Keep track of Your Pattaya Costs

Unless you have unlimited money in your bank account, you need to track your Pattaya costs day by day so you don’t stress about it.

I make a normal wage, with normal living expenses in an expensive midwestern USA college town.  I have to spend a lot of money just living and trying to have a decent life as an aging man in the US.

And I am still dealing with the aftermath of an expensive wife and expensive divorce.  I just don't have a lot of excess cash to burn on vacation.

But my desire for the type of epic time you can have in Pattaya outweighs the extremely frugal (and boring) lifestyle I should be following. 

If I followed conventional advice, I would never take a trip or have any fun or do anything I wanted to do until my finances are totally under control.

You Are Going to Need to Bring Plenty of Cash to Pay for Your Pattaya Costs

I don't want to wait to go to Pattaya in some distant time in the future when my bills are totally under control and I have a huge savings account.

I want to go now with the money I have now, when I'm young enough to fully enjoy it.

It's easy to overspend in Pattaya.  There is something fun every time you walk out your hotel door. I need to know my money is doing day to day and rein myself in if I have to.

On some days in Pattaya, I spent a lot more than I should.  But on others I've been conservative and spent a lot less.  And by tracking my spending I avoid the stress of wondering if I have enough money to enjoy the rest of my trip.

If I spend a lot on one day, I cut back for a few days.

Thailand isn't like the US.  If you're short of cash in the USA, you can just pull out your credit card and push your pressing financial problems into the future.  Since Thailand is a cash country, that is not an option, unless you want to deal with not only the sky high interest rates but the sky high cash withdrawal fees.

Plus, converting your countries money to Thai Baht makes is confusing.  The exchange rate is not easy to calculate in your head.

If you're keeping track, day by day, when you find you're way over your daily budget, you can "go cheap" for a day or two, eat cheap meals at the food courts, walk instead of get rides, hang around the hotel, don't buy anything, don't get a massage or go shopping, avoid the ladies, maybe just nurse some cheap drinks at a happy hour and go to bed early.

But, if you find you're doing ok, you can loosen up and splurge on some great meals, some fancy drinks, buy some souvenirs, get an extra massage, drink your fill (and then some), buy some drinks for others and have some real fun with the ladies.

These financial concerns lead to some sort of tracking method so you know where you're at financially day by day on your trip.

Your Pattaya Costs Before You Even Get There

You will spend a lot of money on your Pattaya trip before you even get there.

• Flight
• Hotel
• Travel insurance

Then some money on the way:

• Tolls 
• Meals, snacks and drinks driving to the airport
• Meals, snacks and drinks at the airport(s)

Then even more money on the way back:

• Parking at the airport
• Tolls
• Meals, snacks and drinks driving home
• Gas up your vehicle

All of these are a necessary part of the trip and I add them to my overall Pattaya costs.  But, most of these I can put on credit cards to either pay some off before I go on my trip or work hard paying them off after.

What I really need to know is the status of the cash I bring to Pattaya.

2 Tools I Use to Keep Track of my Pattaya Costs

1. Notes on my phone.
2. 2 Spreadsheets on my laptop computer

You need both.

I can't remember all the little purchases I make all day and all night.  It's all cash, so there is no credit card company keeping track for me.

I'm on vacation.  Part of the fun is spending money.

I'm buying things and doing things that cost money whenever I leave the hotel during the day - meals, tips, admission, souvenirs, a massage, afternoon snack, coffee, some needs from 7 - 11 and pick up laundry.

Every evening there will be multiple stops - drinks, tips for the drinks, company, tips to the band, a massage, an evening snack, more drinks, more company and a late night snack.

I am going and going.  Bar to bar to bar.  Get a massage.  Get a snack.  Another beer and a tip to the band.  Maybe a motorbike taxi.  There are multiple costs involved with the ladies.  For hours all night long.  As the night wears on it is impossible to remember where I went, let alone how much I spent.

The doing is fun.  Trying to remember is boring.  That's why I developed a simple method to track it.

Tool 1 - iPhone Notes

iPhone Notes symbol. I have mine pinned on the bottom of my iPhone screen

The first tool is the built in Notes App on my iPhone.

I break down the notes by time period.  Usually the first time I leave the hotel by late morning and the second time when I go out for the evening.

I keep it simple.

My notes look something like this:

• Day and date
• Item 1 & Where & How much
• Item 2 & Where & How much 
• Item 3 & Where & How much 
• Item 4 & Where & How much 
• etc.

The where and how much might be further broken down.

