India vs Thailand Budget: Which Country Costs Less for Travelers?

When you’re planning a trip across Asia, India, a vast country with deep cultural roots, diverse climates, and wildly variable prices depending on where you go often comes up alongside Thailand, a Southeast Asian nation famous for its beaches, street food, and budget-friendly infrastructure. Many travelers ask: which one lets you stretch your dollar further? The answer isn’t simple, but it’s practical. You can live on under $20 a day in both places, but what you get for that money changes completely.

Food in India is cheap, but you pay for it in effort—finding clean street stalls, avoiding raw salads, and knowing where to skip tourist traps. A meal in a local eatery might cost you 80 rupees ($1), but a similar plate in a tourist zone in Goa or Jaipur could jump to $5. In Thailand, a plate of pad thai from a street cart costs about 60 baht ($1.70), and it’s almost always safe. You don’t need to research hygiene rules as hard. Accommodation is where Thailand shines: a clean, air-conditioned room in Chiang Mai or Pai runs $15–$25. In India, you’ll pay $10–$20 too, but often without AC, hot water, or reliable Wi-Fi unless you upgrade. Transport in India is dirt cheap—train tickets across states cost less than $10—but delays are common. Thailand’s buses and trains are more reliable, and tuk-tuks are priced transparently if you know the going rate.

Activities tell another story. A temple visit in India might cost $10 for foreigners, but in Thailand, entry to Angkor Wat-style ruins like Ayutthaya or Sukhothai is $5–$10 too. Yet Thailand’s island hopping, snorkeling tours, and diving packages are priced for backpackers—$20 for a full-day boat trip. In India, you’ll pay more for the same experience, if it’s even available. And while both countries have amazing nightlife, Thailand’s party scene in Bangkok and Koh Phangan is built for tourists, with clear pricing and no hidden fees. India’s bars and clubs? Often expensive, inconsistent, and harder to navigate alone.

Thailand wins on consistency. India wins on variety. If you want predictable, clean, and easy—Thailand. If you want raw, chaotic, and deeply cultural—India. Neither is ‘better.’ But if your goal is to stretch your budget without stress, Thailand gives you more comfort for the same price. If you’re okay with a little hustle, India rewards you with deeper experiences and lower costs on everything from massages to train rides. You’ll find real-life examples of both in the posts below—from how much a Coke costs in Delhi to why a beach resort in Phuket beats Goa on value. Let’s break down what you’ll actually pay, where, and why.