I have lived and worked as well as holidayed and sojourned (long stay holidaying) in all Southeast Asian countries except Brunei. Plus I have travelled extensively in India and somewhat in China.

I am inviting opinions based on experience as to relative costs of renting apartments or hotel rooms in order to see where are the best deals. This can be expressed in two related but separate measurements: best *value* and cheapest. Why? I am looking for somewhere cheap to hole up for three months. Here I am choosing value over price.

I suggest that this poll consider only capital cities in order to compare apples with apples. I use SEA in the broadest sense - to me this includes tropical regions of China (Xishuangbanna) and perhaps some would to include South Asia and Himalayas as well. I am considering travellers' circuit more than climate and culture.

My ballpark estimates (feel free to disagree if you know better)

From best value to poorest...

Great value

01. Thailand

02. Malaysia

03. Laos

Good value

04. Cambodia

05. China

Medium value

06. Philippines

07. Taiwan

08. Brunei

Poor value

09. Myanmar

10. Hong Kong

If South Asia is included...

01. Thailand

02. Malaysia

03. Laos

04. Cambodia

05. Sri Lanka

06. China

07. Philippines

08. Brunei

09. Myanmar

10. India

11. Bangladesh

12. Pakistan

13. Nepal

India one would think would be cheap, but in my experience major metropolises such as Mumbai and Kolkata are very poor value for hotels rental accommodation (and I expect that renting an apartment is a hassle) But far upcountry, last time I travelled, in mid-1990s it was great value. I have not included East Timor because I am ignorant of realities there.

Are you living in Thailand now? I doubt you'd find an "acceptable" room for much less than you can get here. Again, acceptable being the key term! LOL

Do you have a budget? What are you going to do for 3 months?

Whatever you choose, it will be a great adventure!

It seems pointless to class each country as a whole. At the very least you should distinguish between the capital cities and some of the more popular tourist destinations.

For example, I think that Bangkok is expensive for accommodation but Pattaya can be very good value for a 3-month stay especially if those 3 months are not in the December - March season.

And, as mentioned, one man's "acceptable" would be another man's palace and a third man's slum. There is also the question of all the other costs one might need to consider for three months (food, entertainment, internet connection, beer etc etc).

The top rated budget hotels in Hanoi on TripAdvisor offer the best value for hotels in the region if not the world. Look for something around 20 USD a day & see what discount they can offer you for longstay.

i have always found Nepal ( KTM and Pokhara) very affordable, good local food and cheaper than here in Thailand

Malaysia i have found everywhere i have been ( mostly north an west of Penang) to be poor value for hotels but good cheap food.

Hotels in most of Laos and Cambodia are on an average 10-20% cheaper than Thailand,( those in the $15-20 range) food in laos same price and very good value, food in Cambodia can be cheaper but not great value for what you get.

Burma was about the same as Thailand in the low season but lots more in the high season.

These are all places I have traveled in the last 18 months .

Interesting that you don't list Indonesia on your list - or did I miss it? Jakarta is mostly a miss - too much traffic and not much to do there - but in Java - Bandung / Solo / Malang and even Bali have some great places in the budget range with good inexpensive food.

It seems pointless to class each country as a whole. At the very least you should distinguish between the capital cities and some of the more popular tourist destinations.

For example, I think that Bangkok is expensive for accommodation but Pattaya can be very good value for a 3-month stay especially if those 3 months are not in the December - March season.

And, as mentioned, one man's "acceptable" would be another man's palace and a third man's slum. There is also the question of all the other costs one might need to consider for three months (food, entertainment, internet connection, beer etc etc).

The OP did specify capital cities as the basis for the comparisons.

While the core Sukhumvit/Silom areas of Bangkok are pricy, especially during high season, there are still many decent but economical rooms available in less central areas though still serviced by the BTS/MRT/ARL. I can think of at least 10 decent hotels in the Ekkamai-Phra Khanong-On Nut area for less than B1000/p.n.