One of Thailand’s biggest draws is how inexpensive everything is. Whether it’s amazing street food, luxurious accommodations, or extravagant excursions all of it can be purchased for far less than what you’re probably used to. However, even with how inexpensive everything might be, you might be on an even tighter budget (I know I was).

Luckily, Thailand is definitely the place to visit when trying to pinch some pennies! After spending 30 days in this beautiful country I learned how to make the dollar go even further than a usual vacationer might think possible!

In this blog post we’ll discuss everything you need to know to save money on your travels from when you first book your flight to your very last day in Thailand!

Saving on Flights to Thailand

Arguably the most expensive part of your travel… it at least was for me. I made the mistake of looking directly at the airlines website which caused me to pay MORE than what I even ended up spending in Thailand (which is CRAZY)!

Fortunately I’ve now learned about sites like skyscanner.com, kiwi.com, and hopper.com.

These are all sites where you can get the cheapest flight, ESPECIALLY if you are flexible with your dates of travel. These sites will scan airlines and travel agencies to find the cheapest flight for you. They will also see if they can find a cheap flight by switching airlines, airports, etc. What’s also nice is that these sites will show you everything you need to know about the flights they’ve found. Which allows you to choose whether timing, money, or ease of travel is what you want to prefer.

Booking a flight in advance will definitely help you save some money as well (even on these websites). However it is not always that easy to know how long you’ll be staying in a country, so I’d say this is your best shot at finding the cheapest ticket you can if you’re in a pinch!

Food Frugality

So now that we’ve gotten the most expensive part of your travel out of the way, let’s dive into everyone’s favorite part of traveling THE FOOD!

Thailand is well known for its cheap street food. But it’s easy to see cheap food and decide to just “get cheaper than back home.” This is totally a fine way to go if you’re not on a tight budget… but we’re trying to stretch out our money as far as possible so we can’t necessarily do that.

In Thailand you’ll see food ranging from 40 Baht all the way to 350 Baht (pretty wide range, I know). In USD that’s basically $1 to $10. Usually Thai food is on the cheaper side, but if you’re missing western food you’ll be spending just under what you would be spending back home.

For me personally I never got tired of Thai cuisine! There was always something new to try and I eventually found my favorites that I would eat more often. But the most important thing to remember is that you don’t need to spend more than $1-$3 per meal if you don’t want to.

Now this all depends on what part of the country you are in (the North is far cheaper than the South). However, no matter where you are at you can almost ALWAYS find a meal around 40-60 Baht.

Just because the meal is cheaper doesn’t mean it’s necessarily less food or worse quality. In fact some of the best food I had in Thailand was from a random street vendor for 45 Baht!

OH! And don’t forget about 7-Eleven. Whether it’s a snack or a meal, you can find some really cheap (decent) food there! And they’re almost on every corner!

Food frugality can be tough at times… Sometimes you’ll have to sit in a restaurant with the people you are with and not get anything so you can get a cheaper meal later. But when you’re on a budget, this is definitely a skill you should practice as the price of a meal can add up quick (ESPECIALLY when you’re wandering around a HOT country with a heavy backpack).

Let’s Talk Accommodation

Thailand has every style of accommodation you can think of. From lavish resorts to the one star hostel. But when you’re on a budget, what should you be looking for?

For starters, no one wants to stay in that one star hostel… not even the most frugal person wants to deal with unwashed sheets, dirty showers, and heaven forbid — bed bugs. But hostels are definitely the route to go!

Sites like hostelworld.com and booking.com are perfect for finding the best and cheapest accommodation. I was partial to Hostel World when I was traveling, but I know plenty of people that used booking.com as well!

Both of these sites allow for you to filter your location, sort by pricing, and most importantly read reviews! There was a number of times where I thought I found the perfect price and hostel only to find out that the past few months it had been infested with bed bugs!! Reading reviews is KEY when picking a cheap place to stay.

Another great way to find cheaper accommodations is to split a room with someone! I know this post is generally geared towards SOLO travelers… but while you’re out traveling you’re bound to make friends! And speaking from personal experience you can make some VERY close friends quick.

In Thailand there are countless bungalows and other accommodations that are relatively cheap already but still more expensive than a bed in a hostel. But when you can split the price with one or two other people the price becomes WAY cheaper than a hostel and comes with the added bonus of more privacy!!

On top of all of this, I personally didn’t book a hostel bed for more than a day or two. A lot of the time it was because I wanted the flexibility to leave if I so desired… but also because the prices change day to day and hostel to hostel! Sometimes the same price I was paying ended up being the same price for a more private room or even cheaper at another hostel that was just down the road!

The key things you need to remember are to read reviews and check different websites to find the cheapest option!

Cheap Travel within Thailand

Alright, so far you’re an expert in saving money with food and where to stay… but the last step to becoming a Thailand money saving wiz is to travel cheaply across the country!

There are many modes of transportation in Thailand. You have your conventional busses, trains, and planes that we are all used to seeing. But then you have Tuk Tuks, boat taxis, ferries, and even motorcycles! I’ll break down what to look for and your best bet to saving money when traveling from place to place in Thailand!

Local Travel:

When traveling around in cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai it’s easy to see a Tuk Tuk on the side of the road and assume that will be the cheapest option. I generally avoided Tuk Tuks just to lower the risk of being scammed. However, sometimes these ARE the cheapest ride and if it’s not, the price can usually be negotiated! On top of that, the price can also be negotiated so you can split it amongst a group of people and not a set price per person!

Outside of Tuk Tuks, Thailand has its own version of Uber & Lyft. Grab and Bolt are two options I used while traveling Thailand and they worked the best for me! On the app you can find cheap taxi rides or motorbike rides throughout the city! Motorbike rides are generally very cheap (only a couple of dollars) but please use caution as these drivers love to go fast!!

A general rule of thumb, if the price isn’t what you want to pay you can usually find something cheaper. Also walking is never a bad option when going a few miles!

Cross Country Travel:

Now you’re over the cities and wanting to escape to the country side, like the town of Pai (my favorite place in Thailand actually). There are a few ways to do so!

You could ask your hostel to book you transportation (which usually comes in a form of a taxi or a van). You could book your own taxi/Grab/Bolt. Orrr you could take the bus/train!

Bus and train tickets across Thailand are generally very very cheap! However, at the cost of cheapness comes a longer travel time. So if you’re not in a rush this would be up your alley! I took many busses across Thailand that were wonderful! I also went on a multi-bus, 30+ hour straight travel which was just not fun at all! So for me personally, I won’t be doing that long of a trip again to save money.

There are other forms of travel throughout the country like ferry rides and plane rides too!

Generally plane rides inside of Thailand are on the cheaper side! They do end up being more expensive than train or bus rides but are very affordable and saves time! Ferry rides are also very very inexpensive and can be anywhere from $5+ depending on when you book!

One of the main sites used to book travel across Thailand (and SE Asia as a whole) is 12Go Asia. This website is VERY convenient and usually fairly cheap. But I learned you can save some money by going to a local travel agency or buying tickets directly from the ticket counter (of whatever mode of transportation you’re taking)!

I hope this all helps you with saving money in Thailand! If you have any specific questions feel free to ask them in the comments below! I’d love to help out in any way that I can to make your trip a success!

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