Myanmar Money & Travel Costs: Full Budget Breakdown

Paying in Myanmar: Kyat or Dollars?

For a long time, dealing with money in Myanmar was extremely complicated. Until just a few years ago, there were no ATMs in the country and you had to carry around a large stack of US dollars in cash.

That has since changed, so you don’t need to stress too much about money matters.

The local currency: Kyat

The local currency is the Kyat (pronounced “Tchiad”). The exchange rate isn’t exactly straightforward — 1,000 Kyat is roughly 0.50 Euro.

You’ll encounter the following bills during your travels through Myanmar: 50 Kyat, 100 Kyat, 200 Kyat, 500 Kyat, 1,000 Kyat, and 5,000 Kyat.

There are now also 10,000 Kyat bills, which you can get from most ATMs. We personally never had a 10,000 Kyat note in our hands, as these bills only recently became widely circulated.

There are also smaller bills and even coins, but since they have such a low value, you most likely won’t get your hands on any. We certainly never saw any.

As you can see, the bills aren’t exactly large. The most common highest denomination — the 5,000 Kyat note — is worth only about 2.30 Euro. So be prepared to always carry around a big wad of cash.

Your best bet is to do what the locals do and carry the bills folded once and loose in your pants pocket, with the small bills on the outside and the large bills on the inside.

If that feels too insecure, we recommend this travel wallet, which you can simply clip to the inside of your waistband.

The secondary currency: US Dollars – exchanging money in Myanmar

For a long time, US dollars were absolutely essential for traveling in Myanmar. These days, that’s no longer the case.

Hotel bills and domestic flight invoices are still issued in dollars, but you can almost always pay them in Kyat. In our experience, the exchange rates at hotels were always fair.

That said, it can’t hurt to have a few dollars on hand as an emergency reserve. Just make sure the bills are in absolutely pristine condition — otherwise they won’t be accepted.

And when we say absolutely pristine, we mean it. A crease or a small smudge is enough for someone to refuse the bill.

Euros are less commonly used, but you can exchange them at all banks and at some hotels.

Withdrawing money in Myanmar

There’s now a dense network of ATMs throughout Myanmar. In larger cities and at tourist hotspots, you’ll find a machine on nearly every corner. In smaller towns, we always managed to track one down too.

Unfortunately, each withdrawal is limited to a maximum of 300,000 Kyat — that’s 60 bills of 5,000 Kyat each. It’s probably simply because more bills don’t fit through the ATM slot. However, it’s no problem to make multiple withdrawals in a row.

The downside is that withdrawal fees apply each time. Local ATM operators charge 5,000 Kyat per withdrawal, and at some machines even 6,500 Kyat.

On top of that come the fees from your home bank. With multiple withdrawals, that adds up pretty quickly.

You can find more on this topic in our article about the best travel credit cards.

Paying by credit card in Myanmar

Paying by credit card is becoming increasingly common in Myanmar. We were able to pay our bill by credit card at almost every hotel and were never charged any additional fees for doing so.

You can now pay by credit card at travel agencies and nicer restaurants as well.

Our Total Costs in Myanmar on the Ground

So much for the general info on prices in Myanmar. Now let’s get to the hard numbers. How expensive is an independent trip to Myanmar, and what costs can you realistically expect?

We spent a total of 33 days in Myanmar. We’ve scaled the costs down to 28 days — exactly four weeks — so you get a better sense of what two, three, or four weeks in Myanmar will run you.

The following costs are for the two of us combined:
Costs for 28 nights: 1,002 Euro / approx. 36 Euro per night
Costs for food and drinks: 392 Euro / approx. 14 Euro per day
Costs for admission fees: 96.60 Euro
Costs for 5 guided tours: 173 Euro
Costs for transportation: 374 Euro
Total travel costs on the ground: 2,038 Euro

We spent about 2,000 Euro over four weeks. Scale that down to a two-week trip and you’re looking at roughly 1,000 Euro; for three weeks, about 1,500 Euro — and that’s for two people. You really can’t call that an expensive destination.

We do want to flag two big cost items we left out, since they’re not exactly representative and would skew the numbers.

We shelled out 660 dollars for our hot air balloon ride over Bagan, and we treated ourselves to a private driver for 400 dollars for the journey from Mrauk U to Bagan.

