Budget and Flights to Thailand: What to Keep in Mind Before You Go

Planning the Budget

If the hotel and the flight are already paid for, the bulk of your spending in Thailand will go to food, transport, tours, massages and a few small purchases. The total depends on how comfortable a holiday you want.

Budget option

For a couple who sticks to street food, uses public transport and limits themselves to a single sea excursion, 70‑80 k RUB for 10 days is enough. A rough breakdown from the source:

• Food (street stalls, cafés, food courts) – about 30 k RUB;
• Transport (buses, songthaews, a bit of taxi) – 8 k RUB;
• One sea tour – 14 k RUB;
• Several massage sessions – 4 k RUB;
• Souvenirs, sunbeds, phone credit and odds‑and‑ends – 9 k RUB;
• Reserve for unexpected costs – 10 k RUB. Total rough minimum – 75 k RUB.

Comfortable level

If you want to hop in a taxi now and then, rent a bike (you’ll need a national and an international A‑category licence), and buy a few more souvenirs, the budget climbs to 200‑250 k RUB for two people.

Premium option

For those who plan daily restaurant dinners, custom tours, serious shopping and regular visits to high‑end massage salons, 350‑400 k RUB for 10 days does the job.

How to pay in Thailand

• UnionPay cards (including Russian‑issued ones) can withdraw cash from ATMs. Each withdrawal carries a fixed fee of roughly 220‑250 baht plus your bank’s charge. It’s best to pull out larger sums (up to 30 000 baht per transaction).
• Card payments in shops work, but some chains (for example 7‑Eleven) require a minimum purchase of about 200 baht; otherwise you’ll need cash.
• Cash in dollars or euros is easily exchanged for baht at exchange booths across the country, even on small islands. Bring larger bills ($50, $100) for a better rate.
• Russian rubles can also be exchanged, but the rate is usually less favorable than swapping dollars/euros.

Flights to Pattaya: Schedule Changes

In the 2026/2027 winter season, airline AZUR air cancelled its charter flights to Pattaya from 10 Russian cities. The cancellation came at the request of tour operators, the main one being FUN&SUN.

What to do if your flight is cancelled

• Passengers from Samara and Ufa are offered either to keep the already booked hotel stay or to get a refund.
• For the other cities, work is already under way to re‑book tourists on alternative flights.

Alternative options

• The remaining carriers on the Pattaya route are Nordwind Airlines and Siam Wings.
• You can fly to Bangkok with Aeroflot or S7, then drive to Pattaya (about a two‑hour ride).
• AZUR air still runs flights to Phuket from 11 cities (Kazan, Ufa, Yekaterinburg, Tyumen, Moscow, Samara, Omsk, Mineralnye Vody, Novosibirsk, Surgut, Chelyabinsk) and to Sri Lanka from several of the same cities.

Practical Tips

1. Check your flight status ahead of time. If your departure was cancelled, ask the tour operator about re‑booking options.
2. Carry cash in convenient large denominations so you can exchange it at a good rate right after arrival.
3. Withdraw cash from ATMs in sizable chunks to keep the number of fees low.
4. Plan your budget according to the comfort level you want, using the ranges provided.
5. Leave a reserve for unexpected expenses – roughly 10 % of the total amount.

Based on materials from: atorus.ru.