How Much to Budget for South East Asia??

v.e.r.b.a.l

We're in Australia at the moment and are staying here until just after New Year's when we fly to South East Asia. Just wondering on a ball-park figure on what we'd need to budget for 10 weeks travelling around SE Asia?

We'll be doing something along the lines of:

• 2 days in Singapore
• Possibly spending 3-4 days travelling overland across Malaysia to Thailand
• 2.5 weeks island hopping in Thailand and then to Bangkok
• 1.5 weeks in Cambodia
• 3 weeks in Vietnam travelling Ho Chi Min to Hanoi
• 2 weeks in Laos
• a few days in Chiang Mai and back down to Bangkok to fly home

We're backpacking around the world and this is the last part of the trip, so getting quite worried about money!! It might be a photo-finish!

breadmonkey

v.e.r.b.a.l wrote: »

We're in Australia at the moment and are staying here until just after New Year's when we fly to South East Asia. Just wondering on a ball-park figure on what we'd need to budget for 10 weeks travelling around SE Asia?

We'll be doing something along the lines of:

• 2 days in Singapore
• Possibly spending 3-4 days travelling overland across Malaysia to Thailand
• 2.5 weeks island hopping in Thailand and then to Bangkok
• 1.5 weeks in Cambodia
• 3 weeks in Vietnam travelling Ho Chi Min to Hanoi
• 2 weeks in Laos
• a few days in Chiang Mai and back down to Bangkok to fly home

We're backpacking around the world and this is the last part of the trip, so getting quite worried about money!! It might be a photo-finish!

€30/day in Thailand/Vietnam, less in Laos/Cambodia and throw in a couple of hundred for unforeseen expenses/activities. Bam!

v.e.r.b.a.l

when you say €30 a day, is that for two people or each??? :eek:

darrenh

Just about to finish off in SE Asia and will have done it on 30euro a day for two people - as in 15 each. We had our fair share of beers and saw all the sights. Anyone says it's not do-able, I've just done it. If we had more of course it would have been great but we leave with no regrets after 4 months.

Enjoy!

ps - Vietnam for 3 weeks?? Wasnt my favourite place.

breadmonkey

Wow. I meant €30/day/person. Dunno how you managed to get by on half of that but fair play!

v.e.r.b.a.l

€30 a day between two i can just about manage i think. might have to lay low for the rest of my time in oz though, unless i can find a hostel that'll pay board for work without a WHV...

vietnam wasn't great?? haven't done enough research as of yet, so amount of time in each place will probably change. maybe more time in Cambodia... darren, how much time would you recommend in each place?

on a slightly unrelated matter, any ideas on a good spot to fly to from Singapore to do some island hopping in Thailand?

Straight Flush

Thailand, especially the islands, is relatively expensive in December and January since prices get multiplied in time for peak season. I'd guess about €40 a day for a couple.

Vietnam will be much cheaper. It could be done on €25 a day for two people.

breadmonkey

I honestly don't know how you guys could get by in Thailand/Vietnam on €20/day. That was my budget in India (well, maybe a little less) and it was often a stretch even though we weren't staying in fancy places or eating in expensive restaurants.

I also thought that Vietnam was a little pricier than Thailand if anything and definitely don't think €20/day is enough for the islands in Thailand.

EDIT: €25/day in Vietnam for two people is simply not doable with any degree of enjoyment imo. I spent more than that in Nepal and Laos, the two cheapest countries I've visited by a country mile!

v.e.r.b.a.l

hmmm... i just don't know who to believe!! :rolleyes: looking at my fast-dwindling australia-affected bank balance, i'd like to believe everyone except breadmonkey, but alas, i'm a pessimist at heart!

any explanations into how some people managed to spend €20-€30 a day? dodgy hostels, cheap transport, stealing food?? just so i can copy!!

breadmonkey

EDIT: Just re-read my posts there and they're a bit misleading. I do believe it's possible to get by on say, €15 - €20 per day, just that it would be very lean living/eating/drinking.

darrenh

Honestly we have done it on 15 each a day.

