Let's Break it Down: Costs in Thailand

I knew that Thailand was going to be one of our more expensive Asian countries that we'd visit, but I didn't consider the fact that we were going...well, to the middle of nowhere. When you're in the middle of nowhere, your spending options drop, for better or for worse! So, here we go: how much did it cost for two people to live in a tiny town in Thailand for a month?

We'll start off with housing. This was the most expensive part of our trip, but I really can't complain - our Airbnb was gorgeous! Air conditioning in both bedrooms (a must in the insane heat) and the most gorgeous back patio that literally sat over the ocean. The sunsets were amazing every night, and the free show we got as birds dove down to catch their dinner made the money worth it. We paid a total of $458, close to double what we paid in Sri Lanka!

Next up, bills. This also ended up being a lot more because cell service costs a lot more in Thailand than in Sri Lanka. Again, can't complain, because the service was perfect everywhere we went! What a relief to have good internet. Our bills cost $123.

For the house, we only spent $35, which was mostly toilet paper and sunscreen...an unavoidable cost, really!

Our health bill cost us $108, and this was because we were able to find a lot of the vitamins and supplements that we like to take, and also protein powder! Health really isn't a thing I ever try to budget, and I'm willing to spend whatever I have to for my body to feel good.

Transportation was a slightly heftier bill this month at $116, and this is because Thailand is soooo spread out. We rented bikes, just like in Weligama, but they weren't nearly enough. To get to the pier to go to Koh Chang, it was about a 25 minute drive, and not cheap! To make matters worse, there were literally no buses, so we really had no options. This was something I definitely didn't like about Thailand.

The street food bill this month turned into a "snack" bill in general, because we lived literally two minutes from a 7/11. I thought this was a blessing, but it was definitely a curse. Too many dessert options, and so many things I'd never tried before! I was at 7/11 almost every day, and spent $92 on snacks alone.

Etc. was only at $50 this month, a drastic drop from Weligama, because there was simply nothing to do! I got my nails done twice and got some massages, but I was able to keep this wayyyy down.

Our tours for the month cost us $418. We went on a full day snorkeling tour, rented a motorcycle to take us around Koh Chang, and even spent the night on Koh Mak. All in all, I think this price was pretty reasonable.

Last but not least, my favorite, food! We spent $325 on groceries, which doesn't make any sense to me because that's EXACTLY what we spent in Sri Lanka! How does that happen?!?!? On restaurants, we only spent $71. That's right, you read that correctly. Restaurants were so insanely cheap in Laem Ngop. To be fair, I didn't love the food there (a lot of seafood soup) so we didn't go out as much, but still!

All in all, we spent $1,798 - $84 less than in Sri Lanka. I'm sure that this was because we stayed in such a small town. Our last couple of days we went to Bangkok and the prices were definitely higher, but Thailand ended up being much more cost effective than I had thought it would be!