What £50/day actually gets you across Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos — not the floor-level budget that requires sleeping in dormitories and eating only street food, and not the mid-range that inflates the numbers by choosing boutique hotels. The honest middle: a private room with air conditioning, two restaurant meals, street food for breakfast, inter-city transport, and the occasional entry fee. This is what it costs.
Reading time: 8 minutes | Last updated: 2026
The “Southeast Asia is cheap” claim is true and frequently misused. The region’s cost floor (sleeping in dormitory beds, eating only street food, using only local transport) is approximately £12-18/day across most of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The cost ceiling (private pool villas, fine dining restaurants, private transfers) is unlimited.
£50/day is the honest middle ground for a UK traveller doing Southeast Asia properly — a private room, good food, the right experiences, no significant compromises. This breakdown shows where the £50 goes in each country.
Thailand on £50/Day
The daily breakdown in Bangkok:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Private room, fan or AC guesthouse, Bangkok | £12-18 |
| Pad kra pao and rice, street stall, breakfast | £1.40 |
| Khao man gai, market lunch | £1.15 |
| Pad see ew, dinner restaurant | £2.30 |
| BTS Skytrain, 3 journeys | £1.50 |
| Grab taxi, 2 short trips | £3 |
| Beer at dinner (Chang, large bottle) | £1.60 |
| Water, snacks throughout day | £1 |
| Temple entry (Wat Pho) | £4.55 |
| Daily total | £28.50-34.50 |
Budget surplus: £15-21/day in Bangkok, which accumulates for the island beach days (where costs rise to £35-45/day for a guesthouse on Koh Lanta or Koh Phangan with beach access, and the snorkelling day trip) and for the one splurge day at a Chiang Mai elephant sanctuary (£60-80 for the ethical sanctuary experience, half-day).
The Thai island economy:
Ko Samui (the developed island): guesthouses from £18-25/night, beach club entry £5-8, meals £4-8, total £40-55/day.
Koh Lanta (the mid-development island): guesthouses from £14-20/night, meals £3-6, no beach club entry fees, total £30-40/day.
Koh Samui and Koh Phangan are the islands where £50/day produces the correct experience. The outlier: Koh Tao (the budget diving island — the Open Water certification at £200-250 for 4 days including instruction and equipment is the single largest single expenditure in a Thai budget trip, but the per-day cost including the course averages out over a week to well within the £50 target).
The Chiang Mai difference:
Chiang Mai costs approximately 30% less than Bangkok for equivalent accommodation quality. The cooking class (£20-28), the elephant sanctuary (£60-80), and the night market (meals £3-5) make Chiang Mai days either cheaper than Bangkok (if doing the market and the temple circuit) or more expensive (the elephant sanctuary or the cooking class days). Budget accordingly.
The overall Thailand week:
| Day | Location | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Bangkok | £30-38/day |
| 3 | Overnight train to Chiang Mai | £15 (train) |
| 4-5 | Chiang Mai | £25-35/day (inc. elephant day) |
| 6-7 | Koh Lanta (fly Chiang Mai-Krabi, £30-50) | £35-45/day |
14-day Thailand total (return flights from UK, £350-500): £650-850 total including flights.
Vietnam on £50/Day
Vietnam is marginally cheaper than Thailand for accommodation and food, more expensive for inter-city transport (the distances are longer and the overnight trains and buses add up).
The daily breakdown in Hanoi:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Private room, Hanoi Old Quarter guesthouse | £10-16 |
| Pho bo, street breakfast | £1.25 |
| Bun cha, lunch restaurant | £1.88 |
| Cha ca la vong, dinner restaurant | £4.70 |
| Grab motorbike, 4 journeys | £2 |
| Hoan Kiem Lake iced coffee | £0.63 |
| Beer (Hanoi bia hơi, draught) | £0.31 per glass, 3 glasses |
| Water, fruit throughout day | £1.25 |
| Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Temple of Literature | £2.50 |
| Daily total | £25-32 |
The Vietnam transport reality:
The distances in Vietnam are the primary budget consideration. Hanoi to Hoi An by train (16 hours overnight, hard sleeper £12, soft sleeper £18) is the most cost-effective long-distance connection. The domestic flights (Hanoi to Da Nang, 1.5 hours, from £15 with VietJet booked ahead) are often cheaper than the train for the Ha Long Bay to Hoi An leap if time is the constraint.
The Ha Long Bay addition:
The overnight cruise (the essential Ha Long Bay experience) costs £80-180/person for 2 nights — a significant single-line item. Spread over a 14-day Vietnam trip, this adds £6-13/day to the overall average.
The overall Vietnam budget:
| Segment | Days | Approx Daily Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hanoi + Ha Long Bay overnight | 4 | £40-50 (cruise inflates) |
| Hue and Hoi An | 4 | £28-35 |
| Ho Chi Minh City | 3 | £30-38 |
| Mekong Delta overnight | 2 | £35-45 |
14-day Vietnam total (return flights from UK via Bangkok or Singapore, £350-550): £750-950 including flights.
Morocco on £40/Day
Morocco is cheaper than Southeast Asia for accommodation, similar for food, and the internal transport is extremely affordable (the ONCF train network connects the major cities at low cost).
