How Much Does It Cost to Travel? 15 Destinations Compared

“How much will it cost?” is the question that decides whether a trip happens. The honest answer is that it depends far more on where you go than on how long — the same two weeks can cost a few hundred or several thousand, and the destination does most of that work. Below are typical daily costs for fifteen popular destinations, at three travel styles, so you can see the difference before you commit.

What these numbers cover

Each figure is per person, per day, in US dollars, and covers the on-the-ground cost of being there: accommodation, food, local transport, activities and everyday incidentals. Flights are not included — airfares vary too much by route and date to average usefully. The three styles are roughly: budget (hostels or guesthouses, street food and public transport), mid-range (a decent hotel, restaurants, the odd taxi and paid attractions), and luxury (four-star and up, eating wherever you like).

The cheapest: Southeast Asia and Latin America

• Hanoi, Vietnam — budget $23 · mid $45 · luxury $67
• Bangkok, Thailand — budget $28 · mid $57 · luxury $83
• Bali, Indonesia — budget $28 · mid $55 · luxury $80
• Mexico City, Mexico — budget $37 · mid $75 · luxury $108

This is why the region dominates long-term travel: a month in Hanoi on a budget can cost less than a week in Reykjavik. Two weeks mid-range in Bangkok comes to roughly $800 before flights.

The middle: eastern and southern Europe

• Budapest, Hungary — budget $50 · mid $98 · luxury $141
• Lisbon, Portugal — budget $65 · mid $125 · luxury $183
• Barcelona, Spain — budget $79 · mid $154 · luxury $224
• Rome, Italy — budget $81 · mid $161 · luxury $233
• Dubai, UAE — budget $84 · mid $166 · luxury $240

The sweet spot for a lot of trips: recognisably European, at roughly two-thirds of what the big-name capitals ask.

The expensive: major capitals and the far north

• Tokyo, Japan — budget $90 · mid $178 · luxury $257
• Paris, France — budget $97 · mid $194 · luxury $282
• Sydney, Australia — budget $97 · mid $194 · luxury $282
• London, United Kingdom — budget $108 · mid $213 · luxury $307
• New York, United States — budget $114 · mid $223 · luxury $324
• Reykjavik, Iceland — budget $122 · mid $241 · luxury $348

Worth noticing: Tokyo has a reputation as punishingly expensive and comes in below London and New York. Reykjavik is the real outlier — almost everything is imported.

Three things the numbers actually tell you

• Style moves the total about as much as destination does. Budget in Paris ($97) costs less than mid-range in Barcelona ($154). Where you stay and eat is a bigger lever than most people assume.
• Accommodation is the swing factor. It is the largest single line almost everywhere, and the one you have most control over before you leave.
• Long trips favour cheap destinations, short trips barely notice. On a four-day city break the flight dominates; over a month the daily rate is everything.

Treat these as planning estimates, not quotes — real prices move with the season and the exchange rate. Add 10 to 15 percent as a buffer and you will not be caught out.

Work out your own number

For a figure tailored to your trip, our free travel budget calculator does the arithmetic across 139 destinations — pick a place, your nights and your style. And once you are actually travelling, WanderWallet is the free Android app that keeps you on that budget: plan a trip in legs with auto-budgets, track spending in any of 155 currencies with rates cached for when you have no signal, scan paper receipts on-device, and split costs with whoever you are travelling with. No account, no login, and it all works offline.

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More on the app: the WanderWallet page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest country to travel to?

Southeast Asia is consistently the best value — Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia all sit well under $60 a day mid-range, and under $30 on a budget.

How much should I budget per day in Europe?

It splits sharply: eastern and southern Europe run roughly $50–$100 a day budget and $98–$161 mid-range, while Paris and London ask $97–$114 budget and $194–$223 mid-range.

Do these figures include flights?

No. They are on-the-ground daily costs only, because airfares vary far too much by route and date. Add your flights separately.

Is Tokyo expensive to visit?

Less than its reputation suggests. At about $178 a day mid-range it comes in below both London and New York.

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