Here is an example for an afternoon I spent at the beach, renting a chair and buying various things from the roaming street vendors:

• Monday August 26, 2024 Pattaya Beach
• Beach Chair rental 100
• Coconut 60
• Ice cream bar 60
• Foot treatment 400
• Bracelet 100
• Prawn & spring rolls 100
• Massage devices 300

All the numbers are in Thai Baht.

That's a lot of little purchases in a few hours.  They added up to $1,120 Thb (about $35 USD).  Without noting them as I go, by the time I get back to my hotel, I will be too beat to recall all of them for entry in my spreadsheet. 

Getting across town in Pattaya is not simple and easy like at home.  You don't just jump in your car, you walk or take some combination of transportation.  It is an adventure in itself with the traffic.

It's not in my head, it's in my iPhone notes.  When I get back to my computer later in the afternoon, I take 5 to 10 minutes and enter this on the spreadsheet.

Remembering where and how much I spent at night is even more difficult.  If I start bar hopping at 6 pm and stay out until bar time, having the time of my life, there will be a lot of purchases.

I just pull out my iPhone and make a note after I pay my bar bill and wait for my change.  I may need to wait to finalize it until after I pay the tip, but usually I figure out how much I am going to tip while they are going to get my change.

Same idea after a massage, snack or whatever else I purchase that night.

Then the next morning I make the spreadsheet entries.

Yes, it takes some time.  

But I'm on vacation, on a solo trip.  I don't need to rush.  I want to control my stress around money on MY VACATION.  I don't want to worry.

Tool 2 - Spreadsheet A - Pattaya Tracking Costs

The second tool are 2 spreadsheets specific to my normal Pattaya trips with just enough detail so I know what I'm spending on without going overboard over-tracking.

Updating the spreadsheets a few times a day, late afternoon before going out at night and the next morning, is the key to making your life simple and knowing exactly where you're at financially.

I found out that it's an irritating ordeal to skip a few days.  It's easiest to keep up daily.

Here is Picture of My Spreadsheet Layout for Tracking Pattaya Costs

Pattaya Spreadsheet Tracking

The columns to the left of the dark line are:

• Column A.  Day
• Column B.  Date
• Column C.  Cost (in Thai baht)
• Column D.  Description.  Where and the details (what and where)

The columns to the right of the dark line are the breakdown:

• Column E.  Transportation (baht bus, taxi, motorbike taxi, Bolt or Grab)
• Column F.  Food & Snacks (meals, coffee out, deserts, snacks)
• Column G.  Drinks (any drink I get in a bar, drinks for others, tips, tips to the band)
• Column H.  Ladies (costs involved with company)
• Column I.  Admission (mostly to attractions)
• Column J.  Merchandise (needs at 7 - 11, pharmacy, clothes, souvenirs, stuff)
• Column K.  Personal Car (barbershop services, massages, laundry)

So all the costs in column C on the left side of the spreadsheet are also in one of the 7 columns (E thru K) on the right side of the spreadsheet.

When I get home I total all this up to see how much in total I spent on each category.

Tool 2 - Spreadsheet B - Pattaya Costs Running Total

The other spreadsheet is for calculating the running total to sum up each days spending and compare it with the money you budgeted to spend each day.

You need to create another spreadsheet (another Tab) to calculate the running total.

Example Budget:

• $3,000 USD in Cash you brought with you to Pattaya
• 10 Days in Pattaya
• $300 USD per Day Budget = $3,000/10 Days 

Here is a Picture of My Actual Costs during a few days of My August 2024 Pattaya Trip

Pattaya Running Total Costs

Explanation of the above spreadsheet:

• Column A.  Day of the week
• Column B.  Date
• Column C.  Enter the Thai baht spent that day using the detailed information already entered on Spreadsheet A
• Column D.  Convert Thai baht to US Dollars (see currency converted provided here)
• Column E.  Running total using the spreadsheet addition tool

So after these 6 days of my trip, I spent $1,774.21 US dollars.  Ranging from $269.58 dollars on Sunday to $334.84 dollars on Saturday.

This is all my spending on these days - from the mid-day meal, all the little purchases made all day, all the way to the last drink and late night snack.  Some of these days I went pretty wild in the evenings, drinking my fill and enjoying some company.

Pattaya Costs Wrap Up

There is nothing worse than trying to enjoy a vacation in one of the best locations on planet earth and stressing about money.

Wondering if you'll have enough to pay for your transportation to get back to the airport for your flight home or if you will have to stop spending on the rest of your trip.

On the flip side, if you are careful some days and don't spend that much, there is nothing nicer than splurging on a fine meal, or two, getting an extra massage and going wild at night.