How Cheap Is Myanmar and How Much Does It Cost To Travel In Myanmar?
Travelling can be expensive so its good to keep track of expenses and make a budget. I tracked my spending so I can share with you how much it can cost to travel in Myanmar.
When I was researching online, Myanmar was listed as one of the most expensive countries is South East Asia, most people recommending a daily budget in Myanmar of $30-$50 per person per day. This seemed like a lot of money, especially when I would read the neighboring, more touristy country, Thailand would cost $20-$40 per day. Though, my daily Myanmar budget came to a lot less than expected in the end, showcasing the perfect backpacking affordable destination of Myanmar.
Book Cheap Transport In Myanmar: 12.Go Asia
How Much Does It Cost To Travel Myanmar?
The Cost To Travel In Yangon
Day 1 – Yangon
Flying into Yangon late at night my first major cost was my Visa. I had previously applied online and was approved for an e-visa at a cost of $50.00
I also picked up a sim card on arrival which gave me 4gb of data for $8.50
At the airport, I took a fixed price taxis to downtown Yangon accommodation $6.00
Staying at the Backpackers Bed & Breakfast for $10.00 per night including free breakfast and water.
Daily Cost In Myanmar: $74.50
Day 2- Yangon
Free breakfast from backpackers
Visited Shwedagon Pagoda and somehow managed not to pay
Lunch (Jam buns from corner store & soft drink) $0.70
Ferry to Dala Township $2.20 return
Two hour tuktuk tour split between four people of Dala Township $2
Dinner at Golden Duck Restaurant (fried rice, Japanese tofu & soft drink) $5.20
Staying at the Backpackers Bed & Breakfast for $10.00 including free breakfast and water.
Daily Cost In Myanmar: $20.10
Day 3- Yangon
Free breakfast from backpackers
Lunch at 999 Shan Noodle $1.50
I needed an adapter plug as I did not buy one before I left New Zealand $2.90
Half a watermelon $0.20, which I did not pay for as friend did
Bracelet purchased from a small boy who should probably be in school, not sitting in the back of a truck $0.70
Dinner is back to Golden Duck Restaurant again (fried rice & soft drink) $2.90
Staying at the Backpackers Bed & Breakfast for $10.00 including free breakfast and water.
Daily Cost In Myanmar: $18.00
Day 4- Yangon
Free breakfast from backpackers
Lunch at Rangoon Tea House (three samosas & watermelon juice) $5.00
Purchased a lock for my bag $1.50
I take the circle train around Yangon which is painfully long $0.15
I find a mini mart and purchase a dinner of cup noodles, cake and a soda $1.80
Staying at the Backpackers Bed & Breakfast for $10.00 including free breakfast and water.
Daily Cost In Myanmar: $18.45
Day 5- Yangon
Free breakfast at hostel
Went back to the mini mart and brought more noodles for lunch & dinner $1.80
Night bus to Bagan $13.50
Daily Cost In Myanmar: $15.30
The Cost To Travel In Bagan
Day 6- Bagan
Shared a taxi from the bus stop to the accommodation $2.20
Paid the Bagan entry fee $20.00
E bike hire from sunrise to sunset $5.00
Purchased a pair of pants to wear around to the temples $3.70
Buy a coconut $0.70
Lunch at A Little Bit of Bagan (egg & avocado sandwich & soft drink )$3.60
Dinner at A Little Bit of Bagan (pizza & soft drink) $4.00
Staying at the Royal Bagan Hotel for $13.50 including free breakfast.
Daily Cost In Myanmar: $52.70
Day 7- Bagan
Had a late breakfast which was included in the accommodation cost.
Dinner at Weatherspoons (lemon & lime juice, pasta & chips) $7.40
Staying at the Royal Bagan Hotel for $13.50 including free breakfast.
Daily Cost In Myanmar: $20.90
Day 8- Bagan
Had a late breakfast which was included in the accommodation cost.
E bike hire from sunrise to sunset $6.00
Bottled water $0.20
Dinner at A little Bit of Bagan (egg & avocado sandwich, chips & soft drink) $7.30
Staying at the Royal Bagan Hotel for $13.50 including free breakfast.
Daily Cost In Myanmar: $27.00
Day 9- Bagan
Free breakfast from accommodation
Late lunch at Shwe Ya Su Restaurant (pizza & lemon & lime juice) $5.50
Purchased noodles and water at corner store $0.80
Staying at the Royal Bagan Hotel for $13.50 including free breakfast.
Daily Cost In Myanmar: $19.80
Check Out How To Explore The Temples Of Bagan!
The Cost To Travel In Mandalay
Day 10- Mandalay
Free breakfast from accommodation
Bus to Mandalay $7.00
Purchased water $0.40
Ate the leftover noodles purchased yesterday for dinner
Staying at the Four Rivers Hostel Mandalay for $14.00 including free breakfast.
