BIG TRIP BUDGET | FREE | IN AUD
🌋 Central America🏔️ South America🛵 South-East Asia🥐 Western Europe🏰 Balkans + Eastern Europe

South-East Asia: how long, and how much?

The banana pancake trail. Cheap flights home, cheaper days on the ground.

PRICE MY TRIP
THE SHORT ANSWER
HOW LONG DO I NEED
5 to 6 weeks does the classic loop: Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia.
  • 3 weeks? Do one country well. Vietnam top to bottom, or Thailand north to the islands.
  • 3 months adds the islands: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines.
  • 2 weeks is a Bali and Gilis trip, and that's fine.
WHAT A DAY COSTS, PER PERSON, ALL IN
Tight
A$45-65 /day
Not worried
A$80-115 /day
The budget where you stop checking your balance
Treat yourself
A$150-220 /day
Bed, food, buses between towns and everyday activities. The range is the cheapest country to the priciest. Flights and the big one-offs are costed below.
November to March is dry and peak for mainland South-East Asia. Bali and Indonesia are best April to October.
COUNTRY BY COUNTRY, CHEAPEST FIRST

Prices sit fairly close across South-East Asia.

Where you spend your days matters more than how long you go. Per person, per day, all in.

TIGHT NOT WORRIED
🇱🇦LaosGIVE IT 7-12 DAYS
A$45 / A$80 a day
Cheapest on the loop. Slow, green and easy on the wallet.
🇰🇭CambodiaGIVE IT 7-10 DAYS
A$45 / A$85 a day
Cheap day to day. The Angkor pass is the one line you have to budget for.
🇻🇳VietnamGIVE IT 3-4 WEEKS TOP TO BOTTOM
A$50 / A$90 a day
Some of the best value in Asia. A$4 bowls of pho, A$25 sleeper buses.
READ THE GUIDE
🇲🇾MalaysiaGIVE IT 7-10 DAYS
A$60 / A$105 a day
Mid priced and easy. Penang hawker stalls are the best cheap feed in Asia.
🇹🇭ThailandGIVE IT 2-3 WEEKS
A$60 / A$110 a day
The islands cost more than the north. Chiang Mai and Pai are where it stretches.
READ THE GUIDE
🇮🇩IndonesiaGIVE IT 2-3 WEEKS
A$65 / A$115 a day
Canggu and Uluwatu run close to Aussie prices. Get out of Bali and it halves.
READ THE GUIDE
🇵🇭PhilippinesGIVE IT 2-3 WEEKS
A$65 / A$115 a day
Island hopping adds up, mostly boats and domestic flights between islands.
NOW PRICE YOUR TRIP

Pick a length, tweak the days, see the number.

01 | HOW LONG HAVE YOU GOT
02 | HOW DO YOU WANT TO TRAVEL
03 | DAYS IN EACH COUNTRY
The classic loop, in route order. Set a country to 0 to skip it.
🇹🇭
Thailand
A$110/day | give it 2-3 weeks
11
🇱🇦
Laos
A$80/day | give it 7-12 days
7
🇻🇳
Vietnam
A$90/day | give it 3-4 weeks top to bottom
12
🇰🇭
Cambodia
A$85/day | give it 7-10 days
5
🇲🇾
Malaysia
A$105/day | give it 7-10 days
0
🇮🇩
Indonesia
A$115/day | give it 2-3 weeks
0
🇵🇭
Philippines
A$115/day | give it 2-3 weeks
0
04 | THE BIG ONE-OFFS

The things that blow a daily budget. Tick what you're planning to do.

05 | FLIGHTS AND EXTRAS
Flights from Australia
A$Usually A$600-1,200 return. Fly into Bangkok, out of Bali or Ho Chi Minh City. Budget carriers link everything in between.
Travel insurance
About A$7/day on a long-trip policy
Don't-stress buffer
+15% for the sick day, the extra night out, the dive you didn't plan
YOUR NUMBER
🛵 SOUTH-EAST ASIA | 5 WEEKS | NOT WORRIED | PER PERSON
A$5,885
all in, flights included
A$142 a day on the ground
4 countries
WHERE THE MONEY GOES
🇹🇭 Thailand
11 days x A$110
A$1,210
🇱🇦 Laos
7 days x A$80
A$560
🇻🇳 Vietnam
12 days x A$90
A$1,080
🇰🇭 Cambodia
5 days x A$85
A$425
Flights
Return from Australia
A$900
Big one-offs
Slow boat to Luang Prabang, Ha Giang loop with a driver, Angkor Wat 3-day pass + tuk tuk
A$650
Insurance
35 days x A$7
A$245
Borders + entry fees
E-visas and land crossing fees, roughly
A$165
Don't-stress buffer
15% of everything but flights
A$650
WHAT TO PUT AWAY
Leaving in
A$226 a week for 26 weeks
Send this to your travel mate
A WhatsApp-ready breakdown, with a link back to this exact trip.
EVERY GUIDE, ONE PASS
Thailand, Vietnam + Indonesia guides
Where to stay, how to get around and the Google Maps pins, all in the All-Access Pass.
MONEY TIPS FOR SOUTH-EAST ASIA
  • Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia all charge for entry. Sort e-visas online before the border, it's cheaper and faster.
  • Sleeper buses and trains save you a bed. Vietnam's are the best on the loop.
  • Grab works across most of the region and stops the tourist taxi haggle.
Want one city in detail? The city-by-city estimator does seasons, travellers and a PDF.
AUD per person, based on what Aussies and Kiwis spend on the ground in 2026. Daily numbers cover your bed, food, buses between towns and everyday activities. Flights swing a lot with dates and how early you book. Entry fees and visa rules change, so check the Visa Checker before you go.