! Other sights are comparable in price.
Where to Stay: Cheap Hostels in Borneo
Kota Kinabalu – from $5.75 / night
Sandakan – from $7 / night
Kuching – from $4.75 / night
Don’t want hostels?
☞ Click here to see all hotels and guesthouses available in Borneo on Booking.com
READ MORE:
- Wildlife Through the Lens: The Kinatabatagan River in Borneo
- Borneo on a Budget: National Parks You Can Visit Independently
FAQs About the Cost of Traveling in Southeast Asia
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about how much a backpacking trip in Southeast Asia costs.
In general, you should count on spending a minimum of $1000 per week, plus airfare. This can be more expensive depending on the countries you visit, what type of accommodation you choose, and your activities. So, for three weeks, plan on spending between $4000 and $6000.
If you plan on visiting multiple countries, three weeks is a good minimum amount of time. If you only have a week, then you should choose only one country. With two weeks, you could visit two (maybe three countries), or spend more time in only one. This will save travel time and expenses between destinations.
Two months is a great amount of time to spend traveling in Southeast Asia! You have plenty of time to visit multiple countries and not feel rushed.
Parts of South America, such as Bolivia, Ecuador, and Paraguay, are somewhat cheaper than Southeast Asia, while other parts of South America, such as Brazil and Chile, are much more expensive.
Most countries in Southeast Asia are cheaper than Mexico. However, if you’re coming from another country in North America, such as the US or Canada, what you save on airfare may offset the difference in prices between the two destinations.
Now You Have a Southeast Asia Backpacking Budget!
I hope this guide helped with estimating travel costs in Southeast Asia. This region of the world truly is a prime destination for budget backpackers. To this day, after so many years of traveling to amazing destinations, the year we spent backpacking around Southeast Asia is still one of our most cherished memories.
To save even more money and stretch your budget further, try these tips:
- Travel during the shoulder and off-season.
- Book through Booking.com (they often have great deals & free cancellation).
- If you’re a solo traveller, it can be cheaper to share a room with someone else rather than each of you getting a dorm bed.
- Utilize Couchsurfing.
- Eat street food – don’t be afraid of it!
- Use a water purifier rather than purchasing bottles of water.
- Take local transportation rather than package deals.
- Enjoy free activities such as swimming and hiking.
- Don’t drink alcohol.
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Hi, I find this article very useful. If you tell me when did u post this and when did you go on this trip, it will give me the clear picture and i can calculate the currency rate also accordingly. It was a very rare and useful article.
We’re glad the article was useful for you!
We travelled in SE Asia in 2009 and again in 2011. The budgets and costs of each country vary depending on the time of year you travel as well.
If you have questions regarding a particular country, let us know 🙂
Cheers and happy travels.
Hi, me and two friends are planning a backpacking trip to SE Asia next summer (2014) for roughly 6 weeks. Would like to visit more than one country but obviously Thailand has a lot to offer so I realize a lot of time will be spent there. Would £30 GBP per person per day be enough to have an enjoyable time exploring/sightseeing but also relaxing/partying? (I hear the islands are where your budget gets eaten up). By partying I mean experiencing the nightlife in some places we visit and having a few drinks socially in others.
Hello,
I’ve really enjoyed your article on SE asia, my partner and I are planning our trip to go this September, were currently working out our budget and just wanted to ask if your recommended daily budget for a couple is in Canadian or us dollars.
thanks for your help 🙂
Hi, I loved reading your article! I’m currently reading up on places to see/go in SEA as I’m planning to travel there in early 2015.
I see the budget you suggested is for 2 people, if I were to go by myself would it be logical to half this then add on a little more? Also i’m a first time traveller so any handy little tips would be perfect!
Hey Charlie,
That sounds like a great trip! Thailand is a great country and you’re right, it has lots to offer. I think that 30 gbp is enough for one person travelling to SE Asia. You’ll have to take local transport, sleep in dorms or share double rooms, eat local food and drink every couple of days…but it is possible. As an example: we lived off of about $50/day in Koh Phangan for 2 people.
Moving around eats up a lot of your budget, as does over-partying 🙂
Enjoy!
Sounds great! Our budget per day was in Canadian Dollars…which was basically equal to the USD when we were travelling 🙂
Hey Christian,
SEA is a great place to travel, I’m sure you’ll have a good time there.
Yes, 1/2 the budget and add more. $35 – $40 USD for one person is a good budget. That’s taking local transport, eating street food with the occasional restaurant, having a beer or two every couple of days and sleeping in dorms, or shared double rooms/huts.
Check out 10 tips every backpacker should know:
https://www.goatsontheroad.com/10-tips-every-backpacker-should-know/
As well as our backpacking guides to different countries in Southeast Asia:
https://www.goatsontheroad.com/category/goat-guides/
Hi,been to south east asia many times,if you want cheap,go to sihanoukille Cambodia..nice place has good beaches,not as busy as thailand…more laid back…but cheap…50 cent beers,$8-12 for a hotel,food 2.00 a meal.. tuk-tuk $1.00….and all the sun fun for free….
Hey,
You’re right, Sihanoukville has cheap food, beers and accommodation. The beach is pretty nice as well. Not as white of sands as in Thailand or on Koh Rong (Cambodia), but still nice. The only problem with Sihanoukville is that there is a LOT of hassle to buy things or to give money from beach peddlers. We’ve travelled many places, but one of the worst for that was probably here.
I love diving in Malaysia .. it has one of the cheapest PADI Scuba diving course in the world … Ya’LL should
visit Tioman Island between January-September (off monsoon season)
How much does it cost for PADI in Malaysia? It’s quite cheap in places like Thailand and Honduras. Unfortunately, we skipped Tioman on our trip to Malaysia!! Next time for sure 🙂
Cheers.
Hey Guys,
I was just wondering if £1,500 – £2,000 spends would be sufficient enough to last 3 months in SEA?
Me and my girlfriend are planning on arriving in Phuket and travelling towards Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. Were then going to travel up Thailand into the main land and then go East through Loas and Vietnam; up to Halong Bay and then down the Vietnamese Coast and back through into Cambodia and carry on into Thailand again.
What time frame do you think we should spend in each country and are there any really outstanding sight we shouldn’t be missing?
Regards,
Jay
Hey Jay,
That sounds like a great trip! Although you technically could scrape by on 2,000 GBP (total for you and your girlfriend) for three months in the countries you listed, you would be missing out on some things with that budget. If you upped it to 2,400 GBP, you would have a more enjoyable time. Especially because you plan to visit more expensive places like Koh Samui and Phuket.
With the lower budget, you would have to stay in dorms, eat basic meals on the street, wouldn’t be able to rent motorbikes/scooters, or go on any tours. But we think it could be possible to get by.
For a more enjoyable time, it’s probably best to up the budget just a bit – better to have too much, than not enough. We typically budget $50USD/month for both of us in those countries.
Koh Phangan is such a fun island!! Make sure to eat at My Friend Restaurant, it’s authentic and delicious. Rent a scooter and explore the island.
In Laos, the southern Four Thousand Islands area is beautiful. Koh Rong island in Cambodia is stunning. The mountainous villages of Sapa and Dalat are nice in Vietnam. Basically everything you do will be awesome!
Have a great trip 🙂
Hi guys,
I’m off to SE Asia for hopefully 6 months in July with one of my mates. The countries we are definitely going to visit are Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, and if we have enough time/funds maybe another one or two! I have about £7,000 saved up after flights are taken out. Do you think this would be enough to last 6 months? And would it be enough to be able to do the odd excursion here and there?
Many Thanks!
Josh
Hey Josh!
I have great news for you…that’s TONS of money for Southeast Asia! You will be able to sleep comfortably, eat great food, have beers, go on excursions and you may even be able to squeeze in a flight or two between countries with Air Asia if you wanted 🙂
Our average budget for SEA was about $65/day (which is your budget) for two people!
I think you’ll find that 6 months to see those 4 countries is more than enough time. If you plan to stay for more than a month in any of them, you’ll have to extend your visa, or get a two month visa ahead of time.
If you’re interested, maybe you could check out the Philippines or Indonesia as well…or Malaysia 🙂
Make sure to have insurance sorted out before you go as well. We recommend and use World Nomads. It’s cheap, perfect for adventurous travel and you can make changes easily while on the road:
https://www.worldnomads.com/af.aspx?affiliate=goatsroad&subid=&utm_source=goatsroad&utm_medium=textlink&utm_campaign=easy_url
Happy Travels!
Thanks for the reply!
Thats fantastic news! Have not done a trip of this size before so as you can imagine feel a little nervous in terms of how much money will last! With that said, sleeping comfortably is not my style so some money will be saved there! Beer on the other hand is something I wont be missing out on haha.
Yeah a few people I have spoken to have said that 6 months is quite a long time for those four countries so will definitely have to visit one or two of the surrounding countries.
I am just about to sort out my travel insurance actually so will make sure to check them out!
