Daily costs per person in THB (฿). Bangkok is one of the cheapest major cities in the world — eat like royalty on a backpacker budget.
Daily cost breakdown
Currency: THB (฿ Baht) (1 USD ≈ ฿35)
| Category | Budget | Mid-range | Splurge | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | ฿300–600 | ฿1,000–2,500 | ฿5,000+ | Hostels → boutique hotels → luxury riverside |
| Food | ฿200–400 | ฿500–1,000 | ฿2,000+ | Street food → restaurants → fine dining |
| Transport | ฿100–200 | ฿300–600 | ฿1,000+ | BTS/MRT & boat → Grab taxis → private driver |
| Activities | ฿100–500 | ฿500–1,500 | ฿3,000+ | Temples & markets → cooking class & spa → Muay Thai & fine dining |
| Drinks | ฿100–200 | ฿300–600 | ฿1,000+ | Street beer & Thai tea → happy hours → rooftop bars |
| Daily Total | ฿800–1,900 | ฿2,600–6,200 | ฿12,000+ | $23–54 → $74–177 → $343+ |
Money-saving tips
Street food is king
Full pad thai: ฿50. Som tam: ฿40. Rice with curry: ฿40–60. Mango sticky rice: ฿80. Thai iced tea: ฿25. You can eat three incredible meals a day for under ฿300 ($8.50 USD).
BTS & MRT for speed
Rabbit Card for BTS (฿200 incl. ฿100 credit). Single fares: ฿16–59. MRT uses tokens — ฿16–42 per trip. Both beat Bangkok traffic which can turn a 5km journey into 90 minutes.
Negotiate everything
Tuk-tuks, market stalls, and longtail boats all expect negotiation. Start at 50% of the asking price. Grab app shows fair taxi prices — use it as a benchmark before negotiating with drivers.
Temple entry adds up
Grand Palace: ฿500. Wat Pho: ฿300. Wat Arun: ฿100. Budget ฿1,000–1,500 for temples across your trip. Many smaller temples are free — Wat Saket (฿100) and Wat Benchamabophit (฿20) are cheaper alternatives.
Avoid tourist-trap restaurants
If a restaurant has photos on the menu and touts outside, prices are 3–5x local rates. Eat where Thais eat — follow the plastic chairs, the Thai-only menus, and the crowds. Quality correlates with queue length.
Use Grab, not tuk-tuks for distance
Grab rides across Bangkok cost ฿80–200. Tuk-tuks will quote ฿300+ for the same trip. Use tuk-tuks only for short hops or the experience. Grab also has GrabBike for solo riders (฿40–80).
