Travel to Bangkok on a budget

Good news for budget travellers. According to a recent survey by Mercer, Bangkok is less expensive that a number of neighbouring cities including Hanoi, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

The survey, which covered 143 cities around the world ranked Bangkok the 98th most expensive city, proving that it is still an ideal destination for those wishing to travel on a limited budget. The survey covered a number of essentials such as transport, food, accommodation and entertainment.

Nathalie Constantin-Met’ral is the senior researcher for Mercer. In a recent interview she told the Bangkok Post: “As a direct impact of the economic downturn over the last year we have observed significant fluctuations in most of the world’s currencies, which have had a profound impact on this year’s ranking. Many currencies, including the Euro and British pound, have weakened considerably against a strong US dollar causing a number of European cities to plummet in the rankings.”

The survey is taken each year and shows a slight change in Bangkok’s ranking as it moves from 105th place in the 2008 survey to 98th this year. However, this is still a cheap, colourful and cultural place to spend some time.