Thanks
Josh
Hi
me and my friend have booked flights to SEA for August, we plan to have around £3000 each, we have no set time for coming back, were just going to see how much we can stretch our money. are there any excursions you recommend skipping/ tourist traps
Thanks
Stephen
Hey Josh,
Enjoy your time in Southeast Asia, you’ll have plenty of money and will be able to see many countries in 6 months. Our trip to SEA was fantastic and I’m sure yours will be too 🙂
We work with World Nomads Insurance (the link I gave you) and we recommend them for sure. If you book your insurance using the link I gave you, you still pay the same amount as you would going to the actual site yourself, but we get a small percentage if you use the link I sent.
It would really help us out and we would really appreciate your support 🙂 Thank you!
Happy travels.
Hey Stephen,
Where do you plan to go in SEA? Some countries cost more than others and you could spend longer on the road if you skipped Brunei, Borneo, Singapore, Myanmar and some places in the Philippines, Thailand and Laos. Your money will go further in Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia. The longer you stay somewhere, the longer your money will last. If you’re constantly moving around, you’ll spend lots on transportation.
Cheers!
Hey,
I am planning a 4 week trip to South East Asia (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and also Philippines). My budget is around $1200-1300 (excluding flights, but including Visa). Do you think this amount is enough to survive (well, not just survive) for 4 weeks in South East Asia. I would be spending a week in Thailand, a week in Philippines, 4 days each in Vietnam and Cambodia and 5 days in Laos.
Also, do you think 4 weeks do justice to South East Asia? I am a student and short on both budget and time but I really want to make this trip.
Also, I would welcome your recs/comments on my trip plan.
Hi Andy,
SE Asia is a great place to travel to! You’ll have such a great time. 4 weeks isn’t a lot of time to see all of the countries you’ve listed, but it is doable. We personally feel that the slower you travel, the more you’ll see. However, many people like to travel faster than we do and you would be able to see all of those places, but you’ll be rushed.
You will need to fly between countries due to your time constraints. Check out Air Asia or Indigo for cheap flights.
If you have $1300, that would give you $46/day for 4 weeks. We usually travel to SE Asia on $50-60/day for two people, so I think $46 would be a good budget. However, since you’re moving so fast and will have to take some flights, it may be cutting it a bit close.
I would suggest going to SEA with a loose plan and see how you feel. Maybe you’ll fall in love with Cambodia and want to spend more time there and skip Vietnam, etc. You don’t need to book anything in advance, you can book flights and buses when you get there, which leaves room for spontaneity!
Whatever you end up doing, I’m sure you’ll have a great time 🙂
Cheers and happy travels.
Thanks for your reply, mate.
Right, even I think I need to be more flexible and also I understand that 4 weeks isn’t a lot of time.
Do you suggest, alternatively, that I actually don’t travel all 5 countries here and stick to say, 3? I think I would definitely want to visit Thailand (though it would really depend on the political situation, which doesn’t look great at the moment) and Philippines. So maybe I could negotiate between Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. But I want to leave this as a last alternative.
Also, don’t you think booking the flights instantly would cost a lot and since I would have to provide my bookings for entering and leaving the country at the time of applying for visa wouldn’t it make sense to book flights already?
Hi guys,
Your blog is fantastic! My girlfriend and I are seriously considering travelling to SEA next year once she graduates and my temporary job contract runs out. We are first time backpackers and have only ever done package tours besides my girlfriends trip to Kenya with World Challenge. We were hoping for a little advice on budgeting and where is best to go (political climate/crime etc), or whether we are reading too much into the government website. We come from the UK, so have to do a few conversions for your budgeting. Any help and advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you and take care!
Joe and Sarah
Hi Andy,
You could definitely shorten the list of countries down to 3, but it’s entirely up to you! The Philippines is a big place and you’ll have to fly to and from there. If you stayed in The Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam circle, you could get around by land if you wanted, or fly if you felt you were running out of time.
If you have exact plans, then yes, book your flights ahead of time. If you’re still up in the air about where you’re wanting to go, then you can just book flights as you go. You can usually find cheap flights even if you book only a week or so ahead of time with Air Asia. I just suggested this because it would leave you some room for changing plans 🙂 Also, there are good overnight buses in SE Asia.
As for visas, if you’re flying into Thailand, you will get a visa on arrival at the airport, valid for 30 days. Depending on which airline you are leaving home from, you will need to show proof of flight out of Thailand…which can just be a printed out itinerary, you don’t actually have to book the flight (many people don’t realize this).
You can get a Cambodian visa at the border. You can get your Laos visa at the border. You can get your Philippine visa on arrival at the airport when you land. You can get your Vietnam visa in Cambodia or Thailand.
However, if you don’t want to deal with getting the Vietnam visa while you’re on the road, you could book them ahead with Visa HQ, here:
https://www.visahq.com/?a_aid=vaff4200
I hope this makes sense and helps. If you don’t go to Vietnam, you don’t need to get any visas ahead of time.
Cheers!
Hi Joe & Sarah,
Thank you for the kind words!
We’ve always felt that Asia is a very safe part of the world. There is more crime in Central/South America and Africa and obviously, in some cities in Europe, North America and anywhere in the world!
If you’re on a budget, then SE Asia and Central America would be the places to go. If money isn’t a concern, then you could backpack around Europe, Americas, Australia, etc.
But, for first time backpackers, I think SE Asia has great tourism infrastructure, friendly people, awesome sights and beaches, fantastic food and interesting culture.
I hope this helps somewhat! And yes, don’t look at the Government warnings too closely 😉
Happy trails.
Thanks very much! Duly noted!
We are thinking Cambodia for 4 weeks with a rough budget of £3400 for all including air travel from Scotland. Will this do the job?
Cheers
Joe
Hey
Thanks for the reply, were planning on doing Thailand(depending on the situation), Vietnam, Cambodia, and possibly Indonesia, and the Philippines but this could all change as we have no return flight, we want to see as much as possible, but at the same time, we don’t want to rush. I’ve heard the floating markets are meant to be a disappointment.
Thanks again 🙂
Stephen
Thanks bud,
Truly appreciated.
Cheers!
Hey Joe,
That should be more than enough 🙂 I’m not sure exactly what flights cost from Scotland to Cambodia, but you could even look at flying into somewhere like Bangkok, Thailand with a bigger hub. The flights to there may be cheaper, then you could just take a bus across to Cambodia.
If you figure on 30 pounds a day total, then that’ll only be 840 pounds for the both of you to travel in Cambodia for 4 weeks, leaving you with plenty of money to fly there, or increase your budget if you wish.
Cheers!
Sounds great! Those are all affordable countries, especially Cambodia, Vietnam and Indo. As for the floating market, we really liked it. It was really touristy though, but we had our own boat for just the two of us and it was definitely a cool sight to see. Check out the weekend market in Bangkok, that’s pretty awesome as far as markets go.
Have fun!
Great blog!!
Me and my sister and travelling south east asia in October for 2 months: 1 week in Indonesia, a few days each in singapore and Kuala Lumpur, 4 weeks thailand, 10 days laos, 2 weeks vietnam and a week in Cambodia…
We plan on having £2000 each not including our initial flights, domestic flights or visas. This amount will include accomodation, overland travel (singapore to KL, Koh samui to krabi, all island travel, chiang mai to vientiane, hanoi – hue – Ho Chi Minh and then HCM through Cambodia to bangkok).
Do you think this will be sufficient? We want to do a lot of the activities but I’m not sure that we will dive. We will probably drink most nights in bali and thailand but hardly any whilst travelling a lot across Laos and vietnam. We are happy to share very cheap accomodation and street food will be perfect. How much would you typically spend on alcohol on a night out in bangkok say?
Cheers,
Lucy
Hi Lucy!
Sounds like a great trip. 2,000 GBP is plenty for one person travelling in SE Asia for 2 months, especially because that amount is only for accommodation, activities, food and overland travel.
The cost of alcohol on a night out in Bangkok really depends on how much you plan on drinking 🙂 As an example, a big beer (600ml) is 96 pence. A cocktail is usually around 1.80 – 3 GBP.
I hope this helps! Have a great time 🙂
Hi Guys!
Me and my Girlfriend have organised a 3 month back packing trip across Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam; for which your lovely blog has been a fantastic reference point! We have booked our flights to/from Bangkok, paid for travel insurance, booked the first 3 nights in a hotel and have booked an in flight from Hanoi back to Bagkok. After this I, individually, will have approx £1,600 to spend whilst there. Firstly I would love some feedback on whether or not you feel this budget is suitable, I am worried about the cost of the long distance coaches and not being able to contribute as much as my partner. Also some tips on booking the coaches and accommodation whilst there would be very welcome! Is it really as easy as everybody tells me?
Thank you so much,
Oscar
Hey guys,
great write up there”)
Really don’t know why I’m asking this for because I’ve lived in Thailand of a few years now but interested in Cam/Vet and the cost.My wife and i are heading there in a month and was just wondering how much we would need?We are 28/29 and i have put away $6000AUD for 6 weeks,flights are already paid for,half accommodation as well.We are going to stay with my wife’s family for 1 week in Thailand so not a lot to do in Udon Thani-Thailand!Koh Tao and Koh Samui were we have friends that work at nice hotels so we got them for a bargain price.
So do you think $1000 a week would be enough for Cam/Vet
thanks Jordan
Hi guys! great blog.
I have a some questions :p
I have backpacked around Europe several times and i was wondering how different is it?, i’m planning to go with 4 friends for about a month during winter, i think cultural shock wont be a problem since we all come from 3rd world countries 🙂 .
