I was finishing off another post on what it actually costs us to travel as a family with a baby (will post soon, if I ever bloody finish it!) *I FINISHED IT HERE* when I realised I got too carried away and went into information overload! I’ve done a summary below, so it’s easy to grab the important stuff you're probably looking for.
*quick preface – this was our experience, costs will vary based on your travel style/wants/needs. This was for the period Sept-Dec 2023. Costs were converted to AUD Dec 2023 but remain largely unchanged in Feb 2024.
All are ordered from cheapest to most expensive!
General cost of living per location
Thailand (south) – we spent 15k in just under 3 months
Bali (Nusa Dua) – we spent 5k in 10 days (but stayed in a flash resort)
Malaysia (KL) – we spent 2k in 5 days
Transit (flights)
Bali (cheapest, makes sense, closest to Perth)
Malaysia (heaps of direct from Perth)
Thailand (no direct flights from Perth to Krabi since pre-covid ☹) became more expensive for us because we stayed overnight at KL airport to break up the flying for baby.
Food – Thailand only
(Bali a bit more expensive (and ++ tax), KL is a bit more expensive again)
Side of the road food stalls – 100Bt to feed the 3 of us ($4.30)
‘Warungs’ (simple local restaurant style places) – we tried to stick to 300Bt for the 3 of us ($12.90)
Restaurants – usually 400-500Bt with a beer ($20)
Expensive restaurants – probably 1k-2kBt pending food and drink (1500Bt = $65)
Transport – Thailand only
Hire scooter/bike – we paid 150Bt per day, average cost ~200Bt per day ($8.50)
Grab – use the app, not widely used but available. Dependent on length of trip. Like Uber.
Suntow – we never used but it's like a shared Uber, in the back of a little truck!
Tuk Tuk – most common for tourists – private - cost varies – barter! We paid 250Bt ($10.80) for about 10m drive when we had to transport our bags between accommodation.
Private taxi – we only used to the airport, about 30m drive, 400Bt ($17.20)
Above (1st) is a simple little Warung on the side of the road, our favorites! Cheap and delicious authentic food cooked by locals.
(2nd) We were scooting behind a Tuk Tuk and I had to quickly snap a photo to show you, this is the most common method of transport for tourists. They are everywhere! Barter!
(3rd) One of many yummy meals in a cheap restaurant, amazing (spicy!!) green curry, even spicier papaya salad and a chicken fried rice for baby.
Accommodation – Thailand only
Go there and negotiate long-term stay rates, these are much cheaper than what you would find online!
Homestay in Krabi (Uncle House Krabi) – 540Bt per day ($23) – note we only stayed here one night as it's near the airport
Bungalow in Chong Phli area (Areeya Phu Beach Resort) – 570Bt per day (1 month rate) ($25)
Hotel in Aonang (Apasari Krabi) – 600Bt per day (1 month rate) ($26)
Homestay on Tonsai (Garden View Resort) – 770Bt per day ($33.50) – note this is not on the mainland and is a quiet climbing area
Hotel in Aonang (Glow) – 800Bt per day ($35) – note we only stayed here 2 nights while we were scooting around scouting for long term accommodation. We asked Glow for their best cash rate and it was 1,000Bt per night! Sometimes it is actually cheaper online
Bungalow at Spirit Mountain – 990Bt per night ($42.50) – we did this for 4 nights for my birthday, it was very basic for the cost and we probably wouldn’t stay here again.
above (1st) our little bungalow at Areeya Phu Beach Resort where we love to call home
(2nd) Hotel in Aonang Apasari Krabi - we loved it here it was just slightly out of our long term budget
(3rd) our jungle balcony at Garden View Resort on Tonsai. Worth every single stair to get there!
I hope this helps for the time being, I'll be sure to post the more detailed version soon!
Til next time,
R
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