Myanmar Travel Cost in 28 Days | How Much to Spend in Myanmar?

Introduction

How much to spend in Myanmar? How about Myanmar travel cost in 28 days? I got a message saying there was a $90 one-way ticket from Manila-Bangkok-Yangon. But how many days should I spend in Myanmar? Only one or two weeks? Nope! So I decided to get a Myanmar e-visa for 28 days. This was an invitation with a travel buddy and everything in Myanmar from accommodation to food and DIY tours were split.

What’s the Best Season or Month to Travel in Myanmar?

It’s better to travel to Myanmar during the low season because everything is so cheap. Somehow, we were lucky to visit Myanmar in the month of September because of the price and the weather. Well, it could be rainy and hot so it depends on you. I appreciate the weather when I was in Kalaw, Inle Lake and Pindaya because of the cool temperature.

What to Prepare in Going to Myanmar?

Since September is a rainy season I brought these things with me.

1 pair of sandals to walk around and take off entering the temples and pagoda
umbrella
raincoat is very useful when you are driving a motorbike and suddenly, the rain falls
mosquito repellent
long skirts and long pants for ladies
sarong or scarf to cover your shoulders
sunblock lotion
good for one week of clothes, pack fewer clothes that are easy to wash and dry
detergent powder or soap as I wash my clothes along the way using the hotel’s sink

How Much to Spend in Myanmar for 28 Days? | Myanmar Travel Cost

If you ask me how much money I spent in Myanmar, well, this is how my withdrawal from my bank transaction looks like.

On September 12, 2018, I withdrew 300,000 Kyat from an ATM in Yangon International Airport and its conversion appearing from my online transaction cost PHP 10, 882.00 plus a service charge of PHP 5.00

On September 25, 2018, I withdrew another 300,000 Kyat from an ATM near Inle Lake and its conversion is PHP 10, 639.68 plus a service charge of PHP5.00.

There is a withdrawal fee or service charge of 6,500 Kyat as indicated on the screen from international bank accounts.

My 600,000 Kyat is worth PHP 21,521.68.

Aside from my ATM withdrawal, I also have another debit card where I use it for online payment on Agoda and Airbnb as the travel buddy and I alternate on who to book for the night to split the bill.

Myanmar Travel Cost and Breakdown

What are the basic expenses when you travel? When you travel long-term, it’s better to find the cheapest possible but somehow in a comfortable way. Traveling alone? It’s either you stay in a hostel or book a hotel alone. When you’re with a travel buddy, it’s cheaper when you split the bill.

Yangon (3 days)

500 Kyat – red bus from Yangon International Airport to downtown Yangon

10,000 Kyat – Shwedagon Pagoda entrance fee

1000 Kyat – using a minibus to Aung Mingalar Highway Bus Station

13,000 Kyat – Famous Traveller Day Bus from Yangon to Bagan cost

Bagan (3 days)

25,000 Kyat – Bagan Tourist Pass is good for 3 days

5,000 Kyat per day – e-bike rental

10,000 Kyat per person – shared a taxi to Mt. Popa with other travelers

9,000 Kyat – aircon bus from Bagan to Mandalay

You can also check out Bagan Myanmar Travel Guide by Pinoy Adventurista

Mandalay (4 days)

6,000 Kyat – Taxi to your hotel, better if shared with other travelers

10,000 Kyat – Mandalay Tourist Pass within 3 days

14,000 Kyat – A van from Mandalay to Inle Lake

Inle Lake (3 days)

13,000 Kyat – Inle Lake Tourist Pass within 3 days

1,500 Kyat – A whole day bike rental on Inle Lake

5,000 Kyat – A local transportation from Inle Lake to Kalaw

15,000 Kyat – boat rental on Inle Lake

Kalaw and Pindaya (1 day)

This is just a one day trip and took a night bus to Yangon after.

15,000 Kyat – motorbike rental from Kalaw to Pindaya for a day

10,000 Kyat per person – overnight bus from Kalaw to Yangon

Ngwe Saung and Chaungtha (4 days altogether)

We stayed mostly at Ngwe Saung most of the time and stayed overnight at Chaungtha.

200 Kyat – local bus in Yangon transfer to another bus station for Nweng Shaung

10,000 Kyat per person – bus from Yangon to Nweng Shaung

18,000 Kyat – motorbike rental for 3 days (negotiation)

800 Kyat each island – 800 Kyat x 3 islands to pass through with the help of a small boat just to reach Chaungtha and another payment to each island going back to Ngwe Saung.

2 days rest in Yangon

Hpa-an (3 days)

14,000 Kyat – overnight bus from Yangon to Hpa-an

8,000 Kyat per day – motorbike rental a day in Hpa-an is

1,200 Kyat per person – day bus from Hpa-an to Mawlamyine

Mawlamyine (3 days)

12,000 Kyat motorbike rental a day in Mawlamyine

3,000 Kyat per day – Bicycle rental

6,000 Kyat – overnight bus from Mawlamyine to Yangon

Back to Yangon to chill until e-visa expired

Food

When you’re not familiar with the food in Myanmar, you are curious about how this food tastes like. Ask your travel buddy if he or she wants to share the food with you so that it won’t be a waste of buying a lot but end up not eating it all.

Food price starts at 1000 Kyat and the most expensive I’ve eaten was 6000 Kyat.

1000 Kyat for noodles in a street food for one person
1600 Kyat for chicken with rice in a street food for one person
2000 to 2500 Kyat for fried rice in a restaurant for 2 people
500 Kyat for extra rice in a restaurant
2500 to 3000 Kyat for chicken with vegetables in a restaurant good for 2 people
6000 Kyat for big sweet and sour fish in a resort good for 2 people

Drinks – Myanmar Travel Cost

As a person who doesn’t drink beer that much I always go for fruit drinks or milkshakes which are more expensive than a beer. Although a beer has different prices depends on the brand of the beer.

Beer price starts at 1,500 Kyat in a can and the expensive one is at 2,700 Kyat in a bottle.

1,500 Kyat Heineken or Chang Beer in a can
2,700 Tuborg in a bottle

Fruit Drinks starts at 1,500 Kyat and the expensive one at 3,000 Kyat.

Transportation – Myanmar Travel Cost

The first few days in Downtown Yangon, everything was just on-foot or just walking around from one place to another with the help of Google Maps and other maps you have in your phone.

In Yangon, you can’t rent a motorbike as it is not allowed but we never tried renting a bicycle.

From Yangon International Airport to Downtown Yangon is 500 Kyat using the red bus. It says Airport to Sule Pagoda.

If you want to use a Taxi in Yangon, download the Grab app.

Accommodations

When traveling solo, hostels will cost at least $5 via Agoda.

Traveling with someone, hotels cost at least $10 via Agoda.

As long as you are traveling in a low season, everything is so cheap.

Where to Stay in Myanmar? | Myanmar Travel Cost

Here’s a list of the hotels and hostels you can stay in Myanmar through Agoda.

Why you have to visit Myanmar as early as possible?

Myanmar was cheaper a few years ago when there was not a lot of tourists. Every year, they increment their prices of the entrance fees and tourist passes.

An example is the Shwedagon Pagoda, a year ago in 2017, it was 8000 Kyat for the entrance fee. Last September 2018, it was 10,000 Kyat.

Another example is the Bagan Tourist pass before it was 25,000 Kyat good for 5 days to stay in Bagan. Now, they reduced it to 3 days but still the same amount, 25,000 Kyat. Who knows, the next year, the price will change.

The Conclusion of Myanmar Travel Cost in 28 Days

In the end, I converted my remaining kyat to USD$12 although the other small amount of kyat, I bought some food before the flight.

Make sure to convert your Myanmar Kyat to US Dollar before leaving the country as you cannot use the Myanmar Kyat to any country. You can find a money changer at Yangon International Airport.

Don’t be trapped in buying stuff in a touristy area as it will add up to your budget. I actually bought a US$50 scarf on Inle Lake which is converted to 75,000 Kyat. Just imagine, I would have saved a lot of money if I never gave in to any temptation of buying anything.

FYI, the e-visa and the roundtrip ticket is excluded on this 600,000 MMK pocket money budget. It’s visa-free for the Philippines and the rest of ASEAN countries to visit Myanmar in 14 days.

I bought an exit ticket from Yangon to Bangkok for US$38.

Fortunately, I found a host in Yangon so I had no problem to pay an accommodation for a few days.

Any Myanmar travel cost and budget tips to add based on your experience? Please leave your comment below.

Also, check out my other Budget Travel Series in different places: