List of Southeast Asian Currencies from Lowest to Highest Exchange Rates

If you go to Southeast Asia, you need to know about Southeast Asia currency. Different states may have different currencies. Then, different currencies also have varying rates. By understanding the currencies of each country, you will not be confused about money travel in Southeast Asia.

For your information, Southeast Asia consists of 11 states. To discuss more about it, let’s see the following explanation.

Currencies Available in Southeast Asia (ASEAN)

Today transaction can be done easily using ATM, credit card, PayPal, and other methods. But you still need to exchange some money depending on the country you are. Here is the list of currency in Southeast Asia:

1.      Indonesian Currency – Rupiah (Rp)

Starts from Indonesia, the main currency is named Rupiah. This currency can be written with the sign of RP before the nominal of money. There are some bills available that include Rp 100, Rp 200, Rp 500, Rp 1,000, Rp 2,000, Rp 5,000, Rp 10,000, Rp 20,000, Rp 50,000 and Rp 100,000. Some of them come in coins. They are Rp 100, Rp 200, and Rp 500. The comparison between Rupiah and US dollar is about Rp 11,000 to Rp 14,000 = $ 1.

2.      Cambodia Currency – Riel

The monetary unit of Cambodia is Riel. Riel is available in 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 & 100,000. Currently, the exchange from Riel Cambodia to the US dollar is 4,000 riel = $ 1. The second currency of Cambodia is the dollar, and it is accepted in different services such as restaurants, guesthouses, and hotels.

3.      Laos Currency – Kip

Kip is the primary unit of currency in Laos. It comes in some denominations from 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000 to 50,000. The exchange rate is around 8,500 kip equals 1 dollar. In some areas of Laos, the people prefer using the US dollar for the transaction. In some other areas, they use Thai baht. However, kip still becomes the main currency in this country.

4.      Malaysia Currency – Ringgit (RM)

The next Southeast Asia currency is Ringgit. It is Malaysian’s currency. Usually, it is written as RM. It also refers to the Malaysian dollar. For your information, RM 1 equals to 100 sen. Ringgit comes in some denominations including RM 1, RM 2, RM 5, RM 10, RM 20, RM 50, RM 100, RM 500, and RM 1,000. Some of them come in coins with denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10 & sen and RM 1. For the exchange rate, it is approximately RM 3.59 = $ 1.

5.      Singapore Currency – Dollar (S$)

Dollar Singapore (S$) also belongs to one of the currencies in Southeast Asia. Some people call it as Sing dollar. This dollar Singapore comes in some denominations of 2, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000. Dollar Singapore is also available in coins with denominations from 1, 5, 10, 20 to 50 cents as well as gold-coloured S$ 1. Compared to the US dollar, it is approximately $ 1 = S$ 1.49.

6.      Thailand Currency – Baht (B)

Thailand also has its own currency, called Baht. It is usually written with B. This is made from 100 satang. Different denominations have different colours. 20B comes in green, 50B comes in blue, 100B comes in red, 500B comes in purple and 1,000B comes in khaki. Some denominations of the coin include 1B, 2B, 5B, & 10B and 25 satang as well as 50 satang. For the exchange rate, 1 US dollar equals to around 35 Bahts.

7.      Vietnam Currency – Dong (VND)

The main currency of the Vietnamese is Dong. This currency can be written with VDN. The denominations come from 200, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 50,000, 100,000, 200,000, and 500,000 notes. However, this currency does not come in coin at all. In Vietnam, most tourists accept dollars. Compared to the US dollar, the exchange rate is approximately $ 1 equals to 16,000 VND.

Actually, there are still some other Southeast Asia currencies you have to know. For your information:

• The currency of Brunei is dollar (BND),
• The currency of East Timor is dollar (USD),
• The currency of Myanmar is Burmese Kyat (MMK), and
• The currency of Philippines is Peso (PHP).

You can see that different country have different main currencies, but some of them use the dollar as the secondary currency. They also have different exchange rates. By knowing those currencies, now you can prepare your money, especially in cash when travelling to Southeast Asia countries.

Travel Money Options in Southeast Asia

There are many options for travel money you can use in Southeast Asia. If you prefer cash, it is essential to know about Southeast Asia currency. However, there are still some other travel money options.

One of them is a Debit Card for Travel. Besides that, there is also Prepaid Travel Money Cards. The next option is Credit Card for Travel. Then, there is one more, called Traveler’s Cheques. Different choices of travel money have their own benefits so that you have to understand it well before deciding to use the option you want.

However, we always recommend you to have a combination of travel money choices. For example, you need to have a travel card, debit card, credit card, and cash. Besides that, the US dollar also needs to be brought because it also belongs to one of the currencies of South Asia. In fact, some states in South Asia also accept the US dollar for the transaction.

Southeast Asia or ASEAN can be considered as one of the most budgeting destinations compared to other parts of the world. For your information, developed economies like Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia are more expensive compared to emerging destinations like Laos and Cambodia.

Besides knowing about ASEAN currency, you also need to know about the average price for hotels, restaurants and shops in Southeast Asia. For example, hotel dorm bed costs S$ to S$20 per night in Singapore. Then, it needs about S$ 1 to S$3 for street food and about S$ 0.50 to S$ 7.50 for marketing shopping. In other countries of Southeast Asia, of course, you will need different budgets.