Compared to other beautiful tropical beach destinations the cost of a trip to Phuket Thailand is quite reasonable, if not cheap. Granted, a lot has to do with what part of the world you are traveling from and what your exchange rates are. However staying in a 4 star hotel a block from one of the most beautiful beaches in the world for $50 a night is quite a bargain no matter your exchange rates.
In tourist areas you’ll find that a lot of things cost as much as they would in the western world. They are catering to tourists and know that they can get a premium for their wares. Beers or cocktails at a popular night club in Patong will cost you as much as it would back home.
That being said, it is quite easy to find places to eat and entertain yourself on the cheap as well. Even the cost is cheap; the quality of the food is just as good.
The same goes for finding souvenirs to take home with you. A lot of the road side stalls are quite inexpensive; however you are most likely buying knock-off goods, so quality in this case is suspect. This is also a place where your haggling skills will come in handy and get you a better price.
Currency And Money Exchange
The national currency is Thai Baht. You’ll find it quite easy to exchange your cash or get money from an ATM anywhere in Phuket. I’ve yet to have a problem finding and ATM or Currency exchange booth, they seem to be on every corner.
You’ll need to decide whether it makes more sense to you to carry cash to exchange or using an ATM card to get Thai Baht. ATM’s are convenient; however you need to be mindful of the surcharges.
The ATM’s will charge you a small fee as well as an additional fee from your home bank to make the conversion. These can add up, and I like to take as much money out at a time as possible to keep the charges to a minimum. I only carry the cash I need and keep the extra in the room safe.
The ATM’s will also try to get you to use their currency conversion services. They will give you the option to have them make the conversion or your home bank. I’ve found the best solution is to let your home bank do it. If you select for the ATM to do it that will add yet another charge and not give you as good of a conversion rate. So if you are given a prompt like this when withdrawing cash, decline their services. These little charges really add up over the course of a vacation.