Daily travel costs by region, from budget to comfortable

How much money do you need per day? It is the first question when you start a trip, and the honest answer is that it depends on where, how, and with whom. Still, a rough range is useful. It tells you whether a trip is possible, which region fits your budget, and whether the total you have in mind is realistic.

The figures below are rough ranges for 2026, in US dollars, per person per day. They are for guidance only. Prices move with exchange rates, inflation, the season and the city, and these numbers will age. Treat them as a way to compare regions with each other and as a starting point, then check current prices for your own dates before you commit.

What the ranges include

Each range covers a stay, food, local transport and the usual sights and activities. It leaves out flights to the region, travel insurance and big one-off costs such as a multi-day trek or a rental car for the whole trip.

• Budget means dormitory beds or simple private rooms, local food, public transport and few paid activities.
• Mid-range means private rooms or an ordinary hotel or apartment, a mix of local restaurants and a few nicer meals, and a paid activity most days.
• Comfortable means good hotels, restaurants without checking the menu first, taxis when you want them and guided tours.

If you travel as a couple or group and share rooms, your per-person cost for the stay drops, often by a third or more. If you are alone, it rises.

The ranges

Western Europe

Budget: about US$70–110. Mid-range: about US$150–250. Comfortable: about US$300 and up.

Stays are the biggest cost, and they vary a lot between a capital and a smaller town. Trains between cities add up on a multi-stop trip. Eating the main meal at lunch, when many places have a cheaper set menu, is an old and reliable saving. See the guides for France and Portugal for how it plays out in two very different cases.

Eastern and Central Europe

Budget: about US$45–75. Mid-range: about US$90–160. Comfortable: about US$180 and up.

Food and local transport are noticeably cheaper than in the west, and good stays are available at mid-range prices. Capitals and big festival cities cost more. The Poland travel guide is a good example of the region.

Scandinavia and Iceland

Budget: about US$100–150. Mid-range: about US$200–330. Comfortable: about US$350 and up.

This is among the most expensive parts of the world to travel. Alcohol and restaurant meals cost much more than elsewhere in Europe, so people who self-cater at supermarkets keep to a budget range. Stays in cities and in popular nature areas fill up and rise in price in summer.

East and Southeast Asia

Budget: about US$30–60. Mid-range: about US$80–160. Comfortable: about US$180 and up.

This region is the widest of all. Parts of Southeast Asia sit at the bottom of every range, while Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan sit well above them. Street food and local eateries keep food cheap almost everywhere, and long-distance transport is good value. The Japan travel guide covers a case at the higher end.

South Asia

Budget: about US$25–50. Mid-range: about US$60–120. Comfortable: about US$150 and up.

Food, local transport and simple stays are cheap. Costs rise quickly with private cars and drivers, which are common for covering long distances, and with high-end stays.

Latin America

Budget: about US$35–65. Mid-range: about US$80–150. Comfortable: about US$170 and up.

Costs differ a lot between countries, and between a city and the countryside. Long bus journeys are cheap, flights between regions less so. In popular, remote places, such as the area around Machu Picchu, entry, transport and tours are a large part of the total. See the Peru travel guide.

United States and Canada

Budget: about US$90–140. Mid-range: about US$200–320. Comfortable: about US$350 and up.

Stays and eating out are the main costs, and tipping adds to the latter. Distances are large, so a rental car or domestic flights belong in the budget alongside the daily figure. Big cities and national parks in peak season cost the most.

Middle East and North Africa

Budget: about US$35–65. Mid-range: about US$90–170. Comfortable: about US$200 and up.

This varies from very affordable in parts of North Africa to expensive in some Gulf cities. Local food and transport are good value. Guided day trips, which many people use to reach desert and historic sites, are a significant cost.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Budget: about US$40–70. Mid-range: about US$100–200. Comfortable: about US$250 and up, and much more for safari.

City travel can be inexpensive, but wildlife parks and safaris are priced as a premium product, with park fees, guides and transfers making up most of the cost. A safari is better budgeted as its own line than averaged into a daily rate.

Australia and New Zealand

Budget: about US$80–120. Mid-range: about US$170–280. Comfortable: about US$300 and up.

Both countries are large and sparsely populated, so transport is a big cost, either a rental car or a campervan or internal flights. Stays are priced like those in Western Europe or higher.

How to use these numbers

1. Multiply by days and people. A ten-day mid-range trip for two in Eastern Europe, at about US$90–160 each, is roughly US$1,800–3,200 before flights.
2. Add the things the range leaves out. Flights, insurance, visas where they apply, and any big activity.
3. Add a buffer. The hidden costs of travel lists the extras that tend to be missed. Ten to fifteen percent on top is a sensible margin.
4. Mix levels on purpose. Most trips are not one level all the way through. A mid-range stay with budget food, or a comfortable last night after a week of hostels, often gives the best result for the money.
5. Check your sources. Look at current prices for your dates, and ask people who have recently been.

Prices also depend on timing. The same city costs more in high season and during big events, and less in the shoulder months either side. If a place is out of range in July, it may be fine in October.

Pick a region by budget, not only by wish list

If your budget per day is fixed, the region does the most work. US$80 a day is a comfortable trip in one part of the world and a tight one in another. If you have a total and a number of days, divide, and see which regions sit in your range. Travelling on a budget has ways to stretch a number once you have chosen.

Where to go next

Take one range from this article, multiply it for your trip, then build the real budget line by line. Make a travel budget shows how, and a first estimate from these ranges is enough to start.