Will 2000-2300 USD (excluding long flights) will suffice for 5 countries (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore)?
Do you recommend any webpages were we can book accommodation or domestic flights?
Do you recommend the Full Moon Party at Ko Phangan?
Do you recommend going to Phuket or are there any other similar places for a more reasonable price?
Thanks in advance, glad to see your country counter at 42! we’re currently at 34 hoping to reach 100.
hope you guys had a great time in my home country!
Regards.
Hello Oscar!
It sounds like you two have a great trip planned 🙂
As a couple, we spent about $50USD/day in the countries you’ve listed. The budget you’ve told me is $30USD/day for ONE person. Therefore, I think you’ll have enough cash, especially if your partner also has $30 to spend – $60/day for a couple would be a very good budget.
Buses are very easy to book in that part of the world. Many (most) of the guesthouses/hostels/hotels can either book the tickets for you (for a small fee), or they can point you in the direction of the bus terminal where you can buy your ticket yourself. Try to buy your bus ticket a couple of days in advance if you can.
As for booking rooms, check out Hostel World, Hostel Bookers or Booking.com. However, it’s very easy to find rooms in the countries you’ve listed. You could even show up and look around if you wanted, but if you’re like us, you’ll want to have your rooms booked ahead 🙂
Good luck and enjoy Southeast Asia!
Hey Jordan,
You’ll have more than enough money. Prices are similar to Thailand, but we found accommodation and transportation to be cheaper. As a couple, we usually budget for about $50USD/day. Your budget will give you $135USD/day for a couple, so I think you’ll be fine 🙂
Enjoy!
Hello Fernando!
Where are you from? The Philippines?
The budget you listed will give you about $75/day spending money. I’m not sure what sort of “long flights” you mean – from home (which is where?) to Thailand? I’m just wondering if you are needing to fly from somewhere further away because that will cost a lot more than if you’re coming from Asia.
$75/day will be plenty for accommodation, food, transportation and some entertainment. Singapore is much more expensive than the other countries you stated.
Have a look at Air Asia or Indigo for flights. If you’re coming from the Phils, check out Cebu Pacific.
As for booking rooms, have a look at HostelWorld, Hostel Bookers and Booking.com.
We had a great time at the Full Moon Party – it is quite a crazy drinking party, but we have to admit that we enjoyed it. Outside of the Full Moon Party, Koh Phangan is nice and quiet, love it there.
Never been to Phuket as it’s more of a resort type place. Have a look at Koh Tao, Railay or Koh Lanta for beautiful beaches, but cheaper prices.
Enjoy your trip 🙂
Hey guys,
Super helpful article! 😀
My boyfriend and I are planning to travel se asia for 6 weeks this winter, just wondered if you know whether we should expect any increase in cost of living over Christmas and new year? We plan to be in thailand at that time, probably around the islands… Do you recommend a slightly higher budget for this time of year? Do you know if it will still be quite easy to find accommodation as we go etc…?
Thanks!
Thanks a lot !
We are from Mexico, I think i didn’t explain myself well , we already bought the intercontinental flight at 1200 USD so i think it was ok 😀 we’ve got 2300 apart from that.
Regarding visas do you have to issue them before your trip as you would in China for example? or can you get them upon your arrival to any country?
Hi Beth,
Over Christmas and New Years, cost of accommodation can increase. If you’re staying in mid-top end places, they could increase quite a bit. At the budget end, they don’t increase all that much. If you’re on Koh Phagnan for the full moon party though, rooms do increase quite a bit. Food will be the same price and I don’t think bus costs increase (flights would though), however, they will be busier so you’ll want to book ahead.
I would recommend having something booked for Christmas and New Years, it’ll be busy.
Check out:
HostelWorld.com, HostelBookers.com, Booking.com or Hotels.com for rooms 🙂
Cheers!
Ohh, Mexico! I should have known 🙂 and yes, we did have a wonderful time in your country!
Because you hold a Mexican passport, it looks like you will need to get your visa for Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand ahead of time. For Singapore, it looks like you get a free 30 day visa on arrival.
As Canadians, we also have to get our Vietnam visa ahead of time, we got it while we were in Cambodia.
Definitely check with each consulate to figure this out!
have a look at VisaHQ also – https://www.visahq.ca/
Good luck!
Hi guys! Great post but I just wanted to pick your brains a bit on the prices of things and how much to budget.
I know there is a lot mentioned about various budgets but myself and my girlfriend will be visiting Cambodia/Vietnam for 25 days(ish) next April.
Our plan is to do the following….
Bangkok (3)
fly to Siem Reap (2)
fly to SIhanoukville (6)
bus to Phnom Penh (3)
bus to Ho Chi Minh (3)
fly to Nha Trang (6)
fly to Ho Chi Minh (1)
Home
Does the above itinerary look feasible? We have already booked our flights out there and will be prebooking and paying for all of the visa’s, internal flights, buses, hotels etc so the only money we need to account for when we get there is literally just spends for food, drink, local transport (tuk-tuks), tours/excursions/activities.
Would you say the same budget applies as I’m having difficulty sussing out how much we will need to spend. I’ve actually been to Thailand before for about 4 weeks but I can’t for the life of me remember how much I spent as it was the start of a backpacking trip!!!
We like to eat and drink in nice places from time to time but similarly we aren’t afraid of getting amongst it with the street food and such like, we party occasionally (obviously won’t be every night) but we do enjoy a good bit of nightlife.
Any help with figuring a budget would be greatly appreciated.
Hi,
Me and my girlfriend are planning a trip to SEA starting in November and we’re having trouble deciding whether to organise it ourselves or pay for a guided adventure. We want to see Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia then make our way down through Thailand to Malaysia and Indonesia. Is public transport cheap and reliable? I am aware there are companies such as ‘Stray’ that offer guided adventure tours and bus routes you can hop on and off. Have you ever had any experience with these kind of tours? We would like to travel SEA for 2 months then maybe onto New Zealand but that’s another story. What budget will we be looking at for 2 months in SEA? Thanks
Hi,
First of all your blog is awesome! I couldn’t stop reading it on my way home.
Me and my friend are planning to go to SE Asia in February 2015. As our work doesn’t allow us we are going there only for 2weeks (including overseas traveling)
Hey,
Sounds like a great trip you have planned. The budget we listed above includes accommodation as well as land transportation. So, if you figured on $5 each/meal (you can get meals for much less), that would be $30/day. Tuk-Tuk rides are about $2 or so and beers in Cambodia are $0.50 in some places and $1 in others. Excursions are also very inexpensive. About the same pricing in Vietnam. So, if you had $50/day (USD) you would have more than enough money I’d say.
Hope this helps 🙂
Enjoy!
Brilliant, thanks for the help guys. Just trying to get my head round everything! Do you think our itinerary looks feasible and is the best use of time? We wanted to do a bit of travelling around but not heaps hence the longer stays in Sihanoukville and Nha Trang so we could relax etc and take in the beaches etc. Or are there better places to visit for that kind of thing?
Hi Adam,
Sounds like a great trip you have planned! We always recommend people travel independently through Southeast Asia (and, well, everywhere!) Here’s why:
1. It’s much, much cheaper than joining a tour.
2. What if you don’t like the group you’re with? You’re stuck with them!
3. You won’t have the freedom to stay longer if you want to or move on sooner if you aren’t enjoying a place.
With joining a preplanned tour, you just get to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. So, if you’re interested in having your trip planned and not having to worry about having to get from point a to point b, then maybe joining a tour would be for you.
Local transport in all of the countries you’ve listed is reliable and easy to navigate. You could always splurge a bit more if you wanted to and take a private taxi rather than a bus in some cases.
For a budget, you’ll be looking at around $50USD /day for the both of you. Hostel rooms and bungalows are between $10 and $20 /night (dorm beds are less) – we once got a double room in Indonesia for $2! Meals range from $1 – $7 ($7 being a very nice meal) Transportation is cheap as well. You could bank on around $1 – $2/hour in transportation (so a 2 hour bus ride would be about $2-$4) Boat/Bus combination tickets in Thailand from Bangkok to the islands will set you back about $20USD.
Sooo, for two months at $50/day, expect to spend about $3,000. This doesn’t include flights to and from your home. If you bumped it up to $60, you would have lots of money to play with.
We recommend getting Travel Insurance. We use World Nomads, here’s why:
https://www.goatsontheroad.com/world-nomads-best-travel-insurance-backpackers/
That’s great! Have a good time 🙂
We always tell backpackers to get travel insurance. We use and recommend World Nomads, you can read about why we do here:
https://www.goatsontheroad.com/world-nomads-best-travel-insurance-backpackers/
Hi,
Myself and a friend are travelling to SE Asia for 3 months from October 15th till January the 15th. Our budget is £2500 (excluding main return flight from Gatwick to Bangkok) and we were just wondering whether this was enough to get about Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam comfortably living cheaply some days while still doing a few activities i.e. diving in Koh Tao.
Look forward to a response,
Many thanks
Hi Sam,
Is the 2500 GBP per person, or for the both of you? If it’s for two people, it’s doable, but will be a little bit tight. I’ve worked it out to be $22.55 USD/person/day if the 2500 pounds is being shared. If it’s 2500 pounds each, then that’s definitely enough money.