To give you an even better picture of the cost of travel in Myanmar, we’ll break everything down in detail below.

Hotel costs in Myanmar

As mentioned, we stayed in solid mid-range hotels with private bathrooms, comfortable beds, and air conditioning — paying an average of 36 Euro per night.

Since October isn’t quite peak season, prices during November through February may be a bit higher. Still, these numbers give you a good feel for the overall price level.

If you want to travel even cheaper and are happy with fewer amenities, you can find a hotel or hostel room from around 20 Euro. More luxury means budgeting accordingly.

If you’re planning a trip to Myanmar, be sure to check out our article on hotels in Myanmar — we introduce all our accommodations in detail and tell you which ones we’d wholeheartedly recommend and which we wouldn’t.

Here’s a quick overview of prices:
HOOD Hostel in Yangon / 27 Euro
Kanbawza Hinthar Hotel in Bago / 36 Euro
Galaxy Motel in Hpa-an / 21 Euro
Cinderella Hotel in Mawlamyaing / 45 Euro
Prince Hotel in Mrauk U / 43 Euro
Night Sweet Hotel in Mandalay / 25 Euro

Food and drink costs in Myanmar

At the start of our trip, we tracked every food and drink expense in detail. Since we consistently came in at an average of 20,000 Kyat (14 Euro) per day, we eventually stopped — no surprises there.

Breakfast was included at all our hotels, so we only needed to cover lunch and dinner.

Here’s a quick overview of common food and drink prices in Myanmar:
Bottle of water (1 liter): 200–500 Kyat (15 to 35 cents)
Bottle of beer at a restaurant (0.65 liter): 2,000 to 3,000 Kyat (1.40 to 2.10 Euro)
Simple local meal at a restaurant: 2,000 to 4,000 Kyat (1.50 to 3.00 Euro)
Western food at an upscale restaurant: 6,000 to 12,000 Kyat (4 to 9 Euro)

Admission fee costs in Myanmar

Many historical sites charge an entrance fee, but the costs are quite manageable.

Here are the entry fees we paid in Myanmar (prices per person):
Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon: 8,000 Kyat (6 Euro)
Sule Pagoda in Yangon: 3,000 Kyat (2 Euro)
Bago: 10,000 Kyat (7 Euro)
Golden Rock: 6,000 Kyat (4 Euro)
Kawgoon Cave in Hpa-an: 3,000 Kyat (2 Euro)
Mrauk U: 5,000 Kyat (3.50 Euro)
Bagan: 25,000 Kyat (17.50 Euro)
Thanboddhay Pagoda in Monywa: 3,000 Kyat (2 Euro)
Mandalay Hill: 1,000 Kyat (0.70 Euro)
Mingun: 5,000 Kyat (3.50 Euro)

In total, that comes to just under 50 Euro per person.

We technically should have also paid an entrance fee of 10,000 Kyat (7 Euro) per person for Amarapura and Inwa, but the ticket booths were closed when we visited, so we didn’t pay anything.

At a few attractions, an additional photography fee was required — but at 200–300 Kyat, it’s barely worth mentioning.

Guided tour costs in Myanmar

Every now and then we treated ourselves to a guide or driver to explore the sights. The costs are very reasonable, and it’s honestly worth doing every once in a while.

Here are the tours we took in Myanmar:
Tuk-tuk tour through Bago (4 hrs.): 15,000 Kyat (11 Euro)
Tuk-tuk tour around Hpa-an (10 hrs.): 25,000 Kyat (18 Euro)
Tour (car) around Mawlamyaing (4 hrs.): 35,000 Kyat (25 Euro)
Tour (car) from Mandalay to Monywa (8 hrs.): 115,000 Kyat (80 Euro)
Tour to the Chin villages from Mrauk U (10 hrs.): 57,000 Kyat (40 Euro)

We shared the tour to the Chin villages with another couple. All other tours we did entirely on our own.

Transportation costs in Myanmar

Getting from place to place in Myanmar isn’t excessively expensive either.

On our trip, we tried almost every mode of transportation — bus, train, boat, plane, and taxi — and got a solid overview of prices as a result.

Train from Yangon to Bago: 1,000 Kyat (0.70 Euro) per person
Bus from Bago to the Golden Rock: 7,000 Kyat (5 Euro) per person
Bus from the Golden Rock to Hpa-an: 7,000 Kyat (5 Euro) per person
Bus Hpa-an to Mawlamyaing: 1,000 Kyat (0.70 Euro) per person
Bus Mawlamyaing to Yangon: 10,000 Kyat (7 Euro) per person
Flight from Yangon to Sittwe: 145,000 Kyat (100 Euro) per person
Car from Sittwe to Mrauk U: 65,000 Kyat (45 Euro) for two people. We shared the car with another couple, four people total
Private driver from Mrauk U to Bagan: 350 Euro for two people. Theoretically, the car could also be shared among four people.

Bus ticket costs

Bus tickets are seriously affordable in Myanmar. Surprisingly, the price difference between regular buses and luxury buses is minimal.

Our bus from Mawlamyaing to Yangon was a genuine luxury vehicle with only three oversized seats per row and an entertainment system at each seat — and the tickets cost only about 2 Euro more than a regular bus.

When booking bus tickets, look for a “2+1” bus. The 2+1 refers to the number of seats per row, meaning just three seats total across the aisle.

On the popular tourist routes between Yangon, Mandalay, Inle Lake, and Bagan, you’ll rarely pay more than 20,000 Kyat (14 Euro) per leg. The bus is hands-down the best value for money in Myanmar.

Train ticket costs

Train tickets are even cheaper than bus tickets, though we’d only recommend the train to true adventurers. For a short stretch it’s a fun experience, but for multi-hour journeys we’d firmly suggest taking the bus instead.

We traveled by train from Yangon to Bago. The two-hour ride cost 1,000 Kyat (0.70 Euro) per person in first class (Upper Class).

Domestic flight costs

Domestic flights are the fastest way to get around Myanmar. We booked a flight from Yangon to Sittwe and paid 115 dollars per person.

That’s also roughly the standard price for a domestic flight. Depending on the route, tickets typically run around 100 dollars (+/- 30 dollars), regardless of whether you book well in advance or the day before.

Taxi fare costs

For getting around within cities, you’ll have the choice between taxis, tuk-tuks, motorcycle taxis, and out in the countryside maybe even an ox cart.

A taxi ride in Yangon costs between 2,000 Kyat within the city and 7,000 Kyat from the city to the airport or bus station. Prices are similar across all cities, and we never experienced anyone quoting us inflated fares.

Costs for renting mopeds and bicycles

In many parts of Myanmar you can rent a scooter and explore the area on your own. The costs are very reasonable.

Here are the prices we paid:
Scooter in Mandalay (8 hours): 8,000 Kyat (6 Euro)
E-bike in Bagan (1 day): 8,000 Kyat (6 Euro) for two people, 6,000 Kyat (4 Euro) for one person
Bicycle in Mrauk U (1 day): 2,000 Kyat (1.40 Euro)

Gas is also very cheap in Myanmar — less than 50 cents per liter.

Prices for private drivers

Private drivers are relatively expensive in Myanmar. We paid 350 Euro from Mrauk U to Bagan, though very few travelers actually make that particular journey.

We were on the road for 14 hours in a relatively new car with two drivers who took turns — which puts the higher price in perspective.

It’s not just fuel and the driver’s time that need to be covered. A car like that costs real money, and the tourist season lasts only about five months. In that window, a large part of the annual income has to be earned and the car paid off.

For less demanding routes, you won’t pay nearly as much — budget between 150 and 200 Euro per day.

Flight costs to Myanmar

Depending on the season and how far in advance you book, flights to Myanmar typically cost between 500 and 1,000 Euro per person. The price is comparable to flights to other countries in the region.

If you’re already in Southeast Asia, it’s a lot cheaper. From Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, you can reach Yangon from as little as 30 Euro with Air Asia.

How much does a trip to Myanmar cost: Our verdict

Myanmar is definitely not an expensive destination. Wherever that misconception comes from, it simply isn’t true. The two of us managed on a budget of about 70 Euro a day without feeling restricted in any way.

If you want, you can easily travel through Myanmar for half of what we spent. So high travel costs are no longer a valid excuse for not making the trip.

What were your experiences with prices in Myanmar? Did you find the country expensive? We’d love to read your comment below.