An Ultimate Guide to Myanmar Budget Trip

Myanmar is a budget-friendly Asian country that every tourist can afford a short vacation in several days. Follow our money-saving guide to optimize your travel budget in Myanmar.

In Southeast Asia, Myanmar is a relatively unspoiled destination without bustling tourist attractions and huge expenditures. In another way, Myanmar is home to Buddhist pilgrimage sites and floating markets that don’t treat you as an ATM. There are dozens of awesome places at the seriously low cost of travel. It is amazing how you visit most of the popular attractions, stay in a budget room and eat local Burmese food with a budget of only $70 - 100 per day. Although a daily budget depends much on your needs, you still can save on the cost of travel in Myanmar by practising these money-saving tips.

Watching balloon ride over Bagan is a budget way to save travel cost in Myanmar

Let’s meet a budget of the following categories including accommodation, transportation, admission, and food & drink. You will see a cost-effective daily budget while traveling to Myanmar.

1. Find a budget accommodation

Accommodation is expected to be the most considerable expenditure, regardless of the fact that the cost of accommodations in Myanmar tends to be higher than accommodation costs in other neighboring countries. It is normally expected to pay around $10 – $15 for a dorm bed; $25 – 30 for a budget private room; $30 – 50 for a mid-range room and over $60 for a high-end room. To save money on accommodations, you should follow these tips for a budget trip in Myanmar.

• Avoid staying in a hotel situated in the heart of the city center. Due to the perfect location and full services, accommodations in large cities can cost you an arm and a leg. Instead of staying at an expensive resort in Ngapali beach, booking a room in small towns or non-touristy areas can tighten your belt on your Myanmar budget trip.
• Share accommodation cost with your partners in a private room rather than with strangers in a dorm. Actually, it is hard to find a low-cost dorm room in Myanmar while there is a wide range of budget hotel rooms to stay in Myanmar. In case of traveling alone, you can look for a partner in travel groups or forums to share your Myanmar daily budget with.

The 3-star hotel is a budget choice to save the cost of travel in Myanmar

• Travel during the low tourist season in Myanmar. In fact, accommodations during the rainy season offer various types of rooms at a lower cost than the rest of the time. There is no need to book in advance, as you can even find a budget room in person.
• Hunt for the best accommodation deals online. Many websites like Booking, Agoda, Traveloka, Trivago, etc. offer a great source of accommodation at different ranges of budget. Furthermore, you can get more discounts, combos, and promotions if you are an active member. This is the most cost-effective way to save your budget in Myanmar because you will have a lot of time and various options.

3-star Golden View Hotel in Bagan

You may also like: The 10 Best Hostels in Myanmar

2. Find a budget transportation

In terms of transportation, getting around in Myanmar is quite cheap and also depends on how far you travel around.

• Book a cheap flight to Myanmar. There are numerous low-cost flight deals to opt for as long as you spend time researching and comparing from sites to sites for the most budget trip to Myanmar. If you are tired of a long-haul journey on road, a budget flight ticket is also perfect for domestic transportation in Myanmar.

YBS (Yangon Bus Service) is a budget way to travel around Yangon, Myanmar

• Get around by public transport. The average cost of a local flight in Myanmar ranges from $50 to $150 while long bus rides and upper class trains cost around $10 - $30. You can choose either train or bus to cut the cost of transportation in Myanmar. If you want to save more money while traveling through Myanmar, try to experience the night bus.
• Always negotiate the cost of transportation before getting in a rental car or tuk-tuk. To save money on a long route, you should rent a private car or tuk tuk and bargain a fixed cost before your ride. This way, you can avoid some transportation scams of dishonest drivers.

3. How much admission cost?

The average cost of admission to historical sites in Myanmar is around $5 per person in one day. Most temples and ruins in Myanmar offer reasonable prices for budget travelers. Here is a list of entrance fees to some famous attractions in Myanmar. You’d better follow to adjust your travel budget in Myanmar.

• Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon: 10,000 Kyats (~ $7) for a visit to all of the amazing temples.
• Golden Rock (Kyaiktiyo Pagoda), Mon State: 10,000 Kyats (~ $7)
• Mandalay Archaeological Zone Fees (valid for 5 days): 10,000 Kyats (~ $7), including a visit to Amarapura, Innwa, Pinya, Paleik, Shwe Nan Taw Kyaung, Mandalay Royal Palace, Sanda Muni Pagoda, Kuthodaw Pagoda, Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda, and Mandalay Hill.
• Bagan Archaeological Zone Fees (valid for 3 days): 25,000 Kyats (~ $18) for a visit to main attractions like Ananda Temple, Shwezigon Pagoda, Dhammayan Gyi Temple and Shwesandaw Pagoda.
• Inle Zone Fees (valid for 3 days): 15,000 Kyats (~ $10)

Inle Lake is a must-visit destination in Myanmar

• Mingun & Sagaing Archaeological Zone Frees (valid for 1 day): 5,000 Kyats (~ $3.5)
• City entrance fees: 25,000 Kyats for Bagan city and 15,000 Kyats for Inle.
• Other fees: 200 – 300 Kyats for camera allowance in a few temples and pagodas.

To the reduce cost of admission in Myanmar, you should check our travel guide or recommendations from previous travelers to figure out whether the attraction is really worth it. In addition, a journey to less-visited villages around the temples is worth visiting on a budget in Myanmar.

Let's try out the best adventure tours in Myanmar.

4. Foods & drinks for budget travelers

If you are on a budget, there are great selections of eating out in Myanmar. The following tips will help you spend a daily budget of $15 – 20 for food and drink in Myanmar.

• Enjoy street food in Myanmar. Street food not only gives authentic Burmese taste but also costs you extremely cheap, around $5 for a basic meal. Find out some must-try Myanmar street food like Mohinga (fish soup with rice noodles), Burmese curry, and other more dishes.

Read more: Top 9 Must-try Foods in Myanmar

Street food is always budget-friendly while traveling to a country

• Try out local restaurants. Another budget way of traveling in Myanmar is dining at local restaurants. Except for some tourist restaurants in Bagan and Yangon, most dishes at local restaurants are served at the typical Asian fare (under $5 each). However, you can be flexible between Western-styled and Burmese restaurants, as long as they are affordable and fit your travel budget in Myanmar.
• Have breakfast in your accommodation. Most of the hotels in Myanmar serve breakfast included in the room fare. Sometimes, breakfast in your accommodation is either a nice experience or an economical option to save time and budget in Myanmar.

To sum up, Myanmar is an excellent value whether you are a budget traveler or not. The best way to save money on your Myanmar vacation is to choose the best deals on budget-friendly Myanmar tours with BestPrice Travel.

Nhung Dang

(Image source: Internet)