Cambodia and Vietnam are quite inexpensive, while Thailand costs a bit more. Dives in Koh Tao are around $30 each. You’ll have to sleep in dorm beds and eat street food with minimal drinking and take the cheapest transport you can find 🙂 It’s possible though! The days that you will dive you will be over your daily budget though (if you’re sharing the 2500 pounds)
I hope this helps. Have a great trip!
Thanks for the awesome tips. These will definitely come in handy!
Food in Singapore is affordable if you opt to eat in hawker centres; a cheaper alternative 🙂 That’s where you will get to eat authentic local food 🙂 Hope you managed to eat at least some of these dishes when you were here! blog.globehop.co/2014/09/20/singaporean-food-you-must-eat/
We did eat street food in Singapore! Loved the food in Little India and Chinatown as well 🙂
Hey ,
I leave for southeast asia in January going to thailand, laos, Vietnam, cambodia and malaysia for about 5months (144 days) and will have about $6100 australia dollars for money to live off, could be abit more and airfares, travel insurance, supplies and all before leaving costs have been payed for.
I’m going solo and I’m 100% fine with staying at the cheapest places and eat the street food, plus of course love to have a drink, but really want to take in the culture as well and just cuisine about checking as much as I can out but not at an overly fast pace.
So asking do you reckon I have plan enough money and also any places you recommend are a must to see.
Thanks look forward to hearing back from you.
Hey Brandon,
That sounds like a great trip 🙂 I’ve worked out your budget to be about $37 USD/day…and as a couple, we travel on about $50/day in the countries you listed. Dorm rooms are about $5-10/bed, food can be as little as $1, upwards to $5 for cheap, local meals. Beers are about $1.50 each and transport is roughly $1 – $1.50/hour.
We highly recommend renting a scooter/motorbike where you can and exploring on your own steam! Especially in Vietnam 🙂
Enjoy.
Thank you, sounds perfect then and awesome
and definitely was planning on renting a scooter as much as possible and explore on my own steams,
absolutely can not wait,
As long as my 19 year old mind can try and stop over thinking the trip then should be easy, it’s my first big overseas trip with many more planned for the future, (:
Awesome! Honestly, once you get there, any doubts or worries that you had will melt away. Southeast Asia is the perfect place to break your travelling virginity!
Enjoy 🙂
Hi there! Love the blog – it is so helpful!! My boyfriend and I are travelling to SE Asia for 10 and a half weeks, leaving on November 28th, and are hoping to cover Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. We have paid for all of our flights, vaccines and insurance and have a budget of around £2500 each. Do you think this will be enough to stay in reasonably nice accommodation, travel around and do activities as well? We would love to be able to stay in bungalows and will be happy to eat yummy authentic street food!
Thanks,
Flora
I am planning a backpacking trip to Southeast Asia for a year traveling in Thailand , Cambodia , Vietnam , Laos , Myanmar then hoping to get up into Nepal and Tibet all this is going to happen in 2018 I am planning to save about $15,000 CDN for this trip is this enough for this trip or should I save more …. this trip I have been wanting to go on for all my life , I am Buddhist so I want to experience Buddhism in other countries … look for ward to your response
Hey there. We are a Canadian couple who will be finishing up our working holiday visa here in Australia soon. We have already purchased tickets to Kuala Lumpur and flights home from Ho Chi Minh. We are planning on traveling up through Malaysia to Thailand, Thailand to Laos, Laos to Vietnam, Vietnam to Cambodia and back to Vietnam to fly home. We have 32 days and plan on a daily budget of $75 AUD for both of us. Do you think this is doable for time and $? We plan on a week in Malaysia and Thailand each, a couple of days each in Laos and Cambodia and the most time in Vietnam. Do you have any suggestions as far as which countries to spend more/less time in? Any “must not miss” activities or destinations in these countries? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Cheers and thanks for your time!
The Canadians
Hi Flora 🙂
It sounds like you are going on a great trip! I have worked it out that you have $57 USD each, per day….which is plenty! Nick and I would travel to those countries on $50 – $60/day for both of us, so you two should be fine 🙂
Enjoy your trip!
Hi Tim!
Wow, that sounds like an amazing trip 🙂
You have to travel to Tibet on a tour, as well as apply for expensive permits, so in my opinion, you may want some more money than you have suggested? You have $15,000 for a year, which equals $1,250/month. This is enough for one person in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal and Myanmar. I’m just not sure about Tibet on that budget.
Happy travels, I hope this helps 🙂
Hey guys!
Phew, that sounds like a lot of travelling for 32 days! Great countries to visit for sure, you’ll have a lot of fun 🙂 I’ve worked it out that you will have $66 USD /day total, which can be done. You’ll be staying in guest houses, taking local transport, eating local (delicious) street food and having an occasional beer or two on this budget.
I would suggest doing only 3 out of the 5 countries, because if you take travel time into consideration, you really won’t have all that much time to see the countries that you’re in. You may want to think about flying as well to save some time (check out AirAsia.com). We love all of the countries that you’ve mentioned and I’m sure you’ll have an awesome time!
Must see: Ankor Wat in Cambodia, Koh Rong in Cambodia, Everything in Thailand, KL and Batu Caves in Malaysia (Malaysia is a great country with lots of delicious food too!), Luang Prabang in Laos and the 4000 Islands.
Happy and safe travels guys 🙂
Hi there,
Your post has helped me a lot with cost and budgeting ideas. This may sound quite vague but I have not started planning my trip at all yet properly, me and a friend are planning on travelling South East Asia and Australia in december 2015 for about 2 and a half months, probably 6weeks weeks in se asia – thinking thailand, Cambodia, laos, maybe Indonesia – from your suggestions though may stick to less places as we don’t have lots and lots of time there, wish we could do longer but don’t have enough time to save haha. Then probably in and a month in Australia, i’m not sure if you can help me with the Australia budget but do you think £2250 would be enough spending for this trip? – not ncluding flights to and from England (was thinking of getting round the world flight which is about £1000 to fly from london – bangkok – sydney plus a few other places in between and back but haven’t looked into it properly yet! Thanks
Philippines is my next target destination. I appreciate your information coz at least I can manage to ease my travel budget.
Hi great info , I’ve scanned other comments and can’t seem to find anything so this maybe a new one for you. I’m looking to travel SE Asia with my 3 kids 14,12 and 8 year old. Next year for 4-6 weeks.
I’d like some advice on how much realistically will I need as spending money ? Hopefully sharing a room and sharing meals would bring down cost also as with children the drinking and nightlife part of travelling will not be included in this.
Also advice on where to go and where not to go as with children , best forms of transport getting around. I’ve seen tour companies that do like a 30 day tour however the prices seem extremely steep and well out of my budget. Do you think we will be ok away from a tour group and travelling alone ?
Kind regards
Natasha
Great! Enjoy the Phils 🙂
Also to add, I know July and August is monsoon season. Would you advise against travel this time of year? Regards Natasha
Hi,
I’ve found your site very helpful in getting a general idea for places so thank you for that!
To clarify, the budgets you’ve given are per day, am I correct in thinking they include accommodation for 1 night?
Katriona
Hello Natasha,
That’s great that you are taking your kids on a trip! How exciting.
If you can find rooms that have 2 double beds, or three beds, then you’ll save lots of money. Also, in many places, they have dorm beds, but sometimes you can find 4 beds to a room – so essentially, you’ll have a private room for the four of you.
I would not recommend going on a 30 day tour – it will cost you much more than doing it independently.
You can easily find buses and even cheap flights around the region and food will average out at about $5usd/person for dinner. You can spend much less than that on food though.
The weather in the world is changing so much that we tend to not follow the “high seasons” anymore. Typically in the rainy season, it will pour rain for a few hours, and then clear up.
Enjoy your trip!
Yes, the budgets are per couple, per day and they include accommodation. This is at a budget level.
Cheers!
Absolutely fantastically helpful post! Me and the boyfriend are travelling south east Asia for the first time this January and have a pretty good idea about budget but this has really helped me out. Guns be following you guys for constant advice on sea
Jade
Please check out our new blog, we are new to this and would like some feedback. http://www.poppinover.com
Hi Jade,
Congrats on the new blog! Enjoy your trip to Southeast Asia, we love it there.
You must get sick of reading these same questions mate but I’m heading off in Feb to Istanbul for 4 days then off to Nepal and India before making my way SE Asia.
I’m just planning on going for as long as the money lasts me, should have roughly £5300 by then. Would this budget be enough to do a few activities such as the Annapurna trek and kayaking in nepal and one or two jungle treks in Indonesia or any other country?
Hi goats,
I know you’ve been responded to these for a while, my friend finishes uni in may, and I start a new job in February 2016 (far away start date I know but I won’t complain) we basically want to travel to entire SE Asia and many more places that you have said and head off in June. Realistically would 5k GBP each for food etc and internal flights be enough for let’s say 6+months?
Thanks for your help and merry belated Christmas
Hi goats, absolite love your blog, me and my partner are heading off to china, thailand, Japan and india for a month each in February in that order with possible detours else where. Our budget is around £850 each in china, 650 each in thailand, 500 each in India and 1250 each in japan. How well do you think this will last? We like to do a lot of sightseeing and attractions and we want to venture around a lot.
