Thailand is famously affordable, but "cheap" spans a lot of ground – from 25€ backpacker days to 200€-a-night beach resorts. Here's what to budget per day by style, plus flights and the costs people forget. Prices are 2026 estimates; 1€ ≈ 38 THB.
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Add it in the trip planner →Most first-timers land in the mid-range and spend around 80–100€ a day excluding international flights.
This is where Thailand shines. A plate of pad thai or a rice dish from a street stall costs 50–80 THB (1.30–2€); a proper meal in a local restaurant 100–200 THB. Western food and tourist-strip restaurants cost 2–3× more. A large Chang or Singha beer is 60–120 THB in a shop, more in bars; a fresh coconut or fruit shake 40–60 THB. Eat where locals eat and two people can dine well for under 300 THB. See our food guide.
Domestic flights are the budget-buster and the time-saver: Bangkok–Chiang Mai or Bangkok–Phuket runs 900–2,500 THB one-way if booked ahead. Overnight trains cost 600–1,300 THB for a sleeper berth. Island ferries are 300–700 THB. Around town, Grab (the local Uber) and metered taxis are cheap, and local songthaews cost 20–50 THB. Full breakdown in getting around.
Your return flight from Europe is usually the single largest cost – typically 550–900€ depending on season and how early you book, more over Christmas. Other lump sums to plan for: travel insurance (essential), the odd splurge tour (island-hopping day trips run 1,000–2,500 THB), a cooking class (~1,000–1,200 THB) and any scuba diving (an Open Water course on Koh Tao is ~9,000–11,000 THB).
Sketch a budget against real dates in the trip planner.
Excluding international flights, budget roughly 350–500€ for two frugal weeks, 1,000–1,400€ for comfortable mid-range travel, and 2,500€+ for a resort-and-spa trip. Add your return flight (~550–900€ from Europe) on top.
Yes, especially for food and local transport. Street meals, domestic travel and massages remain excellent value. What has crept up is beachfront resorts, tourist-strip bars and peak-season island rooms – so your total depends heavily on where you sleep and drink.
Both. Cards work in hotels, malls and bigger restaurants, but street food, markets, songthaews and small guesthouses are cash-only. ATMs are everywhere but charge a fixed ~220 THB foreign-card fee per withdrawal, so take out larger amounts less often.