Laos is an inexpensive country to visit by almost any standards. Not including transport, a budget of US$15 a day brings with it decent food and comfortable, but basic, accommodation When you add air-con, hot water and falang (Western) food, costs are around US$20 to US$25 per day if you economise, and around US$75 for top-end hotels and food. Of course, you can spend even more if you stay in the best hotels and eat at the most expensive restaurants, although such a scenario exists only in Vientiane and Luang Prabang.
For those on a tight budget, in Vientiane or Luang Prabang you can squeeze by on about $10 a day if you stay in the cheapest guesthouses and eat local food; in remote areas where everything's less expensive you can whittle this figure down to around US$7 or US$8 a day.
Add to these estimates the cost of transport, which varies considerably depending on how fast you're moving. Flying with Lao Airlines costs from US$40 to US$100 per leg. Most bus trips cost between US$2 and US$13.
All these costs are paid in a mix of US dollars, Thai baht and Lao kip. Credit cards and other bank cards aren't widely accepted, so pack cash and travellers cheques.
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