Youâll often hear Burma described as âexpensiveâ by travellers, but just what does this mean? Expensive compared to where? If you look at Burma in comparison with Thailand, Vietnam or one of its other Southeast Asian neighbours, it can be considered a little more expensive â but only really when it comes to hotels. When it comes to day-to-day life, the cost of living in Burma is still incredibly cheap, even in the context of Southeast Asia. In this blog post weâve set out to redress the misapprehension that travelling in Burma is expensive by asking the question: how cheap is a day in Yangon?
Breakfast
If youâre staying at a hotel, youâll almost certainly have breakfast included as part of your package. If not â and if youâre feeling particularly brave â you might like to indulge in the traditional Burmese breakfast staple: mohinga. This fish & rice noodle soup, sold from streetside carts, may be challenging for some Western palates â but when done well itâs delicious.
Mohinga breakfast: 500 MMK ($0.45/ÂŁ0.30)
Morning
Full of mohinga (or not, as the case may be) â head out of your hotel this morning to explore Yangonâs lively downtown area. Using the Sule Pagoda (located slap-bang in the centre of a roundabout) to orientate yourself, wander along leafy avenues admiring the cityâs impressive but crumbling fin-de-siècle architecture, perhaps stopping in for a morning tea or loitering in the art shop at the iconic Strand Hotel as you go. High tea at the Strand is a classic Yangon experience â but if itâs too steep for you, grab a cuppa and a snack at a local teahouse (ubiquitous in Burma) for next to nothing.
High tea at the Strand: $15 / ÂŁ11.30
Lunch
How much you spend on lunch will entirely depend on how gastronomically brave you are â and in fact, the same goes for any mealtime in Burma. Visit a standard, mid-range restaurant and you might expect to pay around $5-8 for lunch. At a more local affair, with plastic seats on the pavement and unidentifiable delicacies sold from a streetcart, and you could pay $3 or less. The quality, as you might expect, is pretty variable! But remember that a higher price doesnât always mean better food.
Lunch at a local restaurant: 6,000-9,500 MMK ($5-8 / ÂŁ4-6)
Afternoon
This afternoon, hop on Yangonâs circle train for a ride into the city suburbs. The city centre may be the place to admire colonial architecture and grand pagodas, but itâs in the ordinary neighbourhoods of the outskirts that youâll get a taste of everyday Burmese life. The entire loop takes around three hours to complete, linking Yangon city centre with 39 stations in the suburbs and satellite towns â but you could just do a small section if you prefer. Hop on and off the train wherever you feel like it, exploring the local streets and markets to get a real cross-section of local life.
Returning to the city centre as the sun begins to go down, head to Yangonâs Chinatown and Little India districts, just a couple of blocks apart, where the streets are crowded with shops and restaurants showcasing the diversity of Burmaâs biggest city. In the evening, 19th street is closed to traffic and is lined with market stalls â a fantastic place to drink in the atmosphere.
Ticket for 15+ miles on the circle train: 400 MMK ($0.34 / ÂŁ0.25)
Dinner
For a really cheap dinner, snack on skewers of meat and vegetables on 19th street â though you may want to avoid the many different types of bug on display. If youâre after a sit-down meal, $15 is more than enough to budget for a standard local restaurant â though at swankier establishments you can of course pay much more. As in any Southeast Asian city, the price of a beer can vary â from the cheaper-than-water local brews to rather overpriced varieties found in upmarket hotels and restaurants.
Dinner & drinks at a local restaurant: 11,900-18,000 MMK ($10-15 / ÂŁ7.50-11)
Evening
Yangon doesnât have much in the way of nightlife if youâre after a party â but it does have a very different kind of nightlife to enjoy. Once youâve had your dinner, head along to the jewel in the cityâs crown: Shwedagon Pagoda. This towering golden stupa is the most sacred place in Burma, and it comes alive at night â as worshippers head to its precincts to pray and light candles beneath its glowing spire. The pagoda closes at 10pm â leave your shoes at the entrance and donât forget to tip the staff for looking after them as you exit.
Entrance to Shwedagon Pagoda: $8 / ÂŁ6
Based on the guide prices given here, a budget of $30-50 (ÂŁ20-40) is plenty for a fabulous, fun and very full day of sightseeing in Yangon. For more information about travelling in Burma, why not give one of our travel consultants a call, or have a look at some of our Fully Tailored Journeys and Small Group Tours for inspiration.