Actual Costs – Hong Kong

We knew Hong Kong would be expensive but it still hurt to spend US$10 on a beer! We decided to splurge out on our accommodation for our last four nights of our trip and chose a 4-star hotel. We were very disappointed to arrive to a tiny room that reeked of smoke. Accommodation is very expensive in Hong Kong and our US$70 a night “splurge” was actually just the normal going rate for a mediocre room! After battling with our disappointment we decided to go out for some food and beer and were horrified to see the prices. We were not as well prepared as we thought we were.

So be prepared if you are going to visit Hong Kong – the normal Southeast Asia backpackers budget is not really going to work here. We were, however, able to buy beers from the 7Eleven and eat some cheap meals here and there. To give you an idea of actual costs we have listed the cost of some common things:

• Take-away slice of pizza = HK$35
• Dim Sum = HK$15-30 for an order of 2/3 pieces. You’ll spend about HK$150 for two people
• Beer at a bar = HK$60
• Beer at 7Eleven = 2 for HK$14

Below is the table of what we spent our money on. Our average daily cost came to US$178 for the two of us.

Actual Costs – Hong Kong

Actual Costs – Vietnam

We spent a fair bit of money on activities in Vietnam as there is just so much to do and we didn’t want to miss out. We also entered the final month of our 11-month long trip so we decided to go for broke! We managed to save quite a bit on accommodation and transport by mostly eating local food and with our open bus ticket from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. You could easily do Vietnam on a tighter budget but then you wouldn’t really be doing all the exciting things like a cooking class, canyoning and a cruise in Halong Bay. There is no need to eat in expensive restaurants as the best food is often found at local street food stalls. Alcohol can be cheap in some places and expensive in others. The cheapest beer we had was in Hoi An at VND4,000 a glass and the most expensive beer we had was on the Halong Bay cruise at VND45,000 a can. To give you an idea of actual costs we have listed the cost of some common things:

• Western meal from a restaurant = VND100,000
• Pho from a local restaurant = VND60,000
• Beer at a local restaurant = VND20,000
• Scooter hire = VND100,000per day

Below is the table of what we spent our money on. Our average daily cost came to US$83 for the two of us.

Actual Costs – Vietnam

Actual Costs – Cambodia

Cambodia can be done on far less than we did it but we are getting a bit tired of struggling to find accommodation and hassling with public transport, so we did up our spending when it came to this. We flew in to Phnom Penh instead of crossing via land from Thailand. We opted to hire private tuk-tuk drivers in Phnom Penh for the Killing Fields and in Siem Reap for Angkor Wat. We also only booked accommodation online via booking.com setting a budget of $20 per night, a little more if breakfast was included. Beer in Cambodia is super cheap at $0.50 for a draft, so we did manage to spend less on alcohol than we normally would.

To give you an idea of actual costs we have listed the cost of some common things:

• Indian meal from a restaurant = $5
• Beef Lok-Lak from a local restaurant = $3.50
• Draft beer at a restaurant = $0.50
• Scooter hire = $5 per day

Below is the table of what we spent our money on. Our average daily cost came to US$76 for the two of us. The dollar is the de-facto currency with the Cambodian Riel only really used as cents (they don’t use USD coins). Everyone uses the set exchange rate of KHR4000 to $1.

Actual Costs – Cambodia

Actual Costs – Thailand

Thailand can be cheap and it can be expensive, it depends on what kind of holiday you are on. We met up with friends of ours from South Africa, so we upped our backpacking budget a little to be able to enjoy the holiday with them. We stayed in more luxurious resorts, we rented a scooter for 16 of the 22 days and we drank a lot more beer than we usually would. We also needed to extend our visa which cost a fair bit. To give you an idea of actual costs we have listed the cost of some common things:

• Phad Thai from a street market = TBH60
• Thai green curry from a restaurant = THB150
• Bottle of beer from a pub = THB80
• Vodka sprite bucket = THB300
• Scooter hire per day = THB130-THB150

Below is the table of what we spent our money on. Our average daily cost came to US$90 for the two of us.

