LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK INFORMATION
Money & Costs
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Even though the government keeps a ‘foreigner price’ system very much in effect, causing transport, accommodation and entrance fees for foreigners to swallow the local price several times over, Myanmar is still very cheap to visit.
For those looking for relative comfort, ‘midrange’ hotels start around US$20 in most places, while the upmarket hotels charge over US$100 in Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake and Ngapali Beach. Shoestringers can often find a clean room for US$4 or US$5 – a bit more in Yangon or off-the-beaten-track places. Unless you eat meals at top-end hotels, or classier restaurants in some touristy areas, meals are much the same fare – rice or noodles, with meat or vegetables – and cost about US$1.
If you don’t have to have a guide, consider arranging your own trips. A shared taxi (no guide) may cost as little as US$5 for a return trip to a site. By comparison, in Bagan for example, one hotel offers a day tour to Mt Popa for US$100 per person.
If you’re travelling around by public transport and are OK with rice-based meals, you can get by on as little as US$15 or US$20 a day; those considering taking a couple of taxis and frequenting midrange local restaurants may spend US$35 to US$50. Staying at plush hotels and eating at classy restaurants will cost US$100 and more.
HOW MUCH?
Ride on a Yangon city bus: K5
Burmese all-you-can-eat buffet lunch: K1000-1500
Overnight bus from Yangon to Mandalay: K6000
Hired car with driver per day: US$100
Visa extension in Yangon: US$38
Lonely Planet recommends World Nomads Travel insurance