Oops posted to early, thank you for the help and happy new year wish you both the best!
Hi,
Your article was really insightful thank you! Me and my boyfriend are planning a 2 month trip beginning mid july 2015, we will have around £4000 for everything except our international flights (gatwick-bali & Bangkok-Manchester). we plan to visit Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, do you think our budget is feasible and we will have enough time to get a feel of the area? We will want to visit some of the main sites and go out occasionally however plan to eat very cheap and stay in average accomodation! Thanks for your help!!
Hi Laura,
I think you have a great budget for this trip! By my calculations, you will have the equivalent of $3025 USD/month, which is roughly $100 USD/day…which is lots of money for this area!
You’ll be able to live comfortably, eat where you want, enjoy some nightlife, go on occasional tours and have nice transportation as well.
Enjoy.
Thanks For the post, great read.
My partner and I are heading over to SEA later this year with $5,200 AUD spending between us. Weve got return flights to bangkok and are planning on going through Laos, Vietnam and a bit of Cambodia over a period of 30 days.
I was hoping you might be able to tell me what you think of that budget? Also, were hoping to stay in hotels or at the least a private room with private bathroom. Do you think that is achievable on this budget??
Thanks in advance for the advice.
Pat
My husband and I are thinking about travelling south east Asia for about 6 months. What travel route do you recommend and how long should we stay in each country? Also, he is a 6’2 black man, and I am of Indian descent. Would we face any discrimination while travelling? Thanks!
Hello. Thanks for an a-mazing guide! it helped me a lot when planning my trip! I just wanted to inform you (so you can let your readers know) that you can in fact climb Mt. Kinabalu for less than $100, and in just one day, if you are in fairly good shape. I don’t have a personal travel diary. Thanks again for an amazing budget guide!
Hello there!
Myself and my partner will be heading to Chiang Mai, Thailand in April this year. We are looking to travel SE Asia for 6+ months, visiting Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Singapore. We don’t drink alcohol and live very modestly. We will be taking around £3.5k each with us. Do you think this will be sufficient?
Many thanks!
How much would you recommend for a year travelling in SEA for a couple?
Would £8000 be enough? Also what opportunities are there to earn money whilst you’re out there?
Hi,
Very informative your blog. I just have a questions about tours. My wife and I are planning a trip to South Asia this year. I was checking a few companies where they can arrange all the activities for us in those countries but it seems too expensive to me. Without flight tickets it runs around $4k per couple for 2 weeks. Would you recommend using those companies or would you organized everything by yourself?
Thanks
Thanks for the information! Happy Travels
When is the best time to travel to SEA in terms of comfortable temperature, avoiding rainy season, and overcrowded tourist.
Hi, I would like to ask you what month of the year would be the best time to travel to SEA in terms of comfortable temperature, avoiding overcrowded tourist and rainy season?
Thank you
I would definitely recommend organizing everything yourself in-country. That is very expensive! You could book some excursions if you want to online, but I wouldn’t do a whole tour/package especially not for that price.
As an example – we as a couple travel in the region for about $60/day (sometimes $50), which is $1,800 for a whole month.
Happy travels.
Hi, Your blog is fantastic and very informative. I am planning a 2 month trip to SE Asia for May and June. I am planning to cover Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. I would be travelling alone so first of all I would like to understand how safe these countries are. I for a fact know that these countries are pre dominantly tourist centric and chances of being unsafe are very low. Moreover, I would like to know how should i go about booking hostels, beach huts and other accomadations. My budget is around 3000 USD. I hope that would suffice. Moreover, could you guide me on how to manage finances? Should i be carrying cash or travellers cheques or an international debit card, or a combination of all or either? It would be very helpful if you could shed some light on this. Moreover, this would be my first trip of this kind so understandably I am a bit nervous and anxious..
Hi Luis,
5,300 GBP is quite a bit of money, it’ll go a long way in SE Asia and Nepal 🙂
Hi Alex,
I’ve worked that out to be $7,360 USD, which is about $1,225 / month for 6 months….which is $40/day.
As a couple, we travel on $50 – $60 / day in SE Asia. So you should be fine.
Happy travels.
Hi Darren,
I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. How’s the budget working out so far!?
Hi Pat,
Sorry for the delay.
I’ve worked out that $5,200 AUD is $3,965 USD. Based on that amount, that will allow you to have about $135 / day. This is a huge budget for this part of the world. We spend $50 – $60/ day as a couple when in SE Asia. We only stay in private rooms with private bathrooms as well. We eat a lot of street food, and have the occasional beer. Your budget will allow you to have a very good time.
Cheers!
Hi Adam,
3,500 GBP is equivalent to $5,150 USD, which would give you about $860 USD / month for 6 months. This is about $29 / day. It’s a low budget, but it would be doable. I personally don’t think it’ll be very easy to live off of that in Singapore though. As a couple we spend $50 – $60 a day in SE Asia. However, we drink a bit. If you stay in dorm rooms, this should cut costs. Also, you could look into Couchsurfing in Singapore to save money 🙂
Happy Travels.
Hi Daniel,
As a couple, we spend about $50 / day in SE Asia (US Dollars). Some days, it’s more like $60. Based on $50 / day, that would be $18,000 for a year, which is 12,235 GBP.
There are many job opportunities abroad – become an English teacher, travel blogger, freelance writer, bartender, waiter, dog walker, dive instructor, yoga teacher, etc.
Check out some ideas here: https://www.goatsontheroad.com/sustaining-travel/
Happy travels 🙂
Hi Brandon,
Each part of SE Asia is different. When it’s wet and raining in one area, it’s dry in another! High season is Christmas, New Year, Chinese New Year, Easter and the summer months in Indonesia as well can be busy with Aussies coming over.
In general, shoulder seasons are the best – September, October and November, March, April. Summer months can be rainy, but really, the weather is so unpredictable these days that it just doesn’t matter. Also, when it rains, it usually pours for a few hours then clears up, or it rains at night.
Happy travels.
Hello Arjun,
Thank you for your comment. It sounds like you have a great trip planned! $3,000 for a two month trip is a great budget. As a couple, we spend about $1,500/month in SE Asia, so you should have lots of money 🙂
Yes, the countries you have chosen to travel to are very safe for tourists – standard cautions apply though, the same with any country in the world. As you are a male, (correct?) you will be fine.
You can book your accommodation online. Check out Agoda, HostelWorld, HostelBookers or Booking.com for options. Also, check out the independent reviews of the hotel/hostel you’re wanting to book on TripAdvisor.com. Also, I would suggest getting a guidebook, like the Lonely Planet, which has accommodation options. Check out Agoda here:
https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=4275&id=203421
For more on getting started, check out this section of our site:
https://www.goatsontheroad.com/getting-started/
For specific guidance on which currency/cards to bring, see this article we wrote:
https://www.creditwalk.ca/choosing-best-combination-currency-travels/
Hello. I am going on holiday to Cambodia for 2 weeks, but am seriously considering staying for longer and travel around Vietnam and India after that. Would £2000 for the whole trip (not including flights) be enough do you think? I’m going at the end of June and planning on staying until mid-September. Thanks.
By my calculations, you will have the equivelent of $2,982 USD. As a couple, we travel on around $50 USD/day in SE Asian countries and $40 in India.
So, if you will be there for 2.5 months (about 75 days), that would give you $39.76 / day – which is enough.
Hi there!
Exciting news for me, my friend and I have started planning a trip to Thailand this winter dec 2015 from Canada. We want to go for 30 days. Flights are looking to be about 1000$ round trip. Do you think 2000$ Canadian dollars each would be a good budget for all other expenses? Thanks in advance! Looking forward to New Years eve in Thailand!
Hi i really enjoyed your artical but if you dont mind im looking for more information if you can help me it would be much apricated ,me and my girlfriend are going travelling at the end off the year we should have around £10k to £15k saved and want to travel thiland vietnam india australia and new zeland for a total off 6month to a year will our budget be ok for 2 people sharing please get back to me with as much info as possible ,it would be much apricated my email addresse is matthewclegg21@icloud.com
Hi, just wondering what makes it cheaper to travel as a couple? would you stay in something other than a hostel traveling as a couple?
Hi there, I loved reading your blog and has gave me some great ideas!!! Myself and my boyfriend are travelling round South East Asia for 3 months, our plan is to visit;
Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Bali, we have booked our return flights, 5 nights in Bangkok when we land and 5 nights in a hotel for full moon party as I know that gets busy, we will just “wing” the rest 🙂 we have also booked an few internal flights – Bangkok – Chang Mai, Vie-Hanoi, Siem-Phuket, Samui-Kuala Lumpar, Singapore – Bali, then Bali – Bangkok to fly home planning on getting buses/trains etc inbetween all the rest.
For the rest of our accommodation, food, drinks, excursions, visa’s etc we were planning on taking £4000 each. After reading this I now think it would maybe be too much? What realistically would you recommend baring in mind as a couple I wouldn’t mind the odd dorm but would prefer private room.
