Without a doubt the most common questions I receive through this site are related to the cost of travelling; “how much does it cost to travel around the world?”, “what is the daily budget for Thailand?”, “how much money do I need for 6 months backpacking around Europe?”, and so on.

My response is usually the same; “it depends”.

Some people can travel the world cheaply and others simply can’t – it depends on so many factors, such as the type and quality of accommodation you stay in, how you travel, what, where and how much you eat, whether you drink alcohol or not, what sort of activities you like doing, etc, etc. If you couchsurf, hitchhike and scrounge for food you can travel the world for very little, but that certainly isn’t for everyone.

I have created this tool to give you a rough estimation on the minimum daily amount of money you will need to travel in a particular destination. I am sure some people will be able to travel for cheaper, and certainly many others will spend a lot more, as these figures don’t include certain costs. These figures are mainly for people on a scrimper budget. Before using the tool you should probably read below about what these figures mean and how to use them.

Select Destination

Select…

—– Asia in General —–

Burma (Myanmar)

Cambodia

China

Hong Kong

India

Indonesia

Japan

Laos

Malaysia

Mongolia

Nepal

Philippines

Singapore

South Korea

Sri Lanka

Taiwan

Thailand

Vietnam

—- Western Europe in General —-

Austria

Belgium

Denmark

France

Germany

Ireland

Italy

Netherlands

Norway

Portugal

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

United Kingdom

—- Eastern Europe in General —-

Bulgaria

Croatia

Czech Republic

Greece

Hungary

Russia

Slovenia

Turkey

—– Latin America in General —–

Argentina

Belize

Bolivia

Brazil

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

Cuba

Ecuador

El Salvador

Guatemala

Honduras

Mexico

Nicaragua

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Uruguay

Venezuela

—– Oceania in General —–

Australia

Fiji

New Zealand

—– North America in General —–

Canada

Jamaica

United States

—– Africa in General —–

Botswana

Egypt

Ghana

Kenya

Madagascar

Malawi

Morocco

South Africa

Tanzania

Tunisia

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Please wait for the page to fully load before using the tool.
Figures last updated June 2015.

What Do These Figures Mean And How Should You Use Them?

As I mention above it is extremely difficult to give general budget estimates.

The estimates on this page have been worked out through my first hand experience in travelling to certain destinations, as well as extensive research throughout the web. The aim is to show the minimum amount you will need per day for a particular destination.

The accommodation budgets are the most accurate figures; they have been calculated using actual rates from sites such as Hostelworld. The figures have been gauged using averages from the 5 most popular destinations in a particular country; the smaller figure is the average of the lowest priced hostel and the bigger figure is is the average of the highest priced hostel, within reason (extortionately priced hostels were not used in the calculation), in each destination. If you are on a tight budget you really should keep your accommodation costs between these brackets and try to stay nearer the low end bracket. However take into account that in some cities (such as Paris, NYC and Sydney) this budget may increase significantly in comparison to the country as a whole.

The food budget isn’t to be taken quite as literally. It is difficult to calculate, particularly as different people eat different amounts of food. Another example of why it is hard to estimate is that you can easily find local food in places such as Thailand for under £1, but if you are fussy eater and want western food you can expect to pay 3 or 4 times as much. The figure is a rough guide of how much a basic breakfast, two decent sized meals of lunch and dinner and 4 litres of bottled water will cost. The food budgets also take into account whether you will be cooking for yourself or eating out – in developed countries it is assumed you will be cooking for yourself and in developing countries that you will be eating out.

The total figure is a good guide as to the minimum amount of money you will need to survive in that particular destination. As well as the low average accommodation cost and food budget, the total includes other miscellaneous costs, such as local transport. Remember you will often only need to spend money on accommodation and food during a day, for example if you visit a beach destination, you are unlikely to need transport to get to the beach and all activities should be virtually free. All figures have been round up to the nearest round number. The “region in general” totals are the averages of all the countries in the region, with the exception of Asia, which does not include Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong.

The total figures do not take in to account;

Any long distance travel

I.e. any flights, or bus/ train journeys of more than 25km. As you won’t be travelling long distances everyday I have not including them in the total. Again speaking broadly, a four hour journey by bus or train will cost around about 50% of the total daily budget for that country – i.e. a 4 hour bus ride in Australia will cost around AU$25, meaning your total daily budget will rise to AU$75. Flights no matter where you are will cost at least US$50, and more than likely be upward of US$100.

Any tours, trips or activities

A trip will generally cost about double the total budget per day. Food and accommodation may or may not be included in the price. For expensive activites such as bungee jumping, skydiving, white water rafting and scuba diving, you can expect to pay well over double the price of the minimum daily budget.

Alcohol

The price of alcohol isn’t relative to general living costs and some people drink more than others, so it is not included in the minimum daily budget. This website shows the cost of a pint of beer in each destination.

Luxury food and unnecessary goods

I.e. coffee and souvenirs. If you are on a tight budget these items should be avoided. A coffee in developed countries will cost you £2-3 ($3-5); 4 a day could potentially be £12 ($20) added to your daily budget.

Fees and charges

These can include anything, such as lost deposits, booking fees, etc. If you use your common sense they can be kept down, and even avoided all together.

Start up costs

Start up costs vary from trip to trip and may include items such as:

• Backpack (£60-150; $100-250)
• Contents of your backpack (£0-250; $0-400)
• Insurance (approx £200-300; $330-500 for a year)
• Vaccinations (most free in the UK, up to £200; $350)
• Visa (£0-80; $0-135)
• Flights/ RTW ticket/ Rail passes (£600-2500; $1000-4100)
I hope this article has helped give you an idea of how much money you should save to travel the world. There are a few other articles about the cost of travelling on this site and you might want to read about; Types of Backpacking Budgets, Money Saving Tips, Budget Planning and How To Fund Your Travels.

If you feel that any of these figures are not realistic then please let me know via the contact page, but only if they are too high, remember these are minimum budgets.