If you haven’t read any of the prior expense reports from our trip, check them out below:
- Scotland
- Ireland
- Morocco
- London
- Berlin
- Munich
- Chiang Mai
- Luang Prabang
- Vientiane
- Chiang Rai
- Hanoi and Ha Long
- Da Nang, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh
- Kuala Lumpur
- Siem Reap and Phnom Penh
- Hua Hin, Krabi, Ko Lanta, and Phuket
We spent 7 days and 7 nights in Bangkok, Thailand, arriving on the evening of December 4th from Phuket, Thailand, and leaving on the afternoon of December 11th headed to Hong Kong, China. Bangkok was a massive city, and the place where we stayed was a little out of the way, which meant that there wasn’t a lot to do within walking distance. We utilized public transportation as well as Grab to get around most days. There are probably ten or more very modern massive malls scattered throughout the city, which we were really impressed with and enjoyed visiting. There are weeks worth of activities to do in and around the city, but we were able to see everything that we had planned in our 7 day there and we enjoyed our stay.
Stay tuned for Whitney’s next post about all of our adventures on this part of the trip, but for now I’ll focus on the expenses incurred while in Bangkok. Keep in mind that all of the expenses that I’ll talk about below are my expenses only, since Whitney and I have quite different spending habits. We split all shared expenses evenly, so I calculate the numbers below with my half of the shared expenses and then my individual expenses.
Accommodations: We stayed at the same Airbnb during the whole 7 nights in Bangkok where we got a cheap nightly rate with the cost even further reduced by the weekly discount. The place had everything we needed and the hosts were very helpful, but it would have been nice to be a little closer to more of the main attractions in the city. It wasn’t far to a skytrain station, and public transportation was affordable which helped.
- Total for my expenses: $39
Food and drink: We got free food at the airport lounge both on departure from Phuket and arrival from Bangkok, which helped to keep my food costs lower. We also got free food at the lounge when leaving Bangkok on the way to Hong Kong. For most of our meals, we ate at various mall food courts which is something that we’ve really grown to enjoy. The food is cheap, there are a lot of options, the places are more sanitary than much of the street food, and A/C is a lifesaver on hot days. We had an expensive drink one night at a sky bar in the city which was worth the price for the view. We also checked out a few regular bars throughout the city to get more of the true Bangkok experience.
- Total for my expenses: $63
Transportation: The flight from Phuket to Bangkok was short and inexpensive. We had to pay for transportation each day in order to get around the city, but it wasn’t too expensive so that wasn’t an issue. We chose to get a taxi to and from the airport in order to save time since our AirBnB was about an hour away from the airport, which would have been two or more hours on public transportation. I love saving money, but it’s not worth saving a few dollars for an extra hour ride while lugging our bags around on buses and trains.
- Total for my expenses: $66
Activities: Most of the activities we did in Bangkok were free. We walked about 50 miles throughout the city in the 7 days we were there to various attractions. We visited several of the major temples in the area which were amazing. We went to a free Muay Thai fight, which was on my “must do” list while in the city, that was extremely high quality for a free show! We also went to a cheap comedy show ($3) one night which was very entertaining and worth the time.
- Total for my expenses: $11
My total expenses for 7 days and 7 nights in Bangkok, Thailand including accommodations, transportation, activities, and food were approximately $178!
Running total for entire trip to this point (my expenses only): $5,517.
I expected to spend quite a bit more in Bangkok than I actually ended up spending. The low cost AirBnB and very cheap activities made our time in the city extremely affordable. We headed to Hong Kong, China next, so stay tuned for my next update. Keep an eye on the Facebook page where we are posting much more frequently about the trip including our favorite pictures!