I spent 9 days in Laos, and spent $400. I have accounted for $370, and calculated costs based on the $370. The remaining $30 was not recorded and I don’t want to guess categories.
If I had spent more time in Laos, my daily average would be lower. If I had purchased any tours instead of exploring on my own, my average will be higher.
My budgeting goal in Asia is $25 / day, excluding major transportation between cities. Due to my rapid tour of this country, I overspent that goal almost every day.
Here is a link to the raw data collected on cost tracking in Laos:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lJLgVsN5TCtq3DbE-WFS6BaZ4u8071lJQVwtacsDOtk
Here is a link to my blog post on what all I did in Laos:
https://deenawhitwam.wixsite.com/travelblog/blog/what-to-do-in-laos
MY AVERAGE COST PER DAY:
$42.47
MY AVERAGE COST PER DAY EXCLUDING ALCOHOL:
$34.67
MY AVERAGE COST PER DAY EXCLUDING VISA ($35), ENTRY TRANSPORT COSTS ($31), EXIT TRANSPORT COSTS ($41):
$30.58
BREAKDOWN
FOOD
Food Total $86.60
Daily Avg Cost $7.87
ACCOMODATION
Hostel Total $36.00
Daily Avg Cost $4.00
TRANSPORT
Transport Total $128.00
Daily Avg Cost $16.00
OTHER
Other Total $68.00
Daily Avg Cost $6.80
ALCOHOL
Alcohol Total $46.80
Daily Avg Cost $7.80
Food
I usually ate two meals per day as breakfast was included at the hostels. One of these meals was a budget meal ($2), and the other was a nicer cultural or western meal ($5). Snacks are also included in this cost, and with so many travel days snacks increased my average. Food is cheap in Laos, but snacks are expensive!
Accomodation
I am not picky about hostels, so this is in no way luxury accomodation. I think this is an accurate average cost for sleeping in Laos.
Transport
Transport is by far the most expensive part of travel, and I never use taxis. Intercity transport costs cannot be avoided without hitchhiking, so it’s just a cost you must swallow. Spending more days in each city helps divide out the transport costs over a longer period of time, but because I switched cities so quickly this number is extra high.
Other
The other category includes admission to any attractions, laundry, water, and the $35 visa into Laos. I did not use tour agencies to explore anything in Laos, so this is a very budget-conscious daily average.
Alcohol
I am not a heavy drinker. This category is describing two nights out with friends and a beer with dinner every night. Drinking is expensive! You will save a lot of money staying sober, but if you do party remember to budget for it.
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