Thanks 🙂 XX
Hi! First of all, this post is extremely helpful. Secondly, me and my sister are planning to travel to Thailand (1 month at least), Myanmar (2 weeks), Singapore (5 days), Kuala Lumpur (4 days), Camboja (5 days) and maybe Australia, but that’s another story. And since we are going january 2016, I think prices might change? The more I research the more confuse I get about the daily budget. I already remove the flights, random expensive activities (balloon in Myanmar) and visas out of the budget. So right now what I’m trying to figure out is: how much me and my sister could spend daily? Staying in hostels, private room, going out at night but not drinking too much (we barely drink) and eating good local food? Do you think in 2016 we can make this trip on a $60 daily budget in SA? I would appreciate your opinion on that!
Hi Hannah,
There are a few reasons why travelling as a couple can be cheaper (depending on where you are).
in SE Asia, oftentimes the cost of a double private room is cheaper than the cost of two dorm beds.
Sometimes you can share a meal.
Two people can ride on a scooter, sharing the cost.
🙂
Hi Holly!
Wow, sounds like a great trip – with lots of flights!
As a couple, we would suggest $1,500 – $2,000 / month, so for 3 months = $4,500 – $6,000
8,000 GBP = $12,235
Oh ya, I think you’ll have enough cash 😉
Hi Debs,
Sounds like a great trip!
Yes, I think that $60 USD/day will be a good budget for you and your sister. We spend between $50 and $65 when travelling in SE Asia. Keep in mind that Singapore will cost you more, around $80 – 100/day.
Enjoy your trip.
Hi.
Myself and my boyfriend are heading to SEA mid July to travel Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. We have no set plans other than flying into Bangkok but plan to move on to Australia around Sept/Oct on a 1 year work holiday Visa. We will have about €3600/€4000 to travel SEA for about 2/3 months. From your article I think this should be enough? Also, I was just wondering how is the best way to manage our money..? Between debit cards, credit cards, bank accounts, carrying cash, different currencies, Ive no idea whats the best way to manage it…
Hi we are looking to travel southeast Asia for 10 weeks with our 2 year old son. do you thik these daily budgets would still be ok. we have already done 1 month in Thailand before baby was 2 and he was fine with rice and noodles as we have always fed him foods from around the world. Any tips on budgets and places to go that may also be good for a 2 year old or places not to go would be great. Thank you x
Hi Sharon,
That sounds like a great plan you have 🙂
Yes, you will have enough for 2 – 3 months in the countries you listed. Regarding finances, we’ve written an article about it here:
https://www.creditwalk.ca/choosing-best-combination-currency-travels/
I hope this helps.
Have a great time.
Cheers
Hi Marina,
Travelling with a 2 year old is definitely possible. I think your budget depends on what kind of travellers you are. The budgets above are for those staying in guesthouses, huts, hostels, and eating lots of street food and eating at local restaurants. If you don’t travel like this, then up the budget a bit for sure.
Regarding where to go and what to see, I’m not sure which countries you plan to visit? 🙂
Happy travels!
Most of Asia still dislikes blacks. China and maybe Filipinos are probably your best bet. Korea and Japan is very hostile to blacks. In all of Asia blacks are still viewed as being at the bottom of society.
Indians should be fine everywhere (except for Muslims and especially Pakistanis) but watch out for colorism. I think you,re more likely to get knocked for dating someone black and it will be different for USA, but if you come from UK/Europe this shouldn’t be anything new to you. The race order isn’t that different from the west.
Hi me and my girlfriend are planning a trip to SEA at the end of 2016 we are hoping to have saved at least £10,000 between us and plan on being away between 8 and 12 months do you think our budget would stretch this long we intend on travelling to Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and India with possibility of visiting other countries on the way we want be be away for as long as possible before returning home, any input would be greatly appreciated thanks guys!!
Did you just bring a bunch of cash? or do most places accept cards? is it safe to travel with cash
Hi there goats, love your work!!
Myself and my partner are planning to travel Asia for
Love your blog 🙂
My boyfriend and I are planning to travel Asia for 5 months hoping to go to Bali, Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and where ever else we can fit in. We plan to have about $20000 dollars between us. Does your budget include doing tours, adventure stuff, etc? We would also like to volunteer for some of our time, do you have any recommendations?
Hi,
Great blog, an awesome read! I’m looking for a bit of budget advice.
My partner and I are looking at going to SEA in Feb 2016. We’ll be flying into Bangkok and making our way to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Bali/Indonesia before making our way back to Bangkok for the flight home. Most of our time will be spent in Vietnam and indonesia, and we want to stay as long as possible. We just need a little help on how long that might be.
We’re not big drinkers, but are quite adventurous so will probably be on a lot of excursions and some dives.
Excluding flights to and from Bangkok and to and from Indonesia, visas and insurance, we have a budget of £4000 – £5000 between us. Realistically, how long do you think this could last us?
Thanks!
Chris
Hey,
Me and my girlfriend are planning to travel the following countries, India. China. Japan. Philippines. Vietnam. Cambodia. Thailand (Koh Samui only). Indonesia. Malaysia. Singapore. We currently live in Abu Dhabi so that’s why we wanted to go India and then onto china. We want to keep cost at the very minimum but as it’s our first time we were wondering if you had any guidance on duration for each place and cost wise what would be a good budget as we have named a few countries with some being cheap and some being expensive. What are your thoughts?
Thanks
Hi there! Great article on budgets for South East Asia! Its a great region to travel in.
I don’t feel that you’ll receive any discrimination, but you will probably be looked at a lot for being “different” 🙂 I haven’t personally met any black people travelling around SE Asia, but that doesn’t mean anything…
Go for it!
We use our debit cards from our bank to withdraw local money from ATM machines abroad. We also have about $300 worth of American money, plus, a VISA card.
Hi Ross!
10,000 GBP = $15,400 USD.
We spend $50/day for a couple in the countries you listed. So, based on that, you should be able to travel for about 10.5 months.
Cheers!
Hi Lily,
Yes, our budget includes everything. Not tours every day, but you can do some for sure – bargain hard! Nick’s diving costs however were on top of this budget.
I don’t know where you could volunteer, but you could have a look online and I do know that the Mad Monkey Hostel in Siem Reap and P.P in Cambodia do great work for the community.
Cheers!
Hi Chris,
Sounds like a great trip.
You can basically bank on $50/day for a couple budget travelling in SE Asia. 5,000 pounds = $7,700, which means you could stay for roughly 5 months.
Sounds like a great trip! Japan and Singapore will be the most expensive. I have heard that Japan can be $250 for a couple/day. Singapore is about $100 / day for a couple. China is about $65 / day and the rest at $50 / day. I hope this helps somewhat!
Thank you! We loved SE Asia 🙂
Hey, 4 of us are planning on travelling SE Asia in November. We want to visit Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. I will have around £4,500 spending money. Wondering if this would stretch for 5 months travelling? Including excursions? Please let me know!
Kind regards,
Jacob
Hey! Me and my boyfriend are planning on leaving to Southeast Asia in about 4 months (January 15th) and we are planning on starting in Vietnam for a month, Cambodia for around 14 days, Laos for about 14 days, Thailand (North and south) for a month, Malaysia for about 14 days, Indonesia for a month, and Philippines for the rest of our time (depending on how much left we have from our budget). If you got lost that is a total of around 5 months, we are not huge drinkers and we do plan on seeing all the places we can while budgeting: staying in cheap hostels, eating street food, and not taking too many tours. We are from Canada, which makes the currency conversion a little hard for us since the dollar is so bad right now to the U.S. We will have around 13,000+ Saved for our trip not including flights there and back (1,200 each) will that be enough?
Hi Jacob,
For a solo traveller in SE Asia, we always say around $35 USD / day is sufficient – this will allow you a dorm room, local food, local transportation, drinks and a couple of excursions. 4,500 GBP = 6,950 USD / 5 months / 30 days = $46 / day, so you should be good 🙂
Hi Heidi!
Yes, it’s rough right now with the dollar being so low for sure…
So, we usually say that for a couple, you can expect to spend $50 USD / day – with staying in hostels/guest houses, eating local/street food, local transport, some drinks and the occasional excursion.
If you have 13,000 CAD, that is $9,812 USD / 5 months / 30 days = $65 / day…which means that you will have enough cash 🙂 …provided you meant that you have an extra amount for flights to and from Canada?
Happy travels!
Your money will go much quicker in Australia and New Zealand as tourist activities and general living aren’t cheap here
You must not have been to Japan. They loved me there. I was on gameshows, in the newspaper, I’m only 5’9″ and strangers would ask to take photos with me like I was a celebrity and because I was tall. It’s not that they don’t like black people, I was just the first black they had ever seen. Me seeing Beyoncé is like seeing a black person to them.
We have yet to visit, but that’s what I’ve heard.
I’m planning to make a trip — Philippines to Vietnam via Jakarta, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. What would you recommend for a timetable (i.e., how many days). I’m planning to take the long way via ferry, rain and bus in order to see a little more.
