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Can I live in SE Asia on $10-$15 per day?

  • Hi friends. Planning a RTW trip with no time limit. I have a good amount of funds set aside, but I'd really like to settle somewhere in SE Asia (prefer Thailand or Vietnam) for at least 3-6 months and survive on about $10-$15 per day. Is it possible for an American to find decent (i.e. not too dangerous or dirty) accommodation and eat at that price? I'm not including any party dollars (alcohol, night life etc) in that amount...just the basics to survive. Would prefer to live near a city, or at least a small town...just not too far into the country side. Also, I will be splitting the expenses with a friend.Any useful experiences or knowledge to share?Thanks.

  • Answer:

    The answer to your question is unequivocally, yes. I've lived in both Lao, near Vang Vieng and in Bangkok, Thailand. I'll talk about the latter as you seem to be looking for a city, or at least not a village. My top floor bachelor apartment in an awesome Muslim neighbourhood with easy access to both the Sky Train and countless buses cost about $120/month USD (4000 Baht at the time). There are lots of buildings on the side streets off Petchaburi, between Soi 5 and Soi 9. When you say you'll be splitting expenses with a buddy, does this mean accommodation as well? Because if so and you're concerned about privacy, two room apartments can be had in that area for between 8000 and 10,000 Baht. Rentals in this area are available short-term (3 months and up) and you can negotiate rent - no problem. It's rare for an apartment in Thailand to come with a kitchen. Street food is cheap, plentiful and amazingly good. That area is full of street food. If you stick to Thai food on the street or in cheap restaurants, budget 150 Baht per day max. My favourite breakfast which consists of three types of pig, rice and sweet sauce, costs 25 Baht. Lunch can easily be had for 40 Baht, and dinner should be no more than 50 or 60. There are machines on the street to fill your water bottle (big or small) which will set you back 1 Baht/litre. There are also laundry machines on the streets - a large load will cost you 25 Baht and you can hang dry your stuff. Cabs are fairly reasonable, but since time is not an issue, stick to public transport. The orange buses are air conditioned and therefore the fare is more than the red and green ones. Fares will range between 2 Baht and 20-or-so Baht. The Sky Train fare is based on distance traveled and if you're looking to splurge and skip traffic, that'll set you back between 20 Baht and 45 Baht (or thereabouts). No idea on what the subway costs. Another area you might consider is near Chinatown - a good buddy of mine just moved into an apartment there which is setting him back 5000 Baht. Oh yeah... these places come furnished with everything you need, as well as a television and a small fridge. Most also have cable wired in. Feel free to MeMail me with any questions you might have.

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I have lived and traveled in Thailand and Vietnam, and don't think that's a reasonable budget, unless you want hovel quality. The dollar is weak.

cyndigo

Can't speak for Vietnam, but my experience of Thailand is that even bare bones budget travel for food and lodging alone is about $25 a day. Splitting the cost of lodging with a friend might save you some money, but I don't think $10-$15 is realistic, esp. with the USD being so weak.. I did find Bali to be cheaper tho. Have you considered Indonesia?

loquat

Thanks for the reply cyndigo. I'll clarify that I don't want to stay in hotels or hostels. I'll be looking for cheap rooms to rent. I follow a blog of a lady that recently returned and never paid more than $10 per day for room (closer to $5 on average) and $1-2 for cheap food. Wondering if that is too difficult to find.

Yunani

loquat, I'm open to anywhere peaceful with natural beauty. I'll look into Indonesia and Bali. thanks!

Yunani

I'd be interested to see that blog! On my street in Bangkok, basic noodles (one bowl) were 35 baht ($1.15 right now) and I know taxi rates have jumped recently as well. One of the interesting things about Thai mentality is that if you have fewer visitors, the solution is to charge the ones who are there much more. Got a golden goose? Strangle it, then feel around wondering where the damned eggs are. Ferinstance, my landlady had a lot of vacancies my last year there. Her solution: to raise MY rent by 33%. Um, bye. (And my apartment is STILL empty.)

cyndigo

This strikes me a pretty unrealistic. I'm not saying it's impossible - it's possible, but it will be hard. That kind of price range - in Vietnam at least - will get you *bad* accommodation. You won't necessarily have a lot of variety with what you're eating. You would be very aware - brutally aware - of opportunities, meals, and experiences a budget like that would force you to forgo. To me, that would not be a fairly unpleasant holiday Also be sure to have enough money set aside for emergencies, or just funds for "hey I really want to buy that thing", or "I really want to sleep somewhere nice for a change". etc. It can be done, but be aware on a budget like that, you will be paying in a myriad of other ways.

smoke

Thanks for the replies...really useful and realistic information. I find it curious that it would be so difficult to survive off that amount in SE Asia. Here in the U.S., a single person can survive off $20 per day in a city like, say, Pittsburgh or St. Louis living like a college student (shared apartment, cheap food, walking everywhere or using the bus or a bike). Shoot, I can rent a room for $350 in Virginia Beach and spend no more than $100 on food for the month. I'm surprised that it would be so hard in SE Asia to do it. Glad you guys are here to chime in...thanks for the replies.

Yunani

Yikes. When I went backpacking in Thailand five years ago, it was 40 baht to $1 and things were cheaper then. Is it possible now? I would say possibly, but not probably, and not unless you're willing to take an incredible dive in the comfort of living. What do you plan to do to pass the time while living there? If you're not making money, you're probably going to be spending it- either by sight seeing, traveling around the country, making new friends and eating out with them.

liquoredonlife

Also consider Siem Reap, cambodia and luang prabang, laos. Prices may have gone up, but 2 years ago I split a very nice room in siem reap for about 8 bucks each and really good meals were 2-3 dollars usd.

meta87

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