lao budget

$1 US Dollar = 8,127 Lao Kip (roughly 8000 with conversion fees and convenience!)

We spent about $35-$50 a day in Laos, and we ate well and did plenty of activities every day. We also shopped a little too much at the markets, so you can definitely skim some money off that total if you were trying to be frugal. Transportation costs were the biggest issue for us, so make sure to add those in your budgets.

Accommodation: $6-$15 w/ fan 

• Luang Prabang: $12 w/fan one block from market
• Nong Khiaw: $6 w/ fan away from river, $12-$20 w/fan on river (we paid $14)

Transportation: 

• Tuk-tuks: 10,000-15,000 kip for short distances of 5km or less
• Scooters: 80,000-100,000 kip for 24 hour rentals, about 60,000 if you only want it for one day.
  • Gas: 8,000 kip for whole day of exploring
• Buses: 
  • Luang Prabang-Nong Khiaw: 60,000 each 
  • Nong Khiaw-Chiang Mai: 450,000 for both (~$60USD)

Food:

• Breakfast in most cafes: 15,000-20,000 kip
• Street/Market Food: 12,000-20,000 kip
  • There’s all you can eat buffets in the market every night for 12,000-15,000 kip.
• Local Restaurants: 10,000-20,000 kip
• Tourist Restaurants: 25,000-50,000 kip
  • Tourist restaurants on the main road in Luang Prabang will be much more expensive than if you go to restaurants on either rivers.

 

Drinking/Going Out:

• Big BeerLao: 8,000-12,000 kip  
• Drinks (Lao Whiskey): 15,000-30,000 kip
  • Wine is expensive everywhere
  • If you’re in Nong Khiaw, go to the Karaoke place at the end of the road and get wonderful  Lao Whiskey drinks for super cheap!

Activities:

• Entrance Fees: 15,000 kip in general
• One Hour Boat Tour in Luang Prabang: 100,000 kip (can bargain for a little lower but it’s not a bad price for a private boat ride!)
• Shopping: Bring as much as you want because you won’t leave empty handed! The market in Luang Prabang is fabulous.

thailand budget

$1USD=34 Baht

Hey Y’all! Here’s our budget from Thailand. After we got robbed, we did keep costs down to about $15 a day including our hotel, but before this we were spending about $25-40 a day.

Accommodation:

• Bangkok: $18 with air con and breakfast included
  • Bangkok was the most expensive, but we also had free breakfast every morning and air-con…which to us usually isn’t worth the added price but it made a world of a difference in Bangkok. We paid $18 for our Guest House in Bangkok, but I would pay that same amount in a heartbeat.
  • Laksameenarai Guest House
• Chiang Mai: $6-$15 for budget accommodations
  • There’s loads of places in Chiang Mai to stay, so shop around and don’t stay in a gross place because it’s not worth it!
  • DO NOT STAY AT TRAVELLER INN HOTEL!
• Ko Lanta: $7-$10 w/o air con, $12-$15 w/ air con
  • Our hostel/guest house had a pool and pool chairs and the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Lanta Sabai Hotel and Bungalows were where we stayed, and they also rent scooters for super cheap. There are cheaper places that are farther from the beach, especially in off season, and you can generally strike deals with the people working if you’re staying longer term.
• Krabi: $17 w/ air con 
  • Decent accommodation but the prices were steep for what you got. We were forced to stay near the airport and paid a whopping $17 a night for a very short stay, but don’t be fooled into a higher price by hotels that say they have airport transfer, because they ALL have airport transfer and it costs extra.

Transportation:

• Buses: ~500-1200 Baht a person to Chiang Mai/south to islands, more if you buy tickets from travel agencies on Khao San Road
  • Be careful with your belongings!
• Taxi: Flat fare to start of 35 Baht + mileage 
  • Short trips shouldn’t be more than 60-100 Baht, and a meter means the taxi driver can’t rip you off!
• Tuk-tuk: 60-100 Baht for short trips, but drivers will generally quote 150-500 Baht
• Scooter rental: 300-500 baht per day plus 60-80 baht for gas

Food:

• Street Food: 20-60 Baht
  • 7/11 sells sandwiches that we called “toasties,” and they’re 25-40 Baht…we ate tons of these after we were robbed because they’re cheap and they’re not half bad.
• Cheap restaurants: 60-150 Baht
• Nice restaurants: 200-500 Baht

Drinking/Going Out:

• Beer: 80-100 Baht in restaurants 
  • It’s cheaper at the store obviously and happy hours can make for some good deals.
• Drinks: 150-300 Baht

Activities:

•  Four Island tour : 750 Baht per person 
• Temple Entrance: 100-150 Baht per person
  • Some temples are free while some cost money, but they’re generally not expensive to enter. Bring long pants to cover knees or you will have to rent covers!