Krabi budget planner

How much spending money should you bring to Krabi?

A 2 baht Thai coinThe only unit of currency accepted in Thailand is the Thai Baht, available in denominations of 1000, 500, 100, 50 and 20 (notes) and 10, 5, 2 and 1 (coins). If you shop at larger stores you may also get copper-coloured “satang” coins in values of 25 and 50 satang (1/4 and 1/2 baht respectively) in your change – these have little value and generally cannot be used unless in the same stores.

It is best to exchange money once you are here as rates for buying foreign currency here are far better than those for buying Thai Baht abroad. This also applies to traveller’s cheques cashed on Thai soil. Currency exchange booths in Krabi accept cash and travellers’ cheques in most denominations: dollars, euros and sterling being the most popular. Check the current Thai Baht onshore exchange rates at the bottom of this page.

ATMs are another option for withdrawing cash in local currency as you need it from your bank account at home. Machines are widely available in Krabi Town, Ao Nang and Railay; however, offshore and in more remote areas you may have problems finding one.

Krabi is slightly more expensive than other areas in Thailand; however prices in general are much, much lower than in the West. So how much spending money to bring? This depends on how active you are planning on being: by far the greatest expense you will encounter here are the sightseeing tours and/ or daily transport rental (car, boat). For specific tours, you can do a price check here on all the common itineraries.

Another factor to consider is whether you will be eating mainly local or imported food – western food is considerably more expensive than Thai. Below we list some average prices to help you plan your budget:

Half-day kayaking trip 600 / person
Full-day temple / jungle trip 1200 / person
Speedboat island tour (Phi Phi) 1200 / person
Longtail boat island tour 500 / person
Thai massage 1 hr (beach) 250 – 300
Thai massage 1 hr (spa) 700 – 900
Thai one-dish meal in local restaurant 50 – 80 / dish
Thai one-dish meal in tourist restaurant 120 – 150 / dish
Pizza 180 – 280 / 12″ pizza
Steak 600 – 800 / dish
Special occasion meal up to 1500 / person
Bottled water (supermarket) 7 – 10 / 500ml
Coffee 40 – 80 / cup
Local bottled beer (bar) 70 – 100 / 330ml
Imported beer (bar) 120 – 180 / 330ml
Bottled beer (supermarket) 30 – 50 / 330ml
Longtail boat rental (one day, per boat) 2200 / boat + driver
4WD car rental (one day, per car) 1200 / unlimited mileage
Scooter / moped rental (one day, per motorbike) 250 / 125cc / unlimited mileage
One litre of petrol (gasohol) 30
Moto-taxi around Ao Nang 30 / person

Don’t forget, though, that shopping opportunities here are endless, so do bring some extra cash for all those unexpected items you won’t be able to resist!

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