How Much Does Bangkok Cost per Day
A full breakdown of Bangkok prices: daily budgets by tier, every itemised cost from the guide, and where the money actually goes.
The short answer
Budget travellers in Bangkok spend around THB 1,300 a day. Mid-range travel runs closer to THB 3,400, and a splurge day lands around THB 9,000. Figures are THB per day per person, roughly CAD 55/145/380 or USD 38/98/262. Budget covers hostel dorm + street food + public transport; mid covers a private hotel room, mixed street/restaurant food, and some Grab rides; splurge adds a nicer hotel, restaurant meals, and rooftop drinks.
Daily cost breakdown
- Stay
- Food
- Transport
- Activities
| Tier | Stay | Food | Transport | Activities | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | THB 500 | THB 400 | THB 150 | THB 250 | THB 1,300 |
| Mid-range | THB 1,800 | THB 900 | THB 350 | THB 350 | THB 3,400 |
| Splurge | THB 5,500 | THB 2,200 | THB 800 | THB 500 | THB 9,000 |
Hotel breakfast or a 40 THB roadside noodle bowl, BTS to the Old City (30 THB), Grand Palace entry (500 THB), pad thai and fresh coconut for lunch (150 THB), Grab across town (120 THB), khao soi or som tam for dinner (200 THB), one rooftop cocktail (600 THB). Roughly 1,600-2,000 THB not counting hotel.
Every priced item in this guide
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew | 500 THB (includes Wat Phra Kaew, Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles, Coin Pavilion) |
| Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) | 300 THB (includes a bottle of water) |
| Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) | 200 THB |
| Chatuchak Weekend Market | free entry |
| Yaowarat (Chinatown) | free to walk, food is per item |
| Jim Thompson House | 250 THB adult, 150 THB ages 10-21 |
| Vertigo & Moon Bar (rooftop) | no cover, but cocktails run around 500-1,500 THB |
| Khlong Toei Market | free to browse |
| Damnoen Saduak or Amphawa Floating Market | free entry, boat rides ~150-300 THB depending on route |
| Pad kra pao (stir-fried holy basil with meat and fried egg) | THB 40-80 |
| Boat noodles (kuay teow reua) | THB 15-25 per bowl |
| Som tam (green papaya salad) | THB 40-70 |
| Mango sticky rice | THB 60-120 |
| Grilled seafood and moo ping (grilled pork skewers) | THB 10-15 per skewer, THB 150-400 for seafood by weight |
| Guay jab (peppery pork offal soup) | THB 40-60 |
| Khao man gai (Hainanese chicken rice) | THB 40-60 |
| Thai iced tea and fresh coconut water | THB 20-60 |
What I actually paid
- The BTS and the river boats are quick and cheap. Taxis in traffic are neither, and the meter argument is not worth having.
How to spend less
- Eat where the taxi drivers eat, not where the menu has photos and English translations
- Buy a Rabbit Card on day one, it saves the queue and the per-trip cash fumbling
- Withdraw larger amounts less often; most Thai ATMs charge a flat 220-250 THB foreign transaction fee regardless of amount
- Skip bottled water tourist markups, 7-Eleven sells the same bottle for a third of the price
- Book the Airport Rail Link instead of a taxi if you're not hauling heavy luggage
- Split a fruit or juice stall drink instead of paying cafe prices for the same thing