Time for another money post! 
This is the second post with an expense comparison of traveling vs. staying in SD. You can read the first one here.
Did I still travel and save money? How badly did losing my ATM card hurt me? What were Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand like price-wise compared to Bali?
In general, overall, Thailand was a little cheaper than Bali for the main stuff- accommodations and food (with a few notable exceptions). Transportation was higher in Thailand, mainly because I was taking boats much of the time, and taxis are just more expensive in general. Singapore isn’t expensive for food, and I got lucky with 3 free nights with a Couchsurfing.org guy.
Here’s the breakdown:
Typical month in San Diego (same as last month but I added $50 for gas since it went up. :)):
Rent: $1200
Food: $350
Phone: $100
Gas: $250
Misc. car expenses: $50
Internet: $40
Power: $18
Entertainment: $100
Car insurance: $75
Total: $2183
Second month here (Singapore, Malyasia, Thailand):
Hotel expenses: $605 (taking out $3 for breakfasts included)
Food: $300
Flights: Bali-Singapore: $125 Kuala Lumpur-Phuket: $70
30-day Visa: $0
Phone: $35
Transport costs (taxis/shuttles/buses/boats/train): $385
“Exit” Fees: $0
ATM Fees: $40
Fees for Western Union $80
Internet: $0
Power: $0
Car insurance: $0
Rock Climbing: $28
Total: $1668
So the total savings of traveling around SE Asia vs. living in San Diego was 2183-1668= $515
The big differences from my first month were the flights and all the various boat rides I had to pay for to get around. Also, I moved around more in Thailand than I did in Bali, so each move was another expense. Still, I’m pretty happy that even with the ATM card mishap and the two flights I’m up $515 for month 2 of the trip!