Daily Cost In Myanmar: $21.40
Day 11- Mandalay
Free breakfast from accommodation
Felt sick today so did not do anything
Dinner at Nova (mozzarella sticks, grilled cheese sandwich & a pot of tea) $11.60
Staying at the Four Rivers Hostel Mandalay for $14.00 including free breakfast.
Daily Cost In Myanmar: $25.60
Day 12- Mandalay
Free breakfast from accommodation
Day tour organised through hostel to monastery, pagoda, local school, Sutaungpyei Pagoda, ava township and U-Bein Bridge $6.50
Lunch at a random side of the road restaurant- fried rice & soft drink $3.30
Snack purchased soft drink and chips- $0.60
Took a short boat ride across to Ava/Inwa township $0.90
Staying at the Four Rivers Hostel Mandalay for $14.00 including free breakfast.
Daily expenditure: $25.30
Day 13- Mandalay
Free breakfast from accommodation
Shared taxi to the airport to catch flight to Thailand $2.90
Lunch at airport café (chips, cake and a pot of tea) $7.40
Daily Cost In Myanmar: $10.30
How Much Does it Cost To Travel In Myanmar?
| Costs To Travel In Myanmar | Kyat | US Dollars |
| Visa | 70000 | $50.00 |
| Taxi Airport To Hostel | 8000 | $6.00 |
| Sim Card With Data | 11500 | $8.50 |
| Ferry To Dala | 3000 | $2.20 |
| Tuk Tuk Tour In Dala | 2000 | $2.00 |
| Power Adapter | 4000 | $2.90 |
| Bracelet | 1000 | $0.70 |
| Circle Train | 200 | $0.15 |
| Lock | 2000 | $1.50 |
| Bus To Bagan | 18500 | $13.50 |
| Taxi Into Bagan | 3000 | $2.20 |
| Bagan Entry Fee | 25000 | $20.00 |
| Pants | 5000 | $3.70 |
| EBike Hire Day 1 | 7000 | $5.00 |
| EBike Hire day 2 | 8000 | $6.00 |
| Bus To Mandalay | 9000 | $7.00 |
| Day Tour Mandalay | 9000 | $6.50 |
| Ferry To Ava/Inwa | 1200 | $0.90 |
| Taxi To Mandalay Airport | 4000 | $2.90 |
| Accommodation | 187000 | $136.00 |
| Food | 87250 | $64.30 |
| Total Costs | 465650 | $341.95 |
| Costs per day | 35819 | $26.30 |
Myanmar Budget vs Myanmar Costs
| Budgeted | Actual | Difference | |
| Total Spend | $455.00 | $341.95 | +$113.05 |
| Cost per day | $35.00 | $26.30 | +$8.10 |
How I Book Cheap Transport In Myanmar: 12.Go Asia
How To Save Money When Traveling In Myanmar
- Book hostels with free breakfast
- Check out whether those hostels also include free water
- Share transport with other people, hostels should have a board to put your name down on
- Organised tours online can be expensive, try do it yourself or see if your accommodation offers anything
- One of the many awesome facts about Yangon is how affordable it is to get around by taking taxis!
- You can haggle with street vendors, but me, nor anyone I was traveling with ever did, we felt like prices were too cheap in Myanmar
All prices are quoted in USD.
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Want more Myanmar inspiration? Check out….
- EXPLORING DALA TOWNSHIP, YANGON, MYANMAR
- THE COST OF TRAVELING MYANMAR
- THE BACKPACKERS TRAVEL GUIDE TO BAGAN IN MYANMAR
- TOP THINGS TO DO IN YANGON, MYANMAR
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on it and purchase something I get a small percentage at no extra cost to you. Though, as always all opinions are my own and your support is much appreciated.
Do you still need to show money pf $10,000 upon filing for e-visa?
Hey Ren
I have traveled Myanmar twice, both on an e-visa and didn’t have to provide proof of funds.
Hello. Tasha thank for answering my question and it’s great to know about it. Thank you so much 😌
Very very good and complet. Yangon in 3 days?! Yes!?…
Do you recommend the same hostels?
Thank you for sharing your trip in detail. Im about to book a trip there though not sure where to go just yet. I will be leaving in 8 days though.
Thanks again.
Maderson.
Hey Maderson. I think it depends on your travel style. This was my first solo trip and I definately traveled too slow. Try make the most out of overnight buses. Yangon has changed a lot these days and I wouldnt recommend longer than 2 nights. Try get to Bagan for the temples and Inle Lake for nature. Then you could end flying out of Mandalay.
We found Myanmar to be cheaper than expected too! Especially as we weren’t drinking or eating much after I was blighted with the worst food poisoning of my life in Yangon. Fruit and white rice doesn’t cost very much hehe. I guess for solo travellers there isn’t a lot of dorm situations, but we were splitting a private room anyway so were paying around $10 a night each for accommodation – and everywhere was a/c which was nice!