Actual Costs – Thailand

Actual Costs – Malaysia

Malaysia was by far the cheapest country we have visited on our trip so far when it comes to eating out. We could not believe how cheap things were at first. We had meals for two for $3 that were delicious. We also bought souvenirs, as we couldn’t resist how cheap they were! One thing that is expensive though is alcohol as the country is mostly Muslim. So this pushed our costs up a bit. To give you an idea of actual costs we have listed the cost of some common things:

• Indian meal from a restaurant= MYR10
• Satay from street food stall = MYR0.70 each
• Noodles from street food stall= MYR5
• Pint of beer at a pub = MYR35

Below is the table of what we spent our money on. Our average daily cost came to US$77 for the two of us.

Actual Costs – Malaysia

Actual Costs – Singapore

Singapore is by far the most expensive country we will visit on our Asian trip. It is a rich, cosmopolitan city with a currency that rivals the US dollar. We therefore didn’t stay for very long! We had our uncle’s flat to stay in, so we managed to keep costs down by not paying for accommodation. To give you an idea of actual costs we have listed the cost of some common things:

• Indian meal in Little India = SGD10
• McDonald’s meal = SGD7
• Standard MRT rate for short trip = SGD1.50
• Pint of beer at a restaurant = SGD12

Below is the table of what we spent our money on. Our average daily cost came to US$62 for the two of us.

Actual Costs – Singapore

Actual Costs – Indonesia

As we were staying with our uncle and our family joined us for the holiday we didn’t stick to our usual backpackers budget. We therefore didn’t record what we spent our money on, as it won’t really be useful to a backpacker. We have given a list below of what things generally cost to give an idea of what a budget could look like.

Beer from the supermarket = IDR22K

Beer at a bar = IDR35K

Food from a local restaurant = IDR40K

Scooter hire for a day = IDR60K

Dorm bed in a hostel = IDR150K

River rafting day trip = IDR350K/pp

Actual Costs – Brazil 2

We have already written about our costs for our first two weeks in Brazil so this is just a continuance of that as we ended our trip in Brazil again. This time our costs were higher than the first time we were in Brazil as we went to Bonito and did lots of tours, which can get quite expensive. As this was the end of our South America trip though we were willing to splurge a little. That having been said, the Brazilian real has depreciated in value since we were here in February, so things have actually become a bit cheaper if you convert back to your home currency.

Below is the table of what we spent our money on. Our average daily cost came to US$159 for the two of us.

Actual Costs – Brazil 2

Actual Costs – Argentina

Argentina was a little pricier than the rest of South America but we managed to save a ton of money by exchanging dollars on the informal market. You can save up to a third by bringing dollars into the country and exchanging it there instead of withdrawing at the normal rate from an ATM or exchange bureaus. Transport is quite expensive but the quality of the busses are excellent. Always ask for their discounted tickets as they are about 25% cheaper and if you pay in cash you also get another 10%-15% discount. You can save by cooking at home rather than eating out, as food in restaurants can also be pricey.

To give you an idea of actual costs we have listed the cost of some common things:

• Chorripan from a food truck = ARS25
• McDonald’s Cheeseburger = ARS25
• Steak at a restaurant = ARS150
• Pint of beer at a restaurant = ARS40

Below is the table of what we spent our money on. Our average daily cost came to US$82 for the two of us.

Actual Costs – Argentina

Actual Costs – Chile

Chile is more expensive than the rest of South America but the quality of the services and food is worth it! We didn’t hold back when it came to food and drink as we had just come from Bolivia where the choices were rather limited. We did try and save some money by Couchsurfing for 5 days in Santiago. If you want to save even more money you should make your own food at home as groceries are really cheap in Chile.

To give you an idea of actual costs we have listed the cost of some common things:

• Hotdog (Completo) = CLP1000
• Fast food meal = CLP4000
• Seafood meal at a restaurant = CLP6000
• Small beer at a restaurant = CLP1800

Below is the table of what we spent our money on. Our average daily cost came to US$94 for the two of us.

Actual Costs – Chile