Estimate your daily travel costs for 150+ countries across three travel styles, then compare the cost of living at your destination against your home country — so you know exactly what you're getting into before you book.
Knowing what a destination actually costs before you arrive separates a well-planned trip from one that runs out of money in week two. This tool gives you a realistic daily budget broken down by accommodation, food, transport, drinks, activities, and incidentals — based on real traveller data. Below the estimator, the cost comparison tool lets you select your home country and your destination to see exactly how much cheaper or more expensive life is there, category by category.
Select your home country and a destination to see how much cheaper or more expensive it is — broken down by category so you know exactly where your money goes further.
It depends heavily on the destination and your travel style. Budget travellers in Southeast Asia can get by on $25-40/day. The same style in Western Europe costs $80-120/day. Luxury travel anywhere typically starts at $300+/day. The biggest variables are accommodation and how you eat — street food and self-catering cuts costs dramatically.
Consistently among the cheapest: Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, India, Nepal, Bolivia, Albania, Georgia, Morocco, and Egypt. Southeast Asia and South Asia offer the best value globally, with comfortable accommodation and good food available for well under $50/day. Check our Best Time to Visit tool to plan the optimal month for each.
The biggest savings come from: travelling in shoulder season, eating where locals eat, using local transport instead of taxis, booking accommodation with a kitchen to cook occasionally, and using a fee-free card like Wise or Revolut to avoid currency exchange fees. Slow travel — staying longer in fewer places — also cuts costs significantly.
Flights are typically the biggest single expense and vary enormously. Budget $400-800 return for intercontinental flights booked 6-8 weeks in advance. Last-minute or peak season can be 2-3x higher. Set fare alerts on Google Flights or Skyscanner 3-6 months before your trip to catch price drops.
Yes, without exception. A single medical evacuation can cost $50,000-200,000. Travel insurance for a two-week trip typically costs $50-150. Even for healthy travellers, cancellations, lost luggage, and delayed flights make it worthwhile. Never travel without it.
Accommodation is usually the single biggest line item after flights. Hostel dorms run $8-20/night in Southeast Asia or South America versus $35-60/night in Western Europe. Private budget rooms typically run 2-3x a dorm bed. Booking a place with a kitchen, even a shared one, can meaningfully cut your food costs too.
Budget travel means hostels or guesthouses, street food and local transport, roughly half of mid-range spending. Mid-range means private rooms, sit-down restaurants, and occasional taxis, the most common style for a first trip somewhere. Luxury means 4-5 star hotels, private transfers, and premium tours, typically 2-3x mid-range costs depending on the category.
A simple daily habit works best: log every expense in a notes app or a free tool like Trail Wallet or Splitwise, and check your running total against your planned daily budget every few days rather than daily. Using a fee-free card like Wise or Revolut also makes bank statements easy to reconcile against your budget after the trip.
Figures reviewed and updated August 2026 based on current traveller-reported costs. Have more recent numbers for a destination? Let us know.