Asia, Bangkok, Finances, Life, Thailand, Travel

By the Numbers: What I’ve Spent, Saved and Blown

21 February

This blog will continue to be updated as I travel the world and relevant information becomes available and irrelevant spending happens. Last Update: April 18, 2025

Ok, when I originally started this series, it was meant to serve as a tracker of all money in and all money out while I embarked on my journey to pay down my debt while traveling the world.

However, as I revealed in one of my recent posts, for various reasons the last six months have been anything but financially viable. Given this, I’ve decided to restructure this series so it serves more as a cost of living tracker for each of the locations I visit over the next few years. Additionally, at least for 2025, instead of living in one country for 2-3 months and then moving to another, I am going to sit my ass down in Thailand for most of the year, and take shorter trips to other countries in Southeast Asia, like Cambodia, Bali and Singapore.

As with my first installment of this series, I will do my best to track every penny (ie: Baht) spent while on this journey, including food, transportation, lodging, attractions, self-care, gym fees, etc, etc, etc. Once I get back on my normal track with income, I’ll resume tracking and reporting my overall progress on paying down my 200k+ in debt.

That said, let’s get into the numbers. Below is a breakdown of my expenses while living in Bangkok. I’ve categorized everything to give you a clear picture of what it really costs to live here, whether you’re a budget traveler, digital nomad, or just curious about the financial reality of long-term travel.

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Bangkok: Round One (February 16 - May 18):

I’ve dreamed of visiting Bangkok ever since the idea of living abroad first entered my mind. Now that I’m finally here, I’m exploring everything this vibrant and boisterous city has to offer. The cost of living here is significantly lower than in the U.S., which extends to many of my favorite things, like healthcare, self-care and beauty treatments, making it even more appealing for me as a long-term destination.

That being said, here’s the good, the Baht, and wallet-friendly of living in the Land of Smiles.

Last Updated: April 18, 2025

Airfare (Including seat selection and Food): $1,649.87
To be honest, this is on the high-end. I had to change my ticket a few times (for personal reasons we may discuss later), making it more expensive than needed. Depending on how far in advance you get your ticket, plan on $900 – $1100 for upper/premium economy, with bags, on a decent airline like Turkish Airlines.
Lodging (Paid through 5/18): $2,282.04 (avg. $25.37 per day)
Transportation: $125.73
Food & Household Necessities: $1022.63 (avg. $16.76 per day)
Beauty & Self-Care: $154.42
Gym & Supplements: $198.35
Laundry: $28.13
Visa Expenses & Fees: $77.44
Attractions & Touristing: $0
Presents: $11.49
Everything Else: $49.92

Running Total Expenses: $5,600.02

Daily Average without Airfare: $52.89*
Monthly Average without Airfare: $1,586.64*
Daily Average with Airfare: $80.39*
Monthly Average with Airfare: $2,411.70*

*Updated Monthly on the 17th

Fresh Fruit is cheap, tasty and plentiful in Thailand. I’ve eaten more fruit in the two months I’ve been here than at any other time in my life…

The malls in Bangkok are an experience all their own… One Bangkok has quickly become my go-to one-stop-shop (ie: mall).

Previous Trips:

To make comparisons easier, I’ve included the daily and monthly averages for every country I’ve lived in since embarking on this grand adventure, including those few months I was back in the States. As a reminder, the totals below include things like lodging or rent, food, transportation or gas, gym fees, supplements, beauty products, mani/pedis, etc. Standard bills/debt payments that I have no matter where I travel, like phone, credits cards, insurance, storage, etc, are not included. The full breakdowns with category details for each location can be found here.

Whether it was sipping espresso in Europe, dodging street food temptations in Asia, or navigating the wild world of American grocery prices, it’s all in here. Gotta keep things fair, right?

London/Manchester/Wales (Two Weeks):

Total Spent: $3,933.21

Barcelona (Two Months):

Total Spent: $6,046.50
Daily Average: $102.48
Monthly Average: $3,023.25

South Korea (Two Months):

Total Spent: $4,928.98
Daily Average: $82.15
Monthly Average: $2,464.50

Barbados (2.5 Months):

Total Spent: $6,598.85*
Daily Average: $94.27
Monthly Average: $2,828.08

*This total is somewhat skewed because my bestie visited me for a week at the beginning of the trip and my mom visited me for 10 days at the end. Had they not, my totals for food and attractions would have been higher, thus making the overall cost of living slightly more expensive than these numbers reflect. Given this, COL in Barbados is more on par with that of Barcelona, or even the States depending on how much you eat out or partake in all the fun and attractions the island has to offer.

US: