10 Ways to Spend Less Money Backpacking Thailand

Looking to travel Thailand on a budget? You’ve come to the right place. Thailand can either be the most expensive place you visit, or the cheapest. The prices in Thailand are actually quite cheap, but it all depends on how you travel there. Just follow these Thailand budget tips to spend less money during your travels there.

1) Have most of your meals at street vendors and markets

I was sitting at a restaurant in Pai and ordered a pad thai, which came to 80 baht. The next day I got pad thai from a street vendor for 40 baht! Not only was it half the price, it even tasted better! This tends to be the case. Thailand has some of the best street food in the world so don’t be afraid to try it! Many markets also have street vendors with plenty of seating areas. For example, in Chiang Mai there is a food market at the Night Bazaar. There you can order any Thai or Indian dish at a fraction of the price and still have tables to sit at!

Tip: Avoid street vendors that have raw meat sitting out, or don’t have any people there. Best to go to a vendor that has a high turnover so you know the food is fresh. Thailand food prices at vendors may be cheap, but be smart and don’t sacrifice your health.

2) Stay at hostels

This one is a given, but in case you don’t know, hostels are way cheaper than anywhere else. Though sometimes you can get a private room for cheaper if you are sharing with someone else and don’t mind sharing a bed. In regards to saving even more money at a hostel, choose one that doesn’t command high prices. You can make sure its still a good place by reading the reviews on sites like Hostelworld and Agota. Check out our post on why you should stay at hostels while backpacking Thailand.

3) Take cheaper transportation between cities

You can find many different transportation options to get from place to place. But remember, you will likely sacrifice a bit of comfort if you go with the cheapest option. Best thing to do is weigh your choices. See what makes the most sense. I actually found a flight for Bangkok to Chiang Mai for not much more than the cost of the bus. Not only was it was more comfortable, it only took an hour to get there versus the 12 hour bus ride. If you are not limited on time, taking long bus journeys is no problem. Just spend long periods of time in each place you visit so you aren’t constantly in transit.

Tip: Share taxis and tuk tuks with other backpackers to bring the individual costs down.

4) Haggle the prices down on things you buy as much as possible

Remember, Thailand is a buyers market. When you go to a night market for example, it looks like every vendors repeats itself every ten steps you take! That means that you can get the same bracelet at 20 different stalls in one market. What this means is that you can easily get the best price by going from vendor to vendor that has the same item that you want, and bartering as best as you can. If the vendor won’t budge on the price, move on to the next one! Also you can haggle the cost of tuk tuks and taxis, and having more people with you will make it even cheaper. But food on the other hand is a set price, so don’t try to get that cost down.

Tip: If the vendor is not bringing the price down enough, I use the ‘walk away method’. Slowly and convincingly decline and start walking away. Many times the vendor will call you back with the price you wanted. Try it out, it works well!

5) Buy your drinks at 7-11 before you go to the bar

The price of beer in Thailand can get quite expensive at bars! 7-11 convenience stores are literally everywhere in Thailand. There will likely be one conveniently across the street from your hostel. There you can buy beer or liquor for much cheaper than bars. Before you go to the bar, grab some booze from 7-11 and drink at the hostel. Plus its always fun to party at the hostel first anyway. Once you get a nice buzz, then go to the bar and only grab one or two drinks there instead of buying all of your booze there for the night. This will save you a ton of money.

Tip: There are certain times at 7-11 when they prohibit selling alcohol. Make yourself aware of what those times are by looking at the sign on the alcohol fridges.

6) Spend more time in the north of Thailand

While the islands are incredible, they are indeed more expensive than the rest of Thailand. In Chiang Mai, there are hostels for 130 baht/night, which is a great price. Plus there is some amazing scenery in the north such as in Pai.

7) Go off the beaten path

via trutravels.com

Prices in Thailand vary from place to place. The tourist areas are undoubtedly more expensive then the less popular areas. Going off the beaten path will bring cheaper accommodations, food and transport. And best of all, you’ll be rewarded with a more authentic experience.

8) Avoid tours if you can do it yourself

When I was in Koh Tao, there were all of these snorkelling tours that looked great, but were close to 1000 baht (about $30 US dollars)! In Thailand, that is a lot of money. Instead of taking the tour, I went for a stroll on the boardwalk. There I found a place renting snorkel gear for $2 for the hour! I choose to rent the gear for an hour and went snorkelling right off the beach. I saw gigantic sea turtles and amazing schools of tropical fish, all while saving $28 dollars!

9) Rent a motorbike to save on taxis and tuk tuks

First I want to say, I don’t recommend doing this in Bangkok since the drivers are crazy and there are plenty of options for cheap transport. But in other places that have a lot of area to explore such as Chiang Mai, it makes sense to rent a motorbike to see the city. I was able to rent of a bike for 150 baht/day (about $5). Filling up the tank was only 40 baht! This allowed me to see many different places in Chiang Mai without having to pay for their costly taxis. Plus a motor bike is a lot of fun! There are mountains in Chiang Mai and motorbiking there while the sun is setting is an amazing experience!

Tip: Be careful when renting a bike in the islands. There are a lot of scams where they try to get you to pay for damages that you didn’t do. Always take photos or video of your bike as soon as you get it in front of the person you are renting it from. Also, I don’t recommend leaving your passport with the bike rental place. I would rather leave a drivers licence or deposit.

10) Looks for things to do/see that are free

Thailand is loaded with free attractions such as temples, beautiful nature, and historic sights. Make yourself aware of free things to check out. Ask the people who work at the hostel, other backpackers, and check online. There is a great app called Field Trip, which you can download to your smart phone. Basically it looks for attractions that are close by to you wherever you are in the world. Pretty neat! Also some hostels I’ve stayed at will have group outing that are pretty inexpensive. Come to think of it, some of the best nights I’ve had in Thailand were spent hanging out at the hostel with other backpackers having good conversation. The only cost was one large beer I got from 7-11!

Hope these ways to spend less money in Thailand help your travels last much longer :). Follow us for more Thailand travel advice and tips!