What currency is best to take to Thailand: dollars, euros, or rubles?

Based on personal experience and current calculations, the most profitable option is to take US dollars (USD) in cash to Thailand. In second place is the euro (EUR), and in third is the Chinese yuan (CNY). Taking cash Russian rubles for exchange is extremely unprofitable due to the very low exchange rate in Thai exchange offices.

To make it clear, here is a comparison of how many Thai baht you will end up with by exchanging 100,000 rubles in different ways (calculation based on real exchange rates as of March 2026):

Comparison of exchanging 100,000 RUB to THB

Exchange method	Final amount in THB	Loss compared to USD
Through dollars (USD)	39,626 THB	— (most profitable)
Through euros (EUR)	39,153 THB	-473 baht (-1.12%)
Through yuan (CNY)	38,571 THB	-1,055 baht (-2.66%)
Cash rubles in Thailand	36,500 THB	-3,126 baht (-7.88%)
Buy baht in Russia (at Sberbank)	35,816 THB	-3,810 baht (-9.60%)

Why are dollars more profitable? Their purchase rate in Russia is often better than for euros or yuan, and in Thailand, they are accepted everywhere at a good rate, especially large denominations (50 and 100 USD).

If you already have euros, there is no need to specifically exchange them for dollars before the trip—the losses from double conversion will eat up the profit. Simply exchange euros in Thailand; the difference with dollars is not critical.

All the nuances of choosing currency, including working with cards and exchanging old dollars, are covered in detail in the article: Money in Thailand: currency, exchange rate, exchange, cards.

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