A Complete Guide to Planning your Myanmar Budget

By The Married Wanderers On May 19, 2017

A Complete Guide to Planning your Myanmar Budget

How Much Does it Cost to Travel Myanmar?

When someone tells us ONE overall figure to what a 3 week holiday costs in a specific country, we find this to be of absolutely NO HELP. We may be traveling a completely different route, taking more buses, drinking more beer and doing less shopping. But what does help us, is a breakdown of the costs.

So here is our breakdown of costs for Myanmar/Burma. Now you can start creating your own realistic budget for what we can guarantee will be an AMAZING adventure:

The Visa

The Visa costs 50 USD and can be applied via online here – Myanmar eVisa
Your E-Visa should then be issued electronically within 2-3 working days.

Accommodation

Over 20 nights in 5 top areas of Myanmar, we spent on average 21 083 Kyat / 15 USD per night per room.
Accommodation type: Private room with double bed or 2 singles, fan, slow WiFi, breakfast and shared bathroom with hot water. Read our Myanmar Accommodation suggestions for more tips!

Food & Drinks

Over 20 nights in 5 top areas, we spent on average 9 885 Kyat / 7.50 USD per day for both of us.

Food:
A meal at a local restaurant: 2000 – 3000 Kyat/ 1.50 – 2.25 USD.
*Amazing curry, sweet & sour chicken with rice, noodle soup, fried rice ..
A Western meal: 5000 – 7000 Kyat/ 3.75 – 5.20 USD.
*Burgers & chips and pizzas are pretty rare but can be found in the odd modern restaurant.

Local Zaycho Street Market Dinner in Mandalay for 2200 Kyat

Sweet and Sour Pork/Chicken in Bagan for 1500 Kyat each

Drinks:
300ml Draught Beer: 750 – 1000 Kyat/ 0.50 – 0.75 USD.
750ml Beer bottle: 1000 – 1500 Kyat/ 0.75 – 1.10 USD.
1.5 l Bottled water – 500 – 750 Kyat/ 0.35 – 0.50 USD.
Coke: 750 Kyat/ 0.50 USD.
Cocktail: 3000 Kyat/ 2.25 USD.

The budget changer right here !!!

Transport

Train:
Mandalay to Hsipaw – 1700 Kyat/ 1.25 USD Ordinary class – 4000 Kyat/ 4 USD first class (per person)
It really is the most beautiful train ride in the WORLD – see why here!
You can book via their website or go on Seat61 for all Myanmar train routes.

Bus:
Hsipaw to Bagan – local bus: 18 000 Kyat/ 13.50 USD.
Inle Lake to Yangon – JJ Express bus: 27 000 Kyat/ 20 USD.
Yangon to Thailand Border – local VIP bus: 11 000 Kyat / 8 USD.

We recommend using JJ Express as they are the luxury bus charter company in Myanmar. Honestly it was like sitting in Business class on an airplane – it had a TV screen on each seat and everything.
The local bus was quite hectic – Rudolph’s legs literally had no where to go and there were all sorts of animals and smells going on (but a pretty cool experience nevertheless). Then there are a few “VIP” local buses you can book. They are not as luxury as JJ Express but they were super comfy with their reclining chairs and blankets.

Mini Van:
Bagan to Inle Lake – 15 000 Kyat/ 11 USD

Internal Transport:
Mandalay – daily scooter rental – 15 000 Kyat/ 11 USD.
Hsipaw – daily scooter rental – 10 000 Kyat/ 7.50 USD
Bagan – e-Bike rental – 7000 Kyat/ 5.20 USD.
Bicycles: 2000 Kyat/ 1.50 USD.

Shopping

Myanmar is basically the opposite of Thailand when it comes to shopping. But there were a few stores near the major attractions that sold t-shirts, scarfs, baskets and a few other souvenirs for roughly 10 – 20 USD. Inle Lake offers stunning silk and cotton factory shops and local silver smith jewellery for better quality buys which can range from 50 USD to all sorts of heights.

Excursions and Tours

These vary depending on what you do:

Bagan:
Bagan Temple Entrance for 5 days: 25 000 Kyat/ 18.50 USD
The Bagan Sunset Hot Air Ballon ride over the ancient temples: 330 USD per person

View our Bagan Guide here for must see temples and sunrises!

Hsipaw:
Hsipaw 2 day Trek and homestay: Between 15 000 and 40 000 Kyat/ 11 – 30 USD each which includes everything! If you go for the cheaper option you will find yourself in a group between 8 – 12 people with 1 guide. We arranged our own guide through our hotel and only had 5 people in our group. The cost for our trek was 30 USD per person. We had one of the best guides in Hsipaw that had been doing it for over 10 years. In our opinion we recommend paying a bit more for a better experience.

Wandering around Hispaw town and waterfalls are free!!

Homestay fun on the 2 day Hsipaw Trek

Inle Lake:
Kalaw to Inle Lake 3 day Trek and Homestay: 35 000 – 40 000 Kyat/ 26 – 30 USD each (which includes everything: food, guide, trek, accommodation)!
Inle Lake Full Day Boat Tour: 15 000 Kyat/ 11 USD for your own boat (2 to 4 people). The cheapest option is to arrange the tour from the main pier directly with the boat owner.

Mandalay:
The majority of attractions in Mandalay are free of charge, such as the Sandamuni Pagoda, Kuthodaw Pagoda, sunset at U- Bein bridge and The Mandalay Hill Art Gallery.
The Shwenandaw Monastery, Mandalay Palace and Mandalay Hill each have an entrance fee of 10 000 Kyat/ 7.50 USD per person.

Read our Best Spots in Mandalay to see the amazing free attractions the city has to offer.