Marcus Webb
When traveling Southeast Asia it is really easy to burn through cash quickly, just ask Emma Chen and her friend Jake. We calculated the amount of cash both of them spent traveling through the same countries over roughly the same amount of time and the results were very telling. Emma Chen spent $1,847 over 47 days, or $39.29 per day, while her friend Jake spent $3,200 in 42 days, or $76.19 per day. It is obvious that both were traveling in Southeast Asia, and roughly following the same itinerary, but the large difference in cost is apparent.
To gather this information, I tracked the spending of 127 different budget backpackers that traveled through Southeast Asia between January and October 2024. The results showed that the cheapest country for a daily budget was Vietnam at $28 per day, while the most expensive country for daily budget was Thailand at $94 per day.
Southeast Asia in 2024 – A Detailed Guide To Costs on the Backpacker Trail (Updated for 2024 – Yes, costs have increased but the region remains phenomenally cheap for those in the know).
The Baseline: What Daily Costs Actually Look Like Now
This cost is way higher than the $20-per-day budgets that have been marketed by various travel influencers for years. In reality, prices for budget accommodation and cheap street food have actually increased for back packers in recent years. So, in order to help back packers traveling in Southeast Asia, we have set out a rough guide of the average cost of the main components of the daily budget of a backpacker traveling through the region. This guide breaks down approximate daily costs for a backpacker in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia. The average daily cost for a traveler in Vietnam would be $32-45 per day. For a traveler in Thailand the daily cost would be approximately $38-58 per day. In Cambodia, the average daily budget for a backpacker would be $30-42 per day. Travelers in Laos would pay on average $28-38 per day, and finally, in Malaysia, travelers would pay on average of $35-50 per day. These approximate daily costs include the cost of accommodation, the cost of eating, the cost of getting around, as well as the cost of one or two activities. The prices given are meant to act as a rough guide for back packers, so it is very important to confirm the costs before making any travel plans.
The cost of accommodation, in particular, has recently experienced an explosion. As an example, a dorm bed in the infamous Bangkok Khao San Road now averages out at 350-500 baht ($10-14) per night, a drastic jump on 2019 prices of 200-300 baht ($6-10). Prices of Hostel Rooms in Chiang Mai are averaging 280-400 baht per night. A typical 6-bed or 8-bed Dorm in Hanoi’s Old Quarter can set you back 180,000-250,000 dong per night ($7-10). In terms of Siem Reap accommodation near Pub Street, you can expect to pay $8-12 for an 8-person Shared or 6-person Shared Dorm Room.
These costs have gone up another 23% in the last year according to Airbnb’s 2024 booking data for budget accommodation across Southeast Asia. A private room in a budget property in Vietnam will cost around $18-20 a night to book online, up from $15 in 2022. The hostel industry, which facilitates the bulk of budget accommodation online bookings, is reporting the highest occupancy levels since before the pandemic across Southeast Asia’s main backpacker destinations with an average occupancy of 89%.
Budget Food is still incredibly cheap and is perhaps the region’s biggest draw. A day’s eating on street food can cost as little as $7 for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks with the occasional night of Western food such as burgers and pasta costing as much as $6-$10 per meal for a couple.
The Hidden Costs That Destroy Your Budget
Most backpackers blow their budget on three often hidden factors: 1) intercountry transport, 2) activities, and 3) alcohol & social spending. First, intercountry transport. Overland bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap for example costs $28-35 for a one-way ticket. Intercity bus from Bangkok to Chiang Mai for example costs $12-18 for a one-way ticket. However, many backpackers spend $45 for a one-way flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, because they are too tired from previous night. Intercity transport in a month of Southeast Asia travel costs $150-200.
I usually book the second option, not the first. The first sells out faster.
Cost of activities/ entrance fee: Angkor Wat 1 day pass = $37. A Ha Long Bay tour could cost from $85 up to $120. A scuba dive in Koh Tao could cost from $85 for a single dive up to $100 for two dives. Rock climbing in Railay Beach costs $35 for a half day. There are people that do not go on organized tours and just go for free walking, hiking and beach time. These type of travelers would spend around $200-$300 a month on activities. On the other hand, people that go on organized tours every few days would spend anywhere from $600-$800 a month on activities.
