One month in Thailand : a financial record

It has been a long time since I wrote a financial record of my Thailand trips. Boring for some, I know, but it could bring some useful information to others, especially newcomers.

Every time I come back to my room, I enter every expense I had and make sure that no one has been omitted by checking the money left ; it also makes it easy to be sure that I have not been cheated or stolen. Expenses are split into six or seven main categories, without being too fussy about it. Dividing every amount by the number of nights spent in Thailand (and Cambodia for this time) gives an average daily amount which allows an easy comparison for different trips. So nothing exceptional here.

For this trip, I managed to stay very low on accomodation with 865 THB/night, tips for staff and cleaning ladies included. As I doubled payed four nights being too lazy to pack and unpack for short side trips, the true expense would have been 760 THB/night. Not that I stay only in dumps : all hotels I staid in Thailand had A/C, fridge and swimming pool ; I simply do not like to pay more than I should.

Eating and drinking (outside entertainment places) amounted to an average 1 200 THB/night, including what I pay at the beach. This is a lot, but my boyfriend who often shares my meals, eats well and drinks good, like my nephew whom I treated twice to dinner.

Transportation accounted for 784 THB a day ; this an highly variable item, which reaches summits with car rentals or expensive flights. No one of them this time, flights to Cambodia were rather cheap although for two travellers : boyfriend and me.

I spent 734 THB/night in gay bars and discos, a constantly decreasing amount since many years, due to both me and my boyfriend getting older. However I gave tips to boys for chatting, massaging and “taking care” for as much as 1 021 THB/night, boyfriend not included. Most of these well-deserved rewards went to the Khorat devil and to massage boys, whose talents I often used.


Finally everyday expenses (newspapers, laundry, pharmacy, personal care, phone cards ...) reached 481 THB/day. Clothes and a new mid-range smartphone are not included in this record, as these are purchases which I will keep for use in my home country.

So I spent as much as 5 123 THB/day, of which 38 THB/day unaccounted-for. What I gave to my boyfriend adds up, as well as the flight costs. I guess I will have to adjust a little and I have a clear view on which item I need to cut back, but how to do it ?