Hey everyone!

I'm going to Bangkok from the 21st to the 26th of December 2009. I was wondering how much money (baht) i will need to bring for basic necessities (e.g. food, transport, emergency money) as well as for other activities like shopping & clubbing.

I don't mind eating at cheap eateries that are clean and the cheapest, most efficient mode of transport will suffice. Im planning to shop at places like night markets or other places i can bargain at. I will probably spend most of my money on clubs. So how much money do you think i will need?

Thanks!

We get asked questions like this a lot on the forum Levina, and it's always very difficult to answer because there are so many options/alternatives/variables. You can live very cheaply anywhere in Thailand, basic accommodation can be found for around 400-500Bt a night, you can get a basic Thai meal for 25-30Bt, travel on buses in BKK for a few baht. If you buy beers out of the supermarkets & 7-11s and drink them outside you can do some very cheap drinking. But when you go into clubs and start paying top prices for drinks then you'll notice a huge jump in expenditure. I suppose the bare minimum one would need for a day in BKK (hotel, food, a few beers, bus fares) would be about 1000 Bt. But when you go out on the tiles at night you'd want another 2000Bt minimum I think. Hope that gives you some idea.

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The Truly Wise Man Never Plays Leapfrog With A Unicorn

Thank you very much BobMac :) You have been great help for me through out planning my trip :)
Once again, THANKS!

Love,
Levina

Hi Levina

Bobmac's advice is pretty spot on in my view. We usually allow about 1600-2000 bt a day for comfortable, clean accommodation with breakfast in a handy spot (you can do a lot better if you shop around and are prepared to compromise). We have a cheap, but good lunch and a few drinks, allowing a few hundred baht(its the wine thats the killer, so stick to the beer) some shopping for touristy stuff and have a nice dinner for about 1000bt or so, perhaps a bit more for that special night out. if you are into partying add another 1000 plus. If you are a shopaholic then you will need more. The shopping is good value, but its easy to break the budget when you compare the prices to back home and you just have to have that handbag or shoes...

Hi roving rabbit,

Thanks for the advise!

I have already booked a hotel, for the 5 nights that i will be staying in bangkok, so i will only need money for food, transport, shopping and clubbing. Im so would SGD 400 (10 000) suffice for the entire trip?

Im also travelling with 8 other friends, so what is the cheapest and best mode of transport for us?

Hi roving rabbit,

Thanks for the advise!

I have already booked a hotel, for the 5 nights that i will be staying in bangkok, so i will only need money for food, transport, shopping and clubbing. Im so would SGD 400 (10 000) suffice for the entire trip?

Im also travelling with 8 other friends, so what is the cheapest and best mode of transport for us?

That'll be 2000Bt a day, should be enough for food, transport, and clubbing in the evening but you won't have much if anything left for shopping.

The cheapest mode of getting around BKK are the buses but it's very complicated and easy to get on wrong buses and end up miles away from where you want to go. Meter taxis are best, you'll be able to seat 4 in a taxi, so your group will need 2 taxis. Make sure they're metered taxis and that the driver turns the meter on. If the driver says something like the meter's broken and he quotes you a price then get another taxi. Also if you go on the tollways/motorways in a taxi you are expected to pay the toll charges. The alternative is crawling along BKK's traffic-jammed streets at a snail's pace, so paying the extra toll is well worth it.

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The Truly Wise Man Never Plays Leapfrog With A Unicorn

Hi Levina

You will need to budget carefully with 10,000 for your holiday- go easy on the cocktails at night time....

Hi everyone,

Thank you very very much for your input!
In your own opinion, how much would be sufficient if 10 000THB for 5 days is tight?

Thank you!