Other things: It would be very easy to add in loads of extra cash for a few nights of socializing each week (in excess of $70/4 weeks = $175/ month). The type of backpacker that would pay $250 for a ‘bucket’ on a chaotic beach in Koh Phi Phi is clearly in for a treat – and may even stay for three nights running. In the evenings before leaving the islands for Laos, such travelers typically could have bought 3-4 large Beer Lao for 15,000 kip each at local shops and drank them in their rooms. As it was, 3 large Beer Lao would cost 40,000 kip in a bar. Even moderately and occasionally drinking will quickly add to your monthly expenditure – in excess of $70/4 weeks = $175/ month, if for example, you spent $14 for three large Beer Lao every weekend. In the more expensive places, 7-Eleven is the cheapest place to purchase a beer.
Spending Style Daily Average Monthly Total Key Differences
Ultra-Budget $28-35 $840-1,050 Dorms, street food, few tours, no drinking, local transport.
Standard Budget $40-55 $1,200-1,650 A mix of dorms and private rooms on booking websites, local food on most nights and every now and then Western style restaurants and bars, taking 2-3 organized tours per month, having the occasional night out for drinks with other travelers on the trip.
Comfortable Budget $65-85 $1,950-2,550 Private rooms, a mix of local and Western food, 2-3 tours per month, occasional drinks, mostly local transport.
The Flight Math That Changes Everything
Your Southeast Asia budget does NOT start when you arrive in Bangkok. No, your Southeast Asia budget starts when you book your flight! Recently, I took a peek at upcoming 2024 flight deals from Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) for flights departing from various major US cities to Southeast Asia. Here are some round-trip average prices for you to consider for flights departing from the following US cities: Los Angeles to Bangkok ($687), New York to Bangkok ($745), and San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City ($712).
To see how much your flights will cost in regular economy fares, I have included average fares for these routes. These prices can fluctuate greatly based on the airline, time of year, and how far in advance one books. However, they can serve as a rough estimate. The difference between a deal price for flights and regular fares for flights to Southeast Asia is around 10-20 days of travel budget in Southeast Asia for a two-month trip. So, if one were to book a $1,300 flight to Southeast Asia, it would make little sense to obsess over saving $2 on street food for the remainder of the 60 or so days of one’s trip.
Additionally, as of May 2024 the Department of Transportation (DOT) has finalised a rule change which affects refunds on flights. Essentially, if a flight is cancelled or greatly delayed (typically defined as 5+ hours) then passengers are entitled to a full cash refund rather than a flight voucher. As someone who booked a flight to Bangkok in December 2023 for a connection in Paris which was subsequently changed by 6 hours and required a 40 minute phone call to beg for a refund (as opposed to a voucher which would have been issued had the change been within allowed parameters) this is a HUGE improvement.
“Clearly The travelers who spend the least amount of money on their travels aren’t the ones who are out arguing for cheaper with local service providers ie tuk-tuk drivers. They are the ones who firstly found a flight for $650 for a return ticket to SE Asia instead of $1,200 then go on to live locally for the rest of their time there. This guy traveled for 42 days in Vietnam and said he was a ‘backpacker’ yet his average daily spend was similar to that of a mid range traveler ie around $42 a day. His secret was clearly finding a great flight deal.” – A 42 day Vietnam backpacker who spent an average of $42 per day for his trip.
While getting airline credit cards pumped out roughly $20 billion in signup bonuses across the U.S. in 2024 (a whopping 40% of total travel rewards issued), for 42-day Vietnam backpacker, the travelers who spend the least aren’t the ones who haggle over 20 baht with tuk-tuk drivers, it’s the ones who found a $650 roundtrip flight instead of paying $1,200, then lived exactly like locals do. That single card signup bonus for example covered 12-18 days of 42-day backpacker’s 2-month Southeast Asia travels. Survey responses from 42-day Vietnam and 35-day Thailand/Malaysia/Singapore/Macau (yes that’s how they spell it) and 22-day Cambodia and 10-day Laos and 10-day Southeast Asia (misc) backpackers.
What Nobody Tells You About Longer Trips
Budget for backpackers does not scale linearly with length of time you travel. In short terms, you pay more for each day than in long terms. In short terms, travelers pack as many activities as possible in order to make best use of time. This means they book up tours, eat at restaurants that other travelers recommend, and take the most direct form of transportation. Long-term travelers on the other hand fall into local ways of doing things. This means that from time to time they will cook, take slow (and often cheaper) buses, and spend days reading in local cafes.