Take Thailand as an example

Accomodation - No more than 400B for a double - 8euro (most will be 6euro)

Lots of restuarants and market where you can get food for 150B for 2 people - 3euro * 3 times = 9 euro a day

So say on average you have 15euro a day on food and accomodation that leaves you with 15 for extras. Some days you will spend it on buses, some days on beer, others on unforseen expenses and some on activities. As far as I can recall Verbal you have done a similiar trip to myself. SA, NZ, OZ and SE Asia. When you get here and funds are tight I prioritised what we did on whether we have done something similar before. Trekking in South America, SE Asia will not beat it as an example.

I have had my fair share of booze too. I should know, my girlfriend keeps letting me know!

In Vietnam hotels will be $10 - $15 dollars. Beer is cheapest here if drank at street stalls and all travllers drink here. 10c for a big glass. I didnt like Vietnam because of its people in the tourist industry. Country is amazing though.

Laos - 3euro max for a room, food will be a little dearer than Thailand which has the cheapest of them all.

Cambodia - Around $8 for a room, food is $1.50-$2 per person each time. I can be more expensive.

Thai islands can be expensive around now. You can bargin the price of a room and if you stay longer get it cheaper. Saty away from Puket and Samui.
If going to Krabi Town stay in Ao Nang. Phi Phi is expensive. Koh Pha-ngan isnt as expensive as people make it out to be. There is too much competition there and not enough tourists this year for obvious reasons. We got a beach bungalow with a nice swimming pool in the resort for 250B a night on the west of the island. Food was a little pricey though. I could go on forever!

It can be done as we have just done it. We wish we had more money but we didnt miss out on anything. Check my blog for proof!
http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Wanderly-Wagon/Trips/5086

It will probaly contradict everything I have just said but we had a ball!!

We always stayed in and ate in good places. As in clean and nice. Some the street markets look a bit dodgy but I havent been sick once and never heard of anyone being sick from them.



You owe me a beer chang - I just spent 60B typing this up!!

Enjoy!

RATM

I'd say you can see Thailand for €40 a day for a couple. But you have to be very disciplined on eating out in food markets or side of the street. There are loads of nice restaurants where a top meal will only be €10 for a couple but if you do that twice or 3 times a day then the budget is blown.

Dont forget about busses/ ferries in Thailand, they can really add to the price, especially if moving around every 3 days or so.

Enjoy!

darrenh

Lets call it 35euro for arguments sake!!:D

Honestly you dont need top meals at all. Thai food is consistently great whether it's from a stand or restuarant.

Bangkok up to the north is a lot cheaper than the south.

You should only be spending 1.50 for each meal per person. Thats 75B. Chicken fried rice is only 40B-50B

7 elevens are everywhere. Toasted ham and cheese sandwich at 50c is perfect for a quick in expensive breakfast. (it's my new thing in the mornings)

40euro is nearly 2000B. We are spending nowhere near that. Probably 1500B. If I had 2000B a day i could easily spend it though!

You just have to watch what you spend it all on and you'll be fine. Trust me!

Arcee

I did a very similar route through those countries about 12 months ago and really underbudgeted. I had planned for around €20 a day ( I was travelling alone) and I found myself constantly stretched. At least you will save on accomodation as room prices are usually by room rather than by person - eg, if I paid €10 for a room it would have only been €5 if there was two of us.

I know it's hard to find the cash from somewhere but if you can save up more, it's totally worth it. While you can get by on a small budget a day , you'll find yourself missing out. Asia is an amazing place and you don't want to just have enough to sleep and feed yourself. To really get the full experience, it's so worth having that few extra bob. If you want to go diving or visit any temples, go on boat trips or buy any souveniers you'll need that bit extra. I know it will be hard, but if you can save anything now, my advice is to do it!

v.e.r.b.a.l

Thanks for the continued debate!! Yeah, darren, I think I'm doing a very similar itinerary to you, so at this stage I'm pretty used to eating the cheapest food etc. I'd say we'll manage it, but it'll be tight.