You guys are truly amazing. I started reading your blog a couple years back and I think I have read everything on here. My girlfriend and I graduated high school in June and now we have a flight to Bangkok booked for November 4th. We have our itinerary all planned out starting in Thailand before going through Laos into Vietnam, South through Vietnam before returning to Bangkok via Cambodia. We are then traveling south through Thailand and Indonesia before flying back to Canada from Bali. Our whole trip will take about 6 months and we wouldn’t be doing it without this blog. We are going to start a small travel blog for our friends and family to see what we are are up to and I hope you can check it out in a few months. You two are great travel idols and I cannot thank you enough for everything!
https://backpackerbliss.weebly.com/
Hi,
Your blog on costs has been insightful. Me and my GF are planning to visit SE asia from Feb-May for approximately 14 weeks. We plan to visit Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Borneo & the Phillipines. We have £10k between us excluding flights to SE Asia.
Would you be able to provide us some advice on what we would be able to afford with our budget? We are happy to eat and stay in what has been described above, but would love to do plenty of excursions/ activities.
Thanks for your help & advice!
Rik
This is really helpful for planning my trip to SE Asia, so thanks for all the great tips! Cheers, Amy
Good little read,
Looking to plan a trip early 2016 around parts of SE Asia (Thailand Laos Cambodia and Vietnam). Im considering getting flights to Bangkok spend a night or two there then head up towards Chang mai and start my journey properly from there. As I would be in the north of Thailand closer to Laos do you think it would be a more sensible idea and abit of a money saver to then travel through the other countries and come back into Thailand to do the south/ islands? Or would you take an alternative route? I’ve heard the islands are a lot more expensive so I thought ending my trip there with what money I have left would be a more sensible option.
Looking to travel for 3 months ending back in Bangkok for my return journey. I have around £3-4000 is there anything major anyone would recommend not missing out on that is not known by everyone?
Thanks
I just want to say that this is AWESOME! I have lived to Thailand and Laos a few times and totally agree with your calculations. I managed to live off less than 5000 USD in Thailand and Laos for about almost 5 months.
Great read!
What do you recommend for someone who is travelling on their own and the best way to meet others, is there any certain hubs, big hostels, group excursions etc in Bangkok?
Looking to start in Bangkok and moving on to the south island plus Vietnam and Cambodia over a 2 month period
Any recommendations? Any “must go to places?” Any suggestions would be great!
Cheers Ben
Thank you so much for the kind words guys! Good luck to you both on your travel / blogging journey 🙂
Thanks Mary!! I’m glad to hear that the budget is still relevant 🙂
To cut down on costs I daytripped to Singapore from Johor Bahru just across the border in Malaysia (crossing the border to and from was easy).
That’s a good idea too 🙂 That’s easy to do. We actually wanted to see the F-1 street racing that was happening in Singapore, so we wanted to stay – but it was pricey!
Very helpful! My wife and I travelled this year around Asia, including SEA (although we didn’t move from the peninsula). We found it hard sometimes to meet the 35$/day per person.
Thank you for the post. This is helpful. Just wondering about how you find places to stay for so cheap. Do you book ahead online or just land and find a place? My boyfriend and I will be travelling for about 4 months this upcoming February and have budgeted about $2000CAD a month (excluding flights and travel insurance). My issue right now is finding accommodations that would leave us with enough to do other things after. I’ve been looking on agoda, airbnb, hostelworld, etc.
Thanks again!
Annie
Hi, Im currently saving to go on a trip to Asia. I will be in Seoul Korea for a little while (but will be with family most of the time) and then will be off to visit as much of Asia as I can. I currently have $3000CAD saved for myself but will be joined by a friend for most of the trip. How long do you think I will be able to afford to go for ? (I’m hoping going with my friend will help with a little bit of cost sharing). Are Japan, China, and India similar in cost or much more? Also how long do you think is needed in each country and what are your absolute must go too/see/do?
Those are the sites to look at – booking.com, hostel bookers, hostel world, hostels club. However, you can also contact the hotels / guesthouses directly and the rates may be cheaper. Often when you arrive at a destination, there will be locals who own guest houses who wil meet you at the bus / boat with a pamphlet about their guesthouse with pictures. Sometimes those are really nice actually, other times, they aren’t! But they are normally quite affordable.
Also, in SE Asia, often the huts and guesthouses aren’t listed online. check out other blogs, or guidebooks for them 🙂
Hey,
This was so helpful, thank you. I will be leaving soon for my adventure around Southeast Asia. I have about $3000 CAD once I get there. If I am careful with my money how long do you think I can stay? I think i will be spending a large amount of my time in India and I will be with a friend for most of it (hopefully this will help with some costs, like sharing rooms and such). Since I don’t have to much money, therefor to much time what countries would you choose to go to?
Thank you so much.
Sorry I didn’t mean to post twice. I just thought it didn’t work the first time.
Like everyone else, I love your blog!
I am curious, if my husband and I have $10 million, can we backpack through SE Asia for a week?
Kidding! (if you can’t tell)
We are backpacking for four months with less that that amount though. I was curious if you had any recommendations on jobs we could get while backpacking. I did consider writing/blogging, but I haven’t written in so long that I am not as confident in my ability and ambition.
I saw that you both teach in China. I am sure that is more long term though. Is there any temporary or short term?
You dont have to look it up, I just ask in case you knew.
Thank you!!
India is the cheapest country in the region. Hopefully you can spend most of your time there. We spent about $35 / day as a couple in India. The Canadian dollar isn’t very strong right now, but it’s doing OK against the currencies in SE ASia. You could probably stay for 3 months on $3,000. It’s hard to say though, it depends on your style 🙂
Happy travels!
Hey,
This blog is definitely the best I have come across yet!!!
My partner and I are looking at traveling SE Asia from Australia in June this year for about 8-10 weeks.
We are looking at going to Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (roughly)
We would like to stay mostly in guest houses or private rooms but besides that we are happy to do what ever.
We are not on an overly strict budget as initially were thinking 10K AUD (each), after reading this I think we may have over budgeted (by quite a lot).
How much do you think we will need to go to the above places and live comfortably and travel around, see everything etc
Just want to have a rough amount in mind, so we can make ourselves a saving goal.
Thanks so much!!!
Sounds like a great trip 🙂
In this region, you can get by on $30 / day / person. $50 / day would be a lot of money.
Enjoy!
Hey Guys
You both are getting me pumped for an exciting long needed trip to SEA.
I am planning on having approx $20,000 AUD saved for the trip and will be gone for 12 months
I am looking at going to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, India and probably Indonesia for the surf
I will be staying in Dorms and cheap guesthouses and also eating local street food majority of the time.
How much $$$ do you think I’ll need to comfortably and travel around and see everything
Thanks
Hi there!
I love this blog so much and am going to South East Asia Myself in February! I know i’m just worrying but wanted your advice, I have $4300 saved up to travel for 3 months in thailand, vietnam and cambodia, staying in hostels and eating street food with the occasional excursion. Do you think this is enough? I am with a friend who has the same saved so thats $8600 between us?
Hello 🙂 Thanks so much for this its very useful
Myself and my partner are going to SEA for 8 weeks travelling to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and then back to the islands of Thailand
We hope to have about €5000 so after reading this our budget is fine 🙂
Have you went to SEA lately? I was just wondering has the cost of living increased in recent years? Also, how did you find the beach hunt, did you have accommodation precooked or did you book on the day?
Thanks so much for your help 🙂
Thanks so much for your help
Sounds like a great trip 🙂 That is plenty of money, don’t worry!
Do you still need visas if you will be only staying in each country for about a week? I’d love to visit some of the southeast Asian countries but would only have 4 weeks to do so. Was planing on taking a week or less in each country? What would my best bet be traveling from one country to the other? Plane, train, boat? Trying to figure out a budget and come up with a solid plan for next year! Thank you!
Hi Jake,
You need a visa for Vietnam, regardless of the length of time that you plan to stay. But also, whether or not you need a visa depends on where you are from. You should check online.
You can travel by plane and bus in the region, depending on where you are planning to go. You can find cheap flights with AirAsia.com , and booking a bus is easy as well through your hotel / tour agency or just at the bus station.
Hello,
My boyfriend and I are planning on travelling through Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia for 7 weeks starting in May 2016. If each of us have saved approximately $4300 CAD, do you think that is an appropriate budget? This budget is without including gear/insurance/international flights from canada, but would need to include possible flights from chiang mai to southern thailand, hanoi to luang prabang, and from luang prabang to chiang mai . Our concern is how low the Canadian dollar is compared to american right now, and whether or not we might be a little tight.
Thanks!
Hey Nick!
I am reading your article with interest while thinking to put this RTW travel in practice after I decided I had enough of not doing it 🙂
I’ve just started to draw the first ideas with a friend (we will leave in two) and we were thinking of 6 months starting from either SFO or LAX to go to South America then Africa then India and SE Asia (again, we LOVE it!) to skip Australia and NZ (too expensive) and come back via Fiji and Hawaii or similar.
I know you cannot truly answer this question but, how much do you think we should budget including the RTW ticket?
I’d leave tomorrow (and I’d quit tomorrow) but both me and my friend we agree to save at least 5K extra working till August then quit and leave with at least 20k each in September when it warms out down south.
What do you think?
Thanks a lot for your help! Take care
Ivan
GOATS! This guide is awesome! Thanks for all the great advice. I’ve been saving for the last two years and I’m about to embark on an across the globe backpack journey, living on 20 dollars a day. You guys have inspired me!
great post I no longer read The Sun news paper at work
Hi, I would like to know to know if this Budget as per the Blog are applicable in the month of June?
