From all my travels I have found Ecuador in late 90's to be the cheapest and really expensive at the same time. Quito and continental Ecuador were really dirty cheap. I remember we have paid something like USD 2.00 for quite a nice hotel in the Historic Center next to Iglesia de Santo Domingo. This has probably changed now as their currency (worth nothing) has been replaced by USD couple years back.
But even in late 90's our trip to Galapagos Islands was really expensive and certenly overpriced (but a MUST TO SEE).
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Last edited by TPJ; Aug 28, 09 at 2:26 am.
Reason: gramar
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I guess I'm just too poor or too cheap, but most of the places mentioned I consider expensive. Sri Lanka, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Indonesia...
Cheap, in my experience would be more like Sudan, Somalia (putting ransoms expense aside), rural Eritrea and Ethiopia, Niger, Burkina Faso, Southern Mali (Bamako, not Timbuktu), Yemen, and some of the 'Stans (Kyrgystan, Tajikistan...) No, they aren't captured in the Big Mac index: no McDonalds.
I remember taking my wife to Romania in about 1987. We converted US$20 for a truckload of lei, spent two weeks, lived and ate lavishly, and had the equivalent of $6 left. (This includes private lodging expense.)
Cheap, in my experience would be more like Sudan, Somalia (putting ransoms expense aside), rural Eritrea and Ethiopia, Niger, Burkina Faso, Southern Mali (Bamako, not Timbuktu), Yemen, and some of the 'Stans (Kyrgystan, Tajikistan...) No, they aren't captured in the Big Mac index: no McDonalds
Can you expand on why that list of destinations is cheaper than rural Indonesia? You can get a meal for $.10 there.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cj001f
Can you expand on why that list of destinations is cheaper than rural Indonesia? You can get a meal for $.10 there.
To be honest, most of my Indonesia time has been in cities, so I can't speak to the rural areas...meaning you are probably absolutely correct.
In many of the places I've visited and cited as "cheap" there aren't restaurants or prepared meals, other than, sometimes, a street cart or sold-out-of-the-front-of-my-house grub. And that tends to be on the 10 cent scale.
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A few comments
Just got back from Malaysia and while not the cheapest place, was a good "value" - however that is defined - and a great place to visit.
Thought Laos was a much better "deal" - again, however that is defined. Hello Falang!
Cambodia was be a good "deal" too.
Thailand wasn't such a good "deal" - Cheap hotels relative to elsewhere (e.g., Hilton NY v Hilton Bangkok: <~1/3 the price for a much nicer hotel) but the different prices for locals v foreigners was a bit absurd. It was not a bargaining issue, it was an issue of bring ripped off. For example: $$$ for tickets to Muay Thai for us (we didn't buy them) v. pocket change for locals. Trust me, we bargained and bargained and bargained - no deal for foreigners.
While Thailand was cheap, it really wasn't a "deal" in the sense that I felt that every price was jacked up as soon as I approached. Does that happen elsewhere - probably. Was it so out in the open elsewhere - not that I saw and not that I noticed in my wallet afterward ("noticed" is relative). Is that a better or a worse system? Worse I think because folks like me will now only stop for the night in BKK before traveling onwards to places that have better "deals." (a bunch of which deals I've found on this thread and will be added to my ITA search list)
I have been living in Peru for the past year, living in a semi rural town, eating in, at about $80/month. You can travel here, stay in hotels/trek/eat at good restaurants for about $1000/month.
Near me in Cusco, the nice restaurants run about $10/entree, but we are talking places that could compete in Manhattan or London, the food in Cusco is really worth it.
Check out the Mileage Run forum for cheap flights out of LAX/WAS-Lima for around $340 ai RT, and book through the Peruvian version of Lan (look into changing your internet settings to fool their website into thinking you are in Peru, it is often done) for Lima-Cusco ai RT around $120. Come see the magic of the Andes!
I assume you are essentially talking about infrastructure (roads, mainly, but also perhaps air con, etc.), which generally comes 'free' wherever you go?
Absolutely not! I mean utterly subjectively whether it was worth the expense. It might be 80% cheaper to spend a week in Kansas City, MO than Miami Beach but it's still not better value imo. Get me?
you can also get a filling meal from a street vendor for 40% of the cost of a Big Mac, and a Big Mac is maybe 20-30% of the cost to stay in a decent guest house (private room with twin beds and ensuite shower and toilet). That is, in the U.S., 10 Big Macs pays for a stay at the Galaxy Motel in Brigham City
Grancasa- I just looked up flights on Lan Peru, but only Peruvian residents with proper documentation can buy those flights and they have a serious-sounding warning on their website. Do you know otherwise? Thanks!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by victorspencer5
That is, in the U.S., 10 Big Macs pays for a stay at the Galaxy Motel in Brigham City
Hey! I've been there! (Although it's actually spelled Galaxie.)
Straight outta 1960. (It is clean, though...)
Edit: Oops, haha, no wonder that sounded so familiar--it was a ripoff of my post #5! But I guess I only have myself to blame for misspelling Galaxie...
I'm from Vietnam, studying in US and have been to Singapore, Malaisia.
So far Malaisia is cheaper than US
Singapore is cheaper than Malaisia (most of you will disagree but it's actually true)
Vietnam is cheaper than Singapore.
So Vietnam is the best place to visit, just contact me beforehand for some tips on how NOT to be ripped off
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Hmm--not sure I trust that Big Mac index after reading this.
I believe that the cheapest place I've been would have to be Cambodia (which was mentioned by the OP). It's certainly cheaper than Malaysia, Kenya, or India (all of which are nonetheless fairly cheap). I haven't been to Laos or Myanmar, though, which I would assume are both also quite inexpensive.
I can only assume that places like Somalia, Zimbabwe, and DRCongo might be cheaper, but the tourist scenes in those places (with the possible exception of Zimbabwe) are probably limited, to say the least.
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(It is clean, though...)
But I guess I only have myself to blame for misspelling Galaxie... 
