Cox's Bazar on a Budget: 3 Days for ৳5,000, Cheap Hotels and Food
Cox's Bazar doesn't have to be expensive. With a Shovon chair train seat, a ৳1,000–1,500 room midweek, local rice hotels and shared CNGs on Marine Drive, here's how three days stays under ৳5,000 a person.
- Train fare
- Shovon chair ৳754 one way
- Cheap rooms
- ৳1,000–1,500 midweek (2–3 people)
- 3-day cost
- ৳4,500–5,700 per person in a group of 4
- Cheapest time
- November and February–March, Sunday–Wednesday
Trip ticket
The question people search most about Cox's Bazar costs is "can I get a hotel for ৳1,000?" Yes, but it depends on when you go and where you look. Move two or three lanes back from the seafront and travel midweek, and costs fall by half. This post gives the full numbers for students and anyone on a tight budget.
The cheapest way to get there
From Dhaka the cheapest and most comfortable way is the train. Both the Cox's Bazar Express (11 pm, arriving 7:20 am) and the Parjatak Express (6:15 am, arriving 2:40 pm) charge ৳754 for a Shovon chair. A non-AC bus costs ৳1,000–1,200, so the train saves a few hundred taka each way.
Tickets go on sale 10 days before travel at 8 am and sell out within minutes in winter. See how to buy train tickets online and the times on our train schedule. If you can't get a seat, taking the train to Chattogram and a bus from there (4–5 hours, ৳450–600) is also cheap.
Where to find ৳1,000–1,500 hotels
| Area | What it's like | Approximate price (room for 2–3, midweek) |
|---|---|---|
| Back lanes of Kolatoli | 5–10 minutes' walk to the beach, lots of choice | ৳1,000–1,800 |
| Behind Sugandha Point | Close to the beach, lively at night | ৳1,200–2,000 |
| Laboni and Jhautala | Near town, the market and bus counters | ৳800–1,500 |
| In town (Bazarghata) | Far from the beach, take an auto | ৳700–1,200 |
With four people to a room (many hotels have family rooms or extra beds) you can stay for ৳300–500 per person a night.
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Eating cheaply
At seafront restaurants one meal can cost ৳500. At the rice hotels towards the market or at Kolatoli junction:
- Rice, dal, vegetables and fish or chicken: ৳150–250
- Paratha, egg and tea for breakfast: ৳60–100
- Fried loitta or small fish: ৳100–200
- A green coconut: ৳80–120
For fresh seafood, have four of you share one big fish and get it fried; agree on the weight and the frying charge first.
Sharing rides on Marine Drive
Local CNGs and jeeps run shared from Kolatoli towards Inani, usually ৳100–150 per person one way. You can get off at Himchari and catch another to Inani later. For a group of four, hiring a whole CNG for half a day at ৳1,200–1,800 costs about the same each and lets you stop where you like.
Battery autos in town cost ৳20–50 per person.
A low-cost 3-day plan
- Day 1: Arrive in the morning, walk the beach from Laboni to Sugandha and Kolatoli, watch the sunset, and look round the Burmese Market in the evening (looking is free)
- Day 2: Shared CNG to Himchari and Inani, the rocky beach at low tide, then sunset back on the beach
- Day 3: The empty beach at dawn, then a local CNG to the Buddhist temples of Ramu (৳50–80 each way shared), and the night train home
For a full hour-by-hour plan see the 3-day Cox's Bazar trip plan; for a shorter trip with activities, the 2-day Cox's Bazar plan.
A 3-day budget (per person, group of four)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Train, return (Shovon chair) | ৳1,508 |
| Hotel, 2 nights (4 to a room, midweek) | ৳800–1,200 |
| Food (3 days) | ৳1,400–1,800 |
| Marine Drive, Ramu and autos in town | ৳500–700 |
| Extras (coconuts, tea, umbrella and chair) | ৳300–500 |
| Total | ৳4,500–5,700 |
Costs to avoid
- Beach "photographers": don't let them start until you know the price
- Ask the hourly rate before sitting in a beach umbrella chair
- Parasailing and jet ski prices come down with bargaining, but don't pick an operator with worn gear just because it's cheaper
- For dried fish and pickles, the town market can be cheaper than the Burmese Market
Questions and answers
Can I really get a hotel in Cox's Bazar for ৳1,000?
Midweek and outside the peak season, basic rooms at Laboni, Jhautala or in town go for ৳800–1,200. On Thursdays, Fridays and over the December holidays you'll hardly find one.
What is the cheapest month to visit?
Early November and February–March have good weather with fewer crowds and lower prices. Hotels are even cheaper in the monsoon (June–September), but the sea is rough.
What does it cost alone?
Alone you pay the whole room, so allow ৳6,000–7,000 for three days. Shared CNGs and local food keep the rest down.
Which other places are cheap for students?
See our 8 budget tour plans for students.
See it on the map, plan your trip
Look up the places, routes and costs, then put your own trip together.