Hi! I’m planning to visit Thailand, Vietnam and the Phillipines. 2 months total by myself. Any recommendations for a women who’s going to travel alone?
Hello
Thanks for this article. My boyfriend and I are looking to travel from Bangkok to Bali for five months, what would you recommend would be a realistic amount of money to take for this trip?
Thanks very much
Rosie
Hi Nick, Thanks for your post. I understand it is 2016 now and most of the prices you mentioned for touring those countries could have gone up. Since you seem like a veteran in that area/part of the world… how is safety for tourists. I know taking common sense precautions everywhere you go is more than necessary. But are there certain safety precautions I should take while traveling those parts of the world? I have heard of parts of Vietnam where cell phones or personal belongings could be snatched by locals and they speed away on motorcycles or bikes. Does any of this sound familiar?
It’s applicable year-round.
This is a great place area of the world to travel to as a woman. You’ll meet many other travel partners as well, people are friendly and warm, and overall, it’s a safe region. Same rules apply – be careful at night / watch your drinking, try to take transport with friends if possible, and most importantly – follow your gut / intuition!
Hi Rosie, we always say that $50 USD / couple / day is a good budget for SE Asia.
Hi Frank,
We’ve been told that actually our budgets are on par with the price of things nowadays. The prices haven’t really changed 🙂 The normal safety precautions apply – as you said, bag snatching. Stay in private rooms if you can, or make sure to lock your belongings in your locker if in a dorm. As a male traveller, there’s not as much to worry about compared to if you were a female. Just keep an eye on your belongings, watch out for scams and don’t get yourself into any illegal situations (drugs, etc.).
Enjoy!
Hello! Your blog is amazing! I feel like the oddball posting here, but my husband and I are planning to visit SE Asia for only two weeks in November and we won’t be backpacking. I don’t even know where to begin with planning!!
What are the must-see locations and budget we should plan for? I am most interested in Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Indonesia and the Philippines, though I am open to suggestions. I assume for this short period of time 3-4 locations would be best so we don’t overwhelm ourselves. We love to explore, immerse ourselves in the culture and nature, and of course, I love a nice beach. Any thoughts would be appreciated!!!
Some great stuff here and a wealth of information in one place.
I usually send this article to people who ask me about costs in SE Asia.
Saves tons of time answering all the different questions.
Thanks again 🙂
Hi, Great article!
My Husband and I are planning to go backpacking in SEA in 2017 (1 ½ to 2 months). I read in several blogs that is practical to have cash (US$) during the trip. However we are from NL and euros are more convenient for us to take, will euros be as welcomed as the US$?
We plan to take some cash and the rest mainly withdraw as we go from the cash machine and pay in local currency. I guess this won’t be a problem in major cities, however which areas/cities do you think we should definitely take cash before arriving? Is it easy (and save) to get money from the cash machine? or do we need to go with our euros to a Money Exchange locations?
Do you advice to take at least one credit card? which is the prefer credit card in the region? We know from experience in South America’s countries prefer VISA.
thank you for your response.
Hello! that was a great article, very inspiring.
I was wondering if these prices still works for 2016? We are going in Nepal for a month, then india for a month. After that, we are going to thailand, laos, vietnam, cambodge, malaysia et indonesia for 7 months. Will we be ok with 2000usd per month for 2 people. We don’t party and don’t drink alcohol. We’d like to do lots of activities!!!
Hi, great read thanks!!
I would also like to ask if these budgets are current to 2016?
My boyfriend and I are off to SEA and Indonesia in October for 6 months!! We have £10,000 after flights, kit and insurance. What do you guys reckon?
Also how many of you got the required vaccinations?
Apart from a camera what would you all recommend being the most essential piece of kit to take as a backpacker?
Thanks in advance
Robyn
Hi Robyn,
Yes, budgets are current.
We didn’t get all of the vaccinations, but did get Typhoid, Hep, and rabies.
Having a sturdy, and comfortable backpack is the most essential thing to bring. You can buy most everything else on the road if you need it : )
yes!
Hey – this is a fantastic article! it has helped me enormously to plan my travels around SE Asia.
I was just wondering about the costs… I’m looking to travel the WHOLE of SE Asia (11 countries in total) from April 2017 till early September with a budget of £4,000-£5,000 (for food, activities, visas and internal flights) which excludes accommodation and international flights. Do you think this will be enough for my travels??
Thank you!
Hi Amrita,
so you’ll have about 1,000 GBP / month, correct? I’d bank on 30 pounds / day (so that’s 900 pounds) total. Even with a couple of internal flights. You should be good, just watch your budget 🙂
Hi, myself and my boyfriend are travelling around Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia) this summer. We have been quoted £888 for a hop on hop off bus route with Bamba Buses which includes the bus journeys and some included experiences too. We’re not sure if this seems too expensive and if we would be easier paying for buses when we are there? The bus ticket is for Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
Thanks!
How about now in 2017 still the same ? xD
Hoping to plan a 2 month trip to Asia in August (my first time)
Yes, it’s pretty much the same! The prices tend to change mostly based on what the dollar / pound / euro is doing agains the Baht 🙂
Dear Goats on the road. My friend and I are planning to visit Viet Nam – Cambodia – Thailand. We are wondering if we should stick with this order, or maybe switch around for a better price on plane tickets? Thank you!
Fantastic
Hi
Any new updated version for 2017?
Love the article btw.
Cheers
Thank you so much for this article. This is a perfect stop to get planning for the trip! Very nicely laid out. Thanks again!
I realize this article is a few years old now. Can anyone tell me if prices have changed much since? Planning a trip in the next year to Thailand & Cambodia for 3-4 weeks 🙂
Hi Meaghan The prices are still current. Happy travels!
Hi!
My boyfriend and I are going to Asia this upcoming May-August. We are starting in Hong Kong and would like to travel to about 8 countries after (a majority of which are listed above). With the flights from country to country, do you think $4,000 is enough to have saved? That budget does not include flights from the United States to Asia and Asia back to the United States. We understand how much country costs per day, we are just worried about the flights from country to country.
Thank you so much for writing this post, it has helped us so much with our planning. Happy traveling!
Hi Lindsey
Thanks for the comment. It really depends on which countries you plan on visiting in Asia, but make sure to check out these budget airlines for good deals: Airasia, Cebu and Indigo. Happy travels!
Me and my partner are planning a 14 month trip around SE Asia with two short trips to Japan and Australia (3-4 weeks total). We are aiming to save up £19000 (not including flights and insurance). Would this amount be comfortable enough?
Also we love your website and blogs. It has really helped us plan our trip. Thank you.
Me and 3 other friends are trying to head to SEA this Summer for about 3 weeks. Which countries do you recommend we have to go to? We were thinking of going to Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and Cambodia — with Malaysia as a definite.
Hi. What a nice blog – very inspiring. We are a family of four: me, husband and two kids at 12 and 9. We are planning on travelling to South east asia from late December (between Christmas and new years eve) until april the 10th. We don’t want to make to many plans, but we are thinking about going to Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and perhaps Sri Lanka. It’s difficult to figure out if it is doubble up travelling with two kids and how much money we Will end up spending. Do you think $20.000 sounds reasonable – this doesnt include insurances.
Looking forward to hearing from you…
The link to hostels in Vientiane goes to booking.com where the #10 hostel on the list is Vientiane Backpackers Hostel. Please warn people to stay away from this hostel! I was there in October 2018 as a solo female traveler. The main staff member cornered me in the bathroom and sexually assaulted me. I posted warnings on Tripadvisor and Google but my reviews have since been buried. Last week, another traveler found my review and tracked me down. He shared that two weeks ago, he witnessed a staff member at the same hostel sexually assaulting a woman. He intervened and was attacked, needing stitches on his head. This traveler sent me a photo of their attacker and it was the same man who assaulted me in 2015. The hostel owner was alerted but did not fire the man. This is not a safe hostel!
Nick and Dariece, please alert your followers and warn women and men to stay away from this place.
South Asia would probably cost lesser than the other continent south Asia has a wide range to explore and enjoy every part of it, countries like Thailand Singapore are so much mesmerizing and beautiful that one would love to stay there forever thanks for writing such n amazing article the article was very informative and accurate.
Hey, My wife and i planning a 5 week tour around Asia, we wanted to visit thailand, Cambodia, laos and Vietnam. Is 5 weeks will be enough to discover these places! Our badget is 9000 USD is it okey ! Excluding international flights ! Thanks in advance.
You can travel very comfortably on $75/day for 2 people.
very good
Hi,
This article is great. Very refreshing to have an honest and realistic view on travelling SE Asia.
Weird question, but you could please tell me know whether this article has been amended since its publication in pre-2013 (judging by the date of the comment above)? If it has not been amended, do these budget estimates still apply in 2019-2020? I am from the UK so I am just trying to figure out the correct costs in $s before I convert it to £s.
Thank you!
Sorry, I didn’t read it through before I posted it, explaining why the first question makes no sense.
*could you please tell me whether this article has been amended…
Lovely detailed info! Can’t wait to travel again when this pandemic is over!
Thank you! Hopefully you can hit the road soon
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