Cheapest place in the World
 

Out of curiosity, what do you think is the cheapest country to travel in. Please list expected average costs such as lodging, domestic transportation and food!

I haven't been all that many places, but Vietnam has been the cheapest so far.

I spent between $8 and $13 per night on hotels, Breakfast and lunch ran about $1 -$2 and I could usually get a really nice restaurant meal for $3-$4

Rail/Minibus/and Motorbike travel is really cheap, and the tours are really inexpensive as well. I paid $29 for my Ha Long Bay cruise which included transpo to and from Hanoi, the overnight cruise, and 4 meals.

------------------
Have a great day!!
~~Missy~~

For me, the best/cheapest place to visit is Ecuador..

lodging..
example the cheapest lodging in Ecuador is in Montañita, beach resort.. lowest price for a 1* hotel, includes own bathroom, will be $4... 2* $8-10/day. If you go into the city, GYE or Quito, you'll get charged $28+/day for a 3* hotel. I wouldn't suggest staying at a hotel lower than a 3* in GYE or Quito, somewhere else it's okay. Why ? Those hotels will be located in dangerous zonas(zones) mainly red light district especially in Guayaquil(GYE).
Food. Let's see.. You can have lunch for .75 cents(soup, main plate, plus juice), dinner for 1.25, in both cities. Elsewhere you'll be charged more or less, depending if its a tourist area..Most good rests in Gye and Quito are inexpensive, and even more cheaper outside both cities. If you want to dine in a rest. at, let's say, Hilton (try the buffet for $13.50) you'll be spending much more but it's still cheaper than dining in the US.
Beer, our national brand (the best) Pilsener is about .50 for a large bottle. Corona's, at discos and Hilton Hotel, about $2-3. This I liked very, very much !!! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif Minimum consumption at nightclubs(The best ones in GYE and Quito) is about $5-10, that's about 10 pilsener beers.
Domestic transportation- let's see, local bus is about .20 cents (i think- i never ride them.. too dangerous). Taxi.$1-4, in Gye or Quito, from the north to the centro(midtown) will cost about $2-3. Tip: Hassle w/driver before getting into car..you can save $1 in every ride. Interprovince buses.
Gye-Cuenca $6, GYE- Quito $10(this route will cost at least $100 if you decide to take a plane.
Well, the only thing that is expensive in Ecuador for foreigners only is Galapagos. That's something I can't help you with..
Well, Ecuador is a wonderful place to visit and very cheap.


------------------
Bureau of Consular Affairs: http://travel.state.gov
Guias del Ocio:http://www.latindex.com/ocio/guias.htm

I could get (and have gotten) by on less than $5 a day in many parts of Asia (notice the use of part, not country, as you could spend a lot of money in even the most improverished country if all you cared about was living like you do back home). Taking out housing (assuming you had a friend to stay with and didn't mind walking around or riding a bicycle), I would even argue that you could live for less than $5 a day in my hometown, New York.

Also, one needs to factor in the cost of international airfare to your destination. For example, I recently traveled through western China. It was really hard to spend any money there (but that is also because I don't mind staying in fleabag lodging establishments), but it cost me $2000 in airfare to get to the place! The more remote a place, the more expensive it will be to get there.

Seem like the cheapest country to travel in is the one you live in. In the right weather, the beach, local park or perhaps campground can provide accomodations. Food is as you purchase from the grocery. Transportation is your car, bus or on foot.

I can remember my mom and I going camping and eating dinner by putting a sheet over the old chrome set at home.

How cheap are you looking for???

I'm joining fallinasleep in voting for China. I was in Kunming (southwestern China) earlier this month and couldn't believe how cheap everything was. Dinner for 60 cents, for example!

Bruce

It's been a few years ago but I stayed at a place in Huancayo Peru for <$1.00 a night with breakfast. Can't remember what the llama taxi cost was.

$5 in NY.. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/eek.gif

Well, anything can be accomplished on less than $5 in NY. Some homeless people do it, even for less. But then it would mean no social life ! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif That's hard..

------------------
Bureau of Consular Affairs: http://travel.state.gov
Guias del Ocio:http://www.latindex.com/ocio/guias.htm

Laos.

I second the Vietnam nomination... it's a pretty hard place to spend a lot of money.

Thailand..Viet Nam..India have really good quaLItly value. In Saigon HCMC..I paid $8/nite at a really good 2.5* hotel,,very clean. 26 years ago I ate a meal in Kabul. Afghanistan big meat soup meal for $ .02 and I lived in India,Pakistan,Nepal for a year..$! day with meals in New Dehli @ 30 Janpath Lane behind the Oberi..yes i"ll never forget Mrs. Calaco's guest house...Yes Ecuador! I have spend weeks on 0'00' lat. on the beaches of Atacamas and Elsmaradas -very good value...so you see you have to go and do them all! and I left out many more...these are my favorvites..aNd never forget Deep Mexico! TRAVEL.TRAVEL AND FAR AND EXOTIC....VIET NAM &

THAILAND


------------------
MRKEY

Try smaller cities in India, that means population of about 5 million! Rooms around 5 dollars for Air conditioned and 4 dollars for non AC with fan. Breakfast less tha a dollar. 12 delicious mangoes for 1 dollar. Lunch for 50 cents. Car with chaffeur and 50 miles thrown in including fuel: Non AC 10 dollars. AC 15 dollars. Travel as you please in Indian Railways Buses Tickets 25 cents, train tickets for 400 miles 10 dollars.

If you live and spend the Indian way, for 200 dollars a month you can live like a Prince

I also head up there occasional from BKK on weekends. Do you go there often? I know that you can eat there for 60 cents (here in Bangkok 40 cents is considered fairly steep in some neighborhoods), but have you ever succumbed to the Kunming 'over the bridge' noodles? Highly overrated IMHO. After a bit of boating on Lake Dianchi, I've been tempted to try a few of the hawker stalls near the gondola station (not the ones near that tourist trap ethnic villiage), but so far all I've done is look. Some amazing restaurants in town, though its not Nassau Street http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by UAL Traveler (edited 06-28-2001).]

Yes, I had "over-the-bridge" noodles one time, just to try them. I wasn't very impressed. But the cost was just 5 RMB, about 60 cents.

I've been in Bangkok but never had a real meal for only 40 cents. That's about 20 baht, right? Maybe you could eat for that at the Mah Boon Krong food court, but I can't think of any other place. Street vendors don't count!

Bruce

Nothing better than a fresh, cold mango juice. You can get a big one at Leopold's in Bombay for less than a US dollar. As with everything at Leopold's, it's overpriced by most standards in India but well worth it.

Or just stay with a family in Goa for a few bucks a night, and they may just let you take for free a few of the thousands of the mangoes that grow off the trees in their garden http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif