Thailand offers exceptional value for European travellers, with a benchmark daily budget of around €45 per person travelling as a couple or in a small group. That figure covers very different realities depending on destination and travel style.
A backpacker can travel comfortably on €20-30 a day: a night in a hostel or basic guesthouse (200-500 THB, €5-13), street meals or local market food (40-100 THB per meal, €1-2.50), local transport in songthaews (shared pickups), tuk-tuks and local buses. A mid-range traveller — double room in a clean air-conditioned hotel (800-2,000 THB, €21-53), mid-range restaurants (200-500 THB per meal), organised excursions — lands between €45 and €80 per day. The luxury traveller in a Phuket resort or a Bangkok design hotel (3,000-15,000 THB per night), with spas, fine dining and private transfers, will easily exceed €150-300 per day.
By spending category, here are realistic ranges. Accommodation: dorm 150-350 THB (€4-9), basic double 400-900 THB (€10-24), mid-range hotel with pool 1,200-3,000 THB (€32-79). Food: street meal 40-80 THB (€1-2), mid-range restaurant 150-300 THB (€4-8), Bangkok fine dining 500-1,500 THB (€13-39). Local transport: tuk-tuk 60-200 THB (€1.50-5), songthaew 30-80 THB, Grab ride-hailing 80-300 THB (€2-8), Bangkok BTS Skytrain 16-59 THB. Activities: temple entry with admission 50-500 THB, full-day island excursion 800-2,500 THB (€21-66), Thai cooking class 800-1,500 THB (€21-39), Thai massage 200-500 THB per hour (€5-13).
A few practical tips: the Grab app (ride-hailing) is essential in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket to avoid tuk-tuk drivers, whose unmetered fares are often heavily inflated for tourists. Withdraw cash in baht from ATMs (the 220 THB foreign-card fee is standard — make fewer, larger withdrawals). Cards are accepted in hotels and supermarkets; cash remains essential in markets and small restaurants. Pick up a local SIM (True Move, DTAC or AIS) at the airport on arrival: a 30-day data plan runs 300-500 THB with reliable 4G coverage across the country.
Read also
- Bangkok and the North — temples, markets and Thai culture — From the boiling capital to Chiang Mai's misty summits, the cultural heart of Thailand.
- Southern Thailand — beaches, islands and the Andaman Sea — Phuket, Krabi, Koh Phi Phi: the kingdom's most iconic beaches and islands.
- Bangkok, the gilded megacity — Buddhist temples, street food and nightlife in the Thai capital.
- Phuket, the great southern island — Andaman beaches, nightlife and excursions to the Phi Phi Islands.