Tokyo vs Bangkok
The short answer
Bangkok is the cheaper trip, by roughly 50% a day — $40–80 against $90–150 mid-range per person. Both are at their best in Nov, so one trip can take in both.
Side by side
Mid-range, per person, in US dollars. Both guides were costed the same way — see how we work these out.
| 🇯🇵 Tokyo | 🇹🇭 Bangkok | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $90–150 | $40–80cheaper |
| Cheap meallocal staple | $4–8 | $1.50–3cheaper |
| Mid-range hotelper night | $100–200 | $50–100cheaper |
| Transit ridesingle trip | $1.20–2.20 | $0.50–1.80cheaper |
| Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context | ≈ $2,200 | ≈ $800 |
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
What you'd actually do
A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds — the full lists are on the guides themselves.
🇯🇵 Tokyo
The world's biggest city, and somehow its most orderly. Cheaper than you expect, cleaner than you imagined, and impossible to see in one trip.
- Golden Gai$$Nightlife
- Tsukiji Outer Market$$Restaurants
- Kabukiza Theatre$$Theater & shows
- Bar High Five$$$Nightlife
- Ichiran (Shibuya)$Restaurants
🇹🇭 Bangkok
Chaotic, friendly, and outrageously good value. Street food that outclasses most restaurants, a skytrain gliding over legendary traffic, and golden temples around every corner.
- Sky Bar (Lebua State Tower)$$$Nightlife
- Jay Fai$$$Restaurants
- Calypso Cabaret$$Theater & shows
- Teens of Thailand$$Nightlife
- Thipsamai$Restaurants
Practicalities
| Tokyo | Bangkok | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Japanese. English signage is good in stations; spoken English is limited — translation apps work fine. | Thai. English is common in tourist areas, hotels, and malls; sparse elsewhere. |
| Currency | Japanese yen (¥). US$1 ≈ ¥150 | Thai baht (฿). US$1 ≈ ฿35 |
| Time zone | JST (UTC+9), no daylight saving | ICT (UTC+7) |
| Power | Type A/B plugs, 100V (US plugs fit) | 220V; outlets take most two-pin plugs (A/C hybrids) |
| Tap water | Safe to drink everywhere | Don't drink it — bottled and filtered water everywhere, often free at hotels |
| Emergency | 110 police · 119 fire/ambulance | 191 police · 1669 ambulance · 1155 tourist police (English) |