Oh no food poisoning is the worst, but you’re right it does help you save money haha! Wow $10 a night is an awesome price, especially with a/c!
Love this guide! I’m planning my birthday trip to SE Asia and have pinned this for research as the time gets closer!
Awesome! Where are you planning on going in South East Asia?
Very helpful to see that cost breakdown. One question — were you staying in dorms or private rooms for those prices?
In dorm rooms :) They were honestly some of the best hostels I have ever stayed in, wasn’t expecting that from a country still fairly new to tourism
Love to read this helpful detailed lists. Thank you for taking the time to share this. Will be verry useful!
It actually seems like it was extremely cheap! I wonder where they got the idea that it’s more expensive than other countries ?
The only thing I found more expensive when compared to other SE Asian countries is accommodation, but in my experience they were much better quality
This will be so helpful for my upcoming trip to Myanmar. I’m looking forward to watching sunrise in Bagan! Nice photos btw :)
Oh you will love it! Wish I was back there, enjoy!
Bookmark for this blog…it will come handy.
What a great guide! It looks like you did a lot and looks very affordable! Myanmar is on my list so I will definitely keep this guide handy
Yeah its an amazing country! You need to visit before it becomes the new Thailand and is overwhelmed by tourists
Myanmar is such an incredible country and it is very doable on a budget! This is a great post and full of really helpful information :)
Lucy x
Thanks for writing this! I find that there aren’t that many good articles around with top tips for Myanmar. Besides those 3 stops are there any other places on the backpacker route that you’ve heard would be worth visiting in Myanmar? :)
No worries! I recommend visiting Lake Inle, unfortunately I did make it to there, but it is along the main backpacking route and very accessible. In all honesty I spent to long in places, could’ve fit Lake Inle in as well if I had planned a little smarter. I will be publishing a Myanmar itinerary as well so keep an eye out for that :)
I do cost breakdowns as well and never thought to summarize it like this. Great idea!
Wow this is a great budget! This too is how I prefer to travel. I look for the less expensive hostels that include breakfast. Heck sometimes I even sneak a little sandwich or something from breakfast. If you think about it, you really can save when you travel. Overall, a spending less than $4 for almost 2 weeks is amazing!
Haha thats an amazing little trick! I guess you can easily wrap it up in a napkin and sneak it out! Will have to try that
Looking through the food you ate and I’m wondering are you vegetarian? I didn’t see any meat options in your break down. I love this – budgeting is key and I’m pleased with how easy it is to spend little and have fun at the same time!
Yeah I am vegetarian :) I found the majority of the street food in Myanmar was meat orientated which is why I ate at restaurants as they provide more options.
Such a great idea to write a practical and detailed breakdown of your trip! It just shows that you can still get good food on a budget (I love fried rice and noodles haha). Also you got me jealous with the pictures of hot air balloons!!!!
Thanks! Yes I love them as well and its so cheap! The sights in Bagan are amazing!
Never thought of visiting there. I like your breakdown of cost. Cool to find places with affordable food cost. Nice pics
I’m so desperate to visit Myanmar and it’s nice to know you can do it on a budget too! Looks like you still had a very full trip and managed to capture some incredible experiences ?
Oh its such an affordable country! It was amazing and I am sure you will love it when you visit one day
Loved it! Thanks for such detailed breakdown and tips! And I loved the pictures with hot air baloons! Great view for free ;)
Such a great breakdown, super helpful tips. It’s so great to know you can travel to great places really cheap.
Great tips and I love the breakdown! You took some lovely pictures :)
Nice very detailed post! Nice work! Love your pictures too!
Super useful itinerary! I visited Yangon a while ago but sadly I was on a tight schedule so I didn’t get to explore wider Myanmar. Hope to go back again though – such a beautiful country!
Yangon is still a beautiful place and at least you got a small taste of Myanmar :)
I’m still on the fence on where to go for a month in winter, I need somewhere cheap and was thinking of Myanmar but then was debating between Costa Rica (so expensive though) and Sri Lanka, but seeing that Myanmar is actually not that expensive, I might actually plan my trip there! :D
Yeah its super affordable, just depending where you are flying from the flights may not be so cheap. With a month you could also explore the amazing beaches in Myanmar or even pop over to the neighboring Thailand. I have been to Costa Rica as well, though they all sound like awesome options and I would for sure have a tough time deciding
Love how detailed this is! Really informative and a good guide for a trip to Myanmar.
Thanks, glad you found it informative :)
Wow.. What a very detailed itinerary with tips! ☺ i was born and raised in Southeast Asia (Philippines) but i never had a chance to visit Myanmar. I will read your blogpost again when I decided to travel Myanmar. Thank you again ?
Awesome! I am yet to visit the Philippines, but defianetly one day I will, it looks like such an amazing country! Thanks
Myanmar is on my bucket list. This is really useful information for when I plan my trip! Thanks for the post!
No worries, its a beautiful country and I am sure you will have a great time