Why this guide: about 9,900 people a month search Google for “cheapest countries to visit” (US, DataForSEO Labs, September 2026). This is the answer we would give a client, written to be booked from.
The short answer
- Under $50 a day, comfortableVietnam, Cambodia, Laos, India, Nepal, Bolivia, Guatemala, Egypt (outside the sites), Georgia, Albania
- $50–$100 a day, very goodThailand, Indonesia (Bali), Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Malaysia, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Turkey, Morocco
- Cheap EuropePortugal, Greece outside the islands' peak, Albania, Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland — $70–$120 a day
South-East Asia
Vietnam ($30–$60 a day): pho for $2, a good hotel for $25–$40, the Hanoi–Hue–Hoi An–Saigon train and bus circuit, Ha Long and Ninh Binh; October–April. Cambodia ($30–$50): Angkor's three-day pass ($62) is the big cost; Siem Reap's boutique hotels are $30–$60. Laos ($30–$50): Luang Prabang and the slow boat. Thailand ($40–$90): the cheapest of the developed destinations — Chiang Mai and the islands at $40, Bangkok and Phuket's resorts at $80+; November–March. Indonesia's Bali ($40–$100): Ubud and Canggu villas with pools for $50–$80. Malaysia ($40–$80): Penang's food, Langkawi's beaches, KL's hotels at half Singapore's price. The Philippines ($40–$80): Palawan and Siargao.
South Asia
India ($25–$60): Rajasthan's palaces-as-hotels at $40–$100, the trains, the food at $1–$5 a meal, and the sheer range; October–March. Nepal ($25–$50): Kathmandu and Pokhara, the teahouse treks (Annapurna, Everest Base Camp) at $30–$50 a day all-in with a guide; October–November and March–April. Sri Lanka ($40–$80): the beaches, the Cultural Triangle, the tea country train, and the guesthouses at $20–$40; the currency's weakness makes it exceptional value.
Latin America
Mexico ($50–$100): the Yucatán's cenotes and ruins, Oaxaca's food and mezcal, Mexico City's museums, with $40–$80 hotels outside Cancun's Hotel Zone; the peso's strength in 2024–2025 raised prices, but it remains the value play nearest North America. Guatemala ($30–$60): Antigua, Lake Atitlán, Tikal. Colombia ($40–$80): Medellín, Cartagena (pricier), the coffee axis, the Caribbean coast. Peru ($40–$80): Cusco and the Sacred Valley, with Machu Picchu's ticket and train the big line item. Bolivia ($25–$50): La Paz, Uyuni's salt flats, Lake Titicaca — the cheapest country in the Americas. Ecuador, Nicaragua and Argentina (with its currency) are the next tier.
The Middle East, North Africa and cheap Europe
Turkey ($40–$90): the lira makes Istanbul, Cappadocia and the coast cheap for hard-currency visitors; April–June and September–October. Morocco ($40–$80): Marrakech's riads at $50–$100, the Sahara, Fes, Essaouira. Egypt ($35–$70): the Nile and the temples cost in entry fees but the hotels and food are cheap; October–April. Georgia ($30–$60): Tbilisi, the Caucasus, wine — the cheapest good country in Europe's orbit. Albania ($35–$70): the Riviera at a fraction of Greece across the strait. Portugal ($70–$120): the cheapest of western Europe with Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve and the Alentejo. Greece ($70–$130) outside Santorini and Mykonos in peak — Crete, Naxos, the Peloponnese. Romania, Bulgaria and Poland at $50–$90.
The catches, and booking it
Cheap countries have expensive bits: the flight (often the largest cost — see our cheapest time to book flights guide), the marquee entry fees (Angkor, Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal, Petra), the peak-season islands, and the visa fees (India's e-visa, Vietnam's, Turkey's). Budget separately for those and the daily figure holds. The engine's flights page finds the fare; the hotels search covers Hanoi, Siem Reap, Luang Prabang, Chiang Mai, Ubud, Penang, El Nido, Jaipur, Kathmandu, Galle, Oaxaca, Antigua, Medellín, Cusco, Uyuni, Cappadocia, Marrakesh, Luxor, Tbilisi, Ksamil, Lisbon and Crete; Vacation Packages bundle the two. A pre-booked chauffeur from the airport is the one splurge worth making at 2 a.m. in a new country — and it is $20–$40 in most of these.
Three things to get right
- Budget the flight, the marquee entry fees and the visas separately; the daily figure is the rest.
- Vietnam, Georgia and Bolivia are the deepest value in each region.
- Portugal and Greece off-peak are the cheap Europe that still feels like Europe.
Book it
Featured destination: Bangkok — hotels, airport and activities on one engine page.
