Cheapest Asian Countries to Visit: The Best of Them

You dream of traveling and visiting unique places, but you think your budget is not sufficient? Well, Asia is your continent! Asia is the largest continent in the world and has 48 countries, and is also one of the most affordable. What a great choice, right? The good thing is that today we have the opportunity to visit countries with a unique nature and architecture. Today, I have decided to present to you my top cheapest Asian countries to visit. You can visit all these wonderful countries, and don’t need a big budget to have a great experience. So, fasten your seat belt and prepare for take-off!

Malaysia

Malaysia is one of my favorite countries, which I had the pleasure to visit. The nature in Malaysia is very beautiful and diverse – beautiful beaches, islands, unbelievable cities with unique architectures… just to mention a few.

The capital, Kuala Lumpur, has an excellent transport system that covers the entire city – MRT, LRT, Bus and Monorail. The price for a 3 day pass is around 25 MYR (approx 6 USD). You can visit many other cities like – Melacca, Putrajaya, Penang, which you can reach by bus/rail. The prices of bus tickets are around 13 MYR (3 USD) and for that price, you get a modern bus with large, comfortable seats.

As for food, – it is cheap and delicious. Average expense for food is around 23 MYR (6 USD) per meal. You must definitely try typical Malaysian food like – Nasi lemak, Roti canai and Curry laksa.

For those who like to shop, Malaysia is the right place. There is a lot of convenient malls with beautiful and affordable shops. Even exotic brands such as Ralph Lauren cost a penny compared to other countries. While in Kuala Lumpur, make sure to visit the Petronas Twin Towers, the garden behind the towers, and the fountains in front. The price for 1 ticket per person is around 20 USD.

Vietnam

I believe that Vietnam is a heaven for all tourists – cheap hotels, one of the cheapest beers in the world (Bia Hanoi), affordable public transport, food, and tourist attractions. The capital, Hanoi, is the cheapest city in Vietnam. As I mentioned, you can experiment with very delicious dishes such as Pho, Cha Ca, Banh xeo and so many more unique dishes,

Don’t miss the chance to visit attractions such as Halong Bay, Cat Ba island, cruise the Mekong delta church in Vietnam’s style, and Golden Hands Bridge. And also don’t forget to visit the clothes markets, there you can buy amazing clothes for a bargain.

Thailand

Thailand is one of the cheapest Asian countries to visit as well as one of the cheapest in the world. And, Chiang Mai is a great budget travel option. You can enjoy the beautiful nature and you can stay in the cheapest hotels. One meal per person for a day is around 6 USD. This is fantastic, cheap and healthy food. You could call it heaven on earth …

The most popular transport in Thailand is the Tuk-Tuk. Tuk-Tuks are the famous 3-wheeled ‘vehicles’ that you would have seen in many travel-related photos of Southeast Asia. The price for short travel is around 1.60 USD.

Indonesia

When you hear Indonesia, maybe you first think about Bali? You know, there are so many other places worth visiting? One of them is Yogyakarta, which is home to the famous Borobudur Temple and Prambanan Temples.

This destination is very accessible, because you can find a hotel room for two people for around 15 USD per night. The food in Indonesia is also cheap and delicious, with prices between 2 to 6 USD per person.

Of course Bali is also a good idea, if you are okay with the fact that it is overcrowded. There, you can find rooms in guest houses with a swimming pool for around 17 USD/night, and the food is only around 3 USD.

The Philippines

The Philippines is another country which I had the pleasure to visit. Being comprised of 7,600+ islands, there is a lot to see. The good thing about the Philippines (especially southern parts), is that they are not flooded with tourists. With overnight island hopping (for example from El Nido to Coron/Cebu), you get an entire island to yourself. And the nature … oh that is just unique.

In the Philippines, you can go diving and go island hopping (around 10 USD/person). During island hopping (not the overnight one), you will have a wonderful lunch that is prepared from the crew of the boat. Before you go island hopping, you choose a menu and the crew buys the food fresh from the local market. Basically, the options are all types of fish/seafood, chicken, rice, fresh fruits.

Local airlines such as Cebu Pacific are cheap and reliable, and they are used for internal flights between the cities and islands. For example, the price for one ticket per person form Manila (the capital) to Coron, Palawan is approximately 40 USD.

So, that’s my list of cheapest Asian countries that you can visit on a budget. Have you visited any of the countries above? I’d love to hear what your experience was.