Money in Thailand: currency, ATMs, cards and tipping

Thailand runs on the baht, and day-to-day travel runs on cash. Budget roughly ฿1,000–1,500 a day for a backpacker and ฿2,500–4,500 for mid-range, and keep a few thousand baht in notes for food stalls, markets, boats and short taxi rides.

Cards are fine for hotels, malls, chain restaurants and many mid-range places, but not for the ฿60 pad thai or the ฿100 Grab ride. Tipping is optional: round up, leave loose change, or hand over ฿20–100 for good service.

The currency is the Thai baht, written ฿ or THB. One baht divides into 100 satang, but satang coins are rarely used in everyday prices. Notes come in ฿20, ฿50, ฿100, ฿500 and ฿1,000; coins in ฿1, ฿2, ฿5 and ฿10.

Cash is the default outside hotels and malls. Street food, fresh markets, night markets, songthaews, tuk-tuks, boats and small taxis all expect notes or coins. Carry ฿20 and ฿100 notes: a ฿1,000 note for a ฿60 bowl of noodles is a common friction point, and drivers and boat operators often cannot change it.

Keep small notes separate from your main stash, and don't carry everything in one place. Pickpocketing is uncommon but bag-snatching happens in tourist areas at night.

Foreign-card ATM withdrawals carry a fee of about ฿220 per transaction, and the amount varies by bank. Because the fee is flat, take out larger sums less often — for example ฿10,000 rather than ฿2,000 four times. Your home bank may add its own fee and a foreign-transaction charge on top.

When an ATM or card machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline and pay in baht. That 'dynamic currency conversion' usually gives a worse rate than your bank's.

Cards work in malls, hotels, chain restaurants, convenience stores in cities and many tour agencies. Visa and Mastercard are the most reliable; Amex and UnionPay are patchier outside Bangkok and major tourist areas. Small guesthouses, family restaurants and market stalls are cash-only.

Tipping is not expected in Thailand and no one will chase you for it, but it is appreciated for good service. In restaurants, rounding up or leaving ฿20–100 is normal; in a mid-range or upscale place, 5–10% is generous. Street stalls: keep the change or leave the coins.

For taxis and tuk-tuks, rounding up to the nearest ฿20 or ฿50 is the usual move; metered taxis don't expect a tip. For a one-hour Thai massage (฿300–500), ฿50–100 is a common thank-you. Hotel housekeeping: ฿20–50 a day. Tour guides and drivers: ฿100–300 for a half or full day, more for a private guide.

Never tip with coins alone to a service worker if you can avoid it — small change is seen as slightly dismissive in some contexts, though it's fine at a food stall. If a service charge is already added to a hotel or restaurant bill, you don't need to tip on top.

Thailand is cheap by US, UK and Australian standards, but island resorts and late December push prices up. The figures below are per person per day, sharing a room at mid and comfort tiers, 2026 estimate. Flights, visas and island boat transfers are not included.

Islands such as Samui and Phi Phi cost 30–60% more than the mainland, and resort rates roughly double between 20 December and 5 January. Island boat transfers add ฿500–1,500 per person per leg.

Change money at banks, licensed exchange booths or airport counters; rates at hotels and small shops are usually worse. SuperRich and similar city booths often beat bank rates, but count your money before leaving the counter.

Carry a mix: a few thousand baht in notes, one card for hotels and bigger bills, and a backup card kept separately. Tell your bank you're travelling if it blocks foreign use. Keep a photo of your passport and card numbers somewhere offline.

If you run short, 7-Eleven and most convenience stores accept cards for small purchases in cities, and Grab rides can be paid by card in the app — a useful fallback when you have no cash.