I think it's fine to cut back on the unimportant stuff like food and accomodation and save the money for the reason we're in a place like SE Asia - temples, sightseeing etc. Getting a job for some cash is unlikely because we don't have a WHS for Australia and there seems to be very few jobs anyways!!

Anyone want to buy a kidney??

SheroN

How long have you spent in Australia and how much have you spent do you think? Sounds like I'm doing the same trip as you but a month or two behind, I've just arrived in NZ after SA. From the bit of research I've done Ausralia is going to be terribly expensive. I think if money is running thin when I get there, I'd rather cut my time short and spend more time in Asia. Have you considered doing that?

v.e.r.b.a.l

Been in Oz since mid-October, and, not to lie to you, it is terribly expensive! We've already cut our time here short by a month and a half, but I wish we'd cut it by even more. Can't do it now because we've planned and paid for Xmas and New Year's here so stuck until 3rd January.

Still a great place to see and everything, I just wish I'd taken more time for South America and South East Asia. New Zealand is quite expensive too, but don't rush through it - it's an amazing country!!

I'll have a dig around my bank account and let you know how much we've been spending here...

darrenh

SheroN wrote: »

How long have you spent in Australia and how much have you spent do you think? Sounds like I'm doing the same trip as you but a month or two behind, I've just arrived in NZ after SA. From the bit of research I've done Ausralia is going to be terribly expensive. I think if money is running thin when I get there, I'd rather cut my time short and spend more time in Asia. Have you considered doing that?

Thats what we did. Cut Oz by two weeks and saved 2000 euro. It goes a lot further in SE Asia.

kraggy

I'm in South East Asia at moment.

I really don't see how you can live on 15 euro a day in Thailand. It's just not possible. Even if you stay in the worst places, eat street food and don't drink, it's not possible. Especially in the islands.

Op, regarding Vietnam, it's very cheap to fly around inside the country. YOu're talking 45 dollars to go from the middle to either Hanoi or Saigon.

I would spend less time in Vietnam and give it to other countries. If you are hell bent on starting in Saigon, then I would skip everything as far as Hoi An. MAYBE spend a couple of nights in Nha Trang but don't expect anything besides a decent beach. It's way over-hyped.

Hoi An is one of the most beautiful places I've been on my trip. If you're stuck for time and can spare the money, you can fly to Danang and get a motorbike taxi to Hoi An from there. Hoi An is really nice. Can't emphasise that enough. Also, don't forget that there's a beach there. Many people go there without realising this. It's 5km from town. 20 mins on a push bike. 5 on a motorbike.

Hanoi is much better than Saigon. Use it as a base to do Halong Bay and maybe Sapa as well, though it's 9 hours from Hanoi. Overnight train. You get a bed.

Make sure you do Halong Bay. And do it with Hanoi Backpackers Hostel. $110 for 2 nights. 1 night on the boat, 1 night on Castaway Island. Only people from the Hostels boat stay on the island hence the name. Go swimming at night time from the beach and see the technicolour illuminous specks of plankton.

Accommodation is more expensive in Vietnam but a much higher standard. I paid $8 for a proper hotel room with AC, Tv, phone, hot water.

I'm rambling here. PM me if you have any questions, I've just been through. In Indonesia at moment..

Final note, no point in coming here if you're going to try and live on 15 euro a day. The point of travelling is to enjoy yourself. You won't on 15 euro a day. Maybe in Laos, but not Thailand and definitely not places like Kuala Lumpur.

Final final note, keep an eye on the news. There was a bombing in southern Thailand near the border with Malaysia so crossing overland could be dodgey. Probably not, but possibly. But don't pay attention to Lonely Planet's take on that situation. They've advised against crossing there at all for the last few years. Talking through their arses as usual. And ignore the prices in the book regarding accommodation etc. They're way out. I mean sometimes less than half the real price.

Pm me places to stay, things to do. No problem.