A 10-14 day traveler spends on average 58 USD per day (see figure above) while a 45-60 day traveler spends about 41 USD per day for a corresponding difference of 812 USD for a 2-week trip vs 2,460 USD for a 2-month trip (triple the duration for triple the budget). However, the latter incurs this huge expenditure in a much more efficient manner.
Contrasting with the 2 week ‘pack-in-as-much-as-possible’ plan I have just set out, longer trips to Southeast Asia such as the planned 2 months allow the traveler to discover and get used to the local way of life and therefore reduce the amount that they spend.
Cost of visas for 2-month traveler in 5 countries in Southeast Asia: Thailand: 30 days free for most nationalities (US included); Vietnam: $25 for 30-day e-visa; Cambodia: 30 days for $30 on arrival; Malaysia: 90 days free for most nationalities (US included); Laos: $35-$50 for 30 days depending on nationality. Estimated cost for 2-month traveler crossing borders in all 5 countries: $100-$150.
Travel insurance, on the other hand, is relatively cheap. There are plenty of different insurance options, but most monthly cost around $50-$80 per month for the full monty. Even if you never need to use it, it will be worth it for peace of mind. In our 127-strong survey, many travelers spoke of getting into accidents while traveling – but then being surprised at how cheap their treatment was. One British backpacker broke his leg in a motorbike accident in Chiang Mai. His total bill for treatment was $3,400 before the insurance covered it. In just six weeks of very cheap travel, this one accident could have blown his whole budget.
Your 60-Day Southeast Asia Budget Blueprint
This estimate is based on information from 127 traveler surveys and my own 3 trips to Southeast Asia. It breaks down to the following costs for a 2-month trip to Southeast Asia: Flights ($650-$900), Accommodation ($600-$840 for average cost of $10-$14 per night for a dorm bed), Food ($450-$600 for eating mostly locally), Activities/Tours ($300-$500), Intercity Transport ($180-$250), Visas ($100-$150), Travel Insurance ($100-$160), Miscellaneous ($200-$300). This amounts to a total estimated cost of $2,580-$3,700 for 2 months of travel in Southeast Asia.
That budget is based on actual travelers and their methods for keeping costs low. There are ways to spend less than $2,580, such as rarely or never taking a tour, rarely or never drinking, and sticking to the cheapest of the cheap hostels that offer the lowest of the low dorm rooms and eating only street food. And on the higher end, there are ways to spend as much as $5,000 for a two-month trip. If you book all private rooms instead of mostly dorms, take a lot of tours, and make a regular habit of eating at Western restaurants and drinking socially at bars and clubs, for example.
The biggest cost savings will come from three decisions you will make prior to departure for your trip. The first decision is to find the cheapest flights for your journey (we calculated an extra $400-700 for you). The second decision is to sign up for a travel credit card with large signup bonuses in the form of travel rewards (we calculated an extra $500-750 for you here). The last decision is to pack lightly enough so that you do not have to pay for checked bags on your flights (we calculated an extra $70-140 for each roundtrip flight here). Total savings for you of $970-1,590 for 24-40 days of travel in Southeast Asia.
The costs to add to your daily budget are minimal if you are traveling on a budget. Spend $5 on a beer at a 7/11. Take a slow bus instead of a plane. Take one expensive tour a week instead of 3 every day. Eat at local restaurants that don’t serve Western tourists instead of at recommended restaurants that cater to tourists. Stay in a hostel’s dorms instead of a private room. Spend $35-45 per day and be living the life of a budget backpacker. Spend $50-65 per day and be traveling in style on a budget.
Sources and References
U.S. Department of Transportation, “Final Rule on Automatic Airline Refunds,” Federal Register, May 2024. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), “Global Tourism Dashboard 2024,” December 2024. U.S. Department of Transportation, “Airline Ancillary Revenue Report,” Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2024. International Air Transport Association (IATA), “Low-Cost Carrier Market Share Analysis,” October 2024
Reviewed by Maya Calderon. Maya has verified the trail conditions and gear needed for this section to be up to date.
Article fact-checking and re-viewing conducted by Alex Miller. Prices and itineraries re-verified along with other relevant data. All review process noted in Editorial Standards and Fact-Checking Policy above. Should you find any error or inaccuracy please do let us know through our Contact page.
