Going into Southeast Asia, we only had a very general sense as to how much things were going to cost us on our trip from some online research. We set a decent-sized daily budget for Southeast Asia of $100/day and were able to come in under budget over our 4.5 month stay in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia without sacrificing much. I’ve provided a summary of our entire stay in Southeast Asia as well as expenses broken out by country (and breaking Thailand into northern Thailand and the Thailand islands).
As you can see, we kept track of every single cent we spent during our time traveling. And we kept track in real time so as to make sure we could stay relatively within budget. Let us know if you have any questions!
Overall Expenditures (126 Days)
Northern Thailand (Bangkok to Chiang Khong – 23 Days)
The budget above included taking the train from Bangkok up through several towns/cities to Chiang Rai. We also rented a car for several days to explore the Nan Province in Northern Thailand so we could get off the beaten path. One excursion we did sacrifice to keep the budget on track was an Elephant Nature Walk, which we had been hesitant about anyways for a variety of reasons.
Southern Thailand (Beach hopping along the Andaman Sea – 29 Days)
We found the Thai islands to be the most expensive part of our trip – food and accommodations were much more expensive. Koh Lipe accommodations cost us $80-90 USD per night (granted we wanted A/C), but we were able to balance this out with a few nights in the National Park bungalows on Koh Adang (only about $35 USD per night, with no A/C, but amazing beach views!). We also spent a good amount on private fishing charters and snorkeling tours – absolutely worth it!
Laos (17 Days)
We spent money on two flights while in Laos – for us it was the most efficient way to get from the north to the south and then into Cambodia (wanted to avoid this bus-border crossing). Otherwise, Laos was very affordable. And we didn’t get to explore it to its fullest because we hadn’t braved extensive motorbiking at this point in our trip.
Cambodia (11 Days)
We were not in Cambodia for long, and only stayed in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, which are probably the more expensive areas. Excursions included tickets for Angkor Wat (a must) and a few day passes to hotel pools (our accommodations did not have pools).
Vietnam (28 Days)
There were many opportunities for cheap homestays in Vietnam that were surprisingly nice! We did have a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to central Vietnam (DaNang) and rented more motorbikes in Vietnam than any other country (aside from on the Thai islands), which drove up transportation costs. We elected to skip an recommended cave tour (Son Doong Cave and others in Phong Nha National Park) and explore on our own, which saved us several hundred USDs.
Malaysia (18 Days)
We didn’t skip anything that we wanted to do here – even took a flight from Langkawi to Penang (the alternative transportation options were much longer and more expensive!). Great food, great experiences here, and we were able to stay way under budget.
Singapore (4 Days)
We chose accommodations slightly outside of the city center, but within close walking distance to the MRT (metro). Definitely worth the savings because the MRT was very convenient and took us everywhere we wanted to go. Our excursions included entrance fee into the Gardens By the Bay Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. We anticipated that this would be a more expensive city, so we kept our days here short.