The daily breakdown in Marrakech:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Private room, Medina riad guesthouse | £18-28 |
| Café Touba, msemen, market breakfast | £0.80 |
| Djemaa el-Fna food stall lunch | £3-5 |
| Restaurant dinner, Getsemaní equivalent | £6-10 |
| Petit taxi, 3 journeys (metered) | £3 |
| Hammam (neighbourhood, not tourist spa) | £1.60 |
| Fresh-pressed orange juice, 2 glasses | £0.80 |
| Water, mint tea throughout day | £0.80 |
| Bahia Palace + Saadian Tombs entries | £11.20 |
| Daily total | £46-62 |
The Morocco reality: riad prices inflate Marrakech.
The Medina riad accommodation is the correct Marrakech experience and it costs more than a standard hotel room would elsewhere. The £18-28/night range is for a simple but characterful riad room; anything below £15/night in the Medina is a dormitory or a room with structural concerns. The budget can be managed by:
- Staying in Fes or Chefchaouen rather than Marrakech (cheaper riads for equivalent quality).
- Spending time in the Marrakech hammam and the souks (free) rather than at paid sites.
The Moroccan train:
Marrakech to Casablanca: £5.80 (2.5 hours, ONCF). Casablanca to Fes: £7.60 (4 hours). Fes to Chefchaouen: shared taxi £7 (3 hours). The train network is the best value in Morocco.
The overall Morocco 10-day budget:
| Segment | Days | Cost/Day |
|---|---|---|
| Marrakech | 3 | £45-60 |
| Sahara Desert (overnight camp add-on) | 2 | £60-80 (camel trek, camp, guide) |
| Fes | 2 | £35-48 |
| Chefchaouen | 2 | £28-38 |
| Tangier/departure | 1 | £35-45 |
10-day Morocco total (return flights from UK, £80-180): £500-720 including flights.
Colombia on £35/Day
Colombia is the best-value South American country for UK travellers — and the value gap between Colombia and its neighbours (Peru and Ecuador) is significant.
The daily breakdown in Medellín:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Private room, El Poblado guesthouse or hostel private | £14-22 |
| Arepa de choclo, street breakfast | £0.38 |
| Almuerzo corriente (set lunch), local restaurant | £1.88 |
| Restaurant dinner, Laureles neighbourhood | £6-10 |
| Metro + cable car, full day | £1.88 |
| Beer (Club Colombia) | £0.94 |
| Water, fresh juice throughout | £1.25 |
| Commune 13 graffiti tour tip | £3 |
| Daily total | £30-41 |
The Colombia internal transport:
The Colombia that rewards the budget traveller: flying internally rather than taking buses for the longest routes. Medellín to Cartagena (1 hour by Avianca or LATAM, from £30-55 one way) versus the 12-hour bus (£15-20). The flight is correct for journeys over 5 hours.
The Wingo and Viva Colombia budget airlines have transformed Colombian internal connectivity — Bogotá to San Andres (the Caribbean island) from £40 one way, Medellín to the Coffee Region (Armenia or Manizales, 30 minutes) from £25.
The Colombian safety budget:
El Poblado in Medellín and the Getsemaní in Cartagena are the safe tourist neighbourhoods. The budget calculation: staying within the safe areas doesn’t significantly inflate costs (El Poblado has a full range of accommodation from £12-35/night). Uber is the transport choice (safer and cheaper than street taxis throughout Colombia).
The Cartagena inflation:
Cartagena’s walled city accommodation (the colonial buildings converted to boutique hotels) runs £45-80/night for a quality room — significantly above the Medellín guesthouse economy. The Getsemaní neighbourhood adjacent to the walled city gives £20-40/night for equivalent quality. The budget traveller stays in Getsemaní; the mid-range traveller stays in the walled city.
The overall Colombia 12-day budget:
| Segment | Days | Cost/Day |
|---|---|---|
| Medellín | 4 | £32-40 |
| Coffee Region (Salento, Cocora Valley) | 3 | £25-35 |
| Cartagena | 3 | £40-55 |
| San Andres Island | 2 | £45-60 |
12-day Colombia total (return flights from UK via Madrid or Miami, £500-750): £900-1,200 including flights.
The Comparison Table
| Country | Daily Budget (incl. accommodation) | 14-Day Total (excl. flights) | Return Flights from UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | £28-45 | £400-630 | £350-500 |
| Vietnam | £28-45 | £400-630 | £350-550 |
| Cambodia | £22-35 | £310-490 | £400-600 |
| Laos | £18-30 | £250-420 | £400-600 |
| Morocco | £38-58 | £540-810 | £80-180 |
| Colombia | £30-50 | £420-700 | £500-750 |
The Budget Leaks
The costs that inflate the Southeast Asia budget beyond expectations:
Visa costs: Cambodia ($30/£24 e-visa), Vietnam ($25/£20 e-visa), Laos ($30/£24). A 3-country circuit adds £68-72 in visa fees before a single night’s accommodation.
Alcohol: The bia hơi (fresh draught beer) at 31p per glass in Hanoi is exceptional. The cocktail at a Hoi An beach bar is £5-8. Beer costs in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia are low; cocktails at tourist bars are not.
Experience days: The Angkor Wat 3-day pass ($62/£50), the Ha Long Bay 2-night cruise (£80-180), the ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai (£60-80). These are the correct choices; they require budgeting for.
Motorbike hire: 150,000-200,000 VND / £4.71-6.28/day in Vietnam — the most cost-effective transport for the Hai Van Pass and the rural sections, and worth every penny.
