South American travel budget breakdown

Now, I don’t know about you but whenever I pick a destination, I like having an idea of how much it’s going to cost to travel there comfortably, and at times, this information can be difficult to find!

Luckily for you, I tracked all my spending for 6 months while travelling through South America and have completely broken it down into categories below for an easy overview.

I have provided “Notes” at the bottom of every category to provide what I believe is needed context/reasoning for my spending.

A few things to consider while reading:

• My trip to South America only included four countries: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

• Everybody’s trips will be different. You must consider that even though there are many similarities and commonalities between travelers, no one has the exact same trip day to day.

• All prices have been written out in Canadian dollars (CAD)

• These expenses include absolutely every peso, dollar, boliviano, etc. that I spent during my time in South America. Nothing is left out!

The Six Categories:

• Food

• Accommodation

• Transportation

• Tours/Activities

• Necessities

• Extras

I have provided a table overview at the bottom of the page with all categories and totals broken down into per day, per week, and per month for your convenience.

1. Food

As this is a broad category, I had it originally split into three smaller groupings including Meals, Snacks and Groceries.

Meals = $2,134.67
Snacks = $427.80
Groceries = $379.72

Total = $2,942.19

Note: This can change a substantial amount from person to person. Some like to dine out at fancier restaurants while others prefer seeking out the “Menu Del Dias” to save as much money as possible. My personal budget was a mix, but leaned more towards the cheaper side.

Near the end of my trip however, I was missing bigger meal portions and had cravings for different foods, so my food spending actually increased in the last month or so. If you are heavily focused on stretching your budget as far as possible I would suggest buying groceries and cooking as many of your own meals as possible - As well as seeking out accommodation that provides free breakfasts or other meals!

2. Accommodation

I stayed in a variety of different housing options, mostly in hostel dorms but I also used air BnB and some hotels.

Total = $2,079.39

Note: In my experience there are always cheaper options available but you will make sacrifices in order to save that bit of extra money. There are also opportunities for free accommodation using services like Couchsurfing or a volunteer program. (I did not use couchsurfing or do any volunteering on this particular trip)

3. Transportation

This is including but not limited to, metros, tuk tuks, cabs, buses, and planes.

Total = $1,649.09

Note: Nearly half of my transportation spending happened in Ecuador because I decided to go to the Galapagos Islands and the return flights alone were $600 to and from Guayaquil!

4. Tours and Activities

Activities I spent money on included Scuba Diving multiple times, Salkantay Trek (inclusive), Two weeks of Spanish lessons in Cusco, Multiple day hikes, snorkel trips in the Galapagos, and more.

Total = $2,108.38

Note: I included entrance fees in this calculation as well. What many agencies won’t tell you straight away is that you may be paying for the tour and transportation but almost always you will have to pay some sort of entrance fee that is not included.

5. Necessities

This is everything from toiletries, using the bathroom, laundry, medical expenses, etc.

Total = $486.33

Note: I believe this category is self explanatory but it needs to be included.

6. Extras

I chalked this up to any sort of new clothing, sunglasses, gifts, jewellery, etc. Anything that you don’t necessarily need but still decide to spend money on.

Total = $1,478.51

Note: I was coming back to Canada right before Christmas, so a portion of my extra expenses came from buying gifts for family!

After everything was said and done, I spent $10,743.89
for a total of 177 days or slightly under six months.

	Cost Per Day	Cost Per Week	Cost Per Month	Cost Per 6 Months
Totals	$60.71	$424.97	$1,790.67	$10,743.89
Food	$16.62	$116.34	$490.37	$2,942.19
Accommodation	$11.75	$82.25	$346.57	$2,079.39
Transportation	$9.32	$65.24	$274.85	$1,649.09
Tours/Activities	$11.91	$83.37	$351.40	$2,108.38
Necessities	$2.76	$19.32	$81.06	$486.33
Extras	$8.35	$58.45	$246.42	$1,478.51

In conclusion

As I stated at the beginning, not everyone travels the same.

My budget is simply a reflection of my own trip, but I am confident that many of you can use this as base line budget for six months in South America. Prices within South America will obviously vary from country to country as well but from those I have spoken to who travelled into other regions of South America, there isn’t an astronomical difference.

Expenses will also depend on how long you stay in each country. I prefer to stay longer as it gives me a better chance to experience the local culture and get a better feel for the area. By going slower, you will be able to keep costs down slightly as you are not rushing and trying to cram in all of your activities in a shorter amount of time.

If my expense breakdown, for whatever reason, looks more expensive than you imagined, there are certainly ways that you can spend less money! You can be more selective with your activities, you can stay in free accommodation or do volunteer work, and you can make it more of a priority to find accommodations with kitchens so you can buy groceries and cook instead of going out for food like I did!

Important Reminder: Whatever amount of money you think you’ll need, increase it!

There is no doubt in my mind that you will experience situations in which you didn’t plan for and you will have to fit that into your budget.

Speaking from experience, you don’t want to miss out on something incredible with your travel buddies because you are strapped for cash!

So, even with this expense breakdown laid out before you, my suggestion would be to increase the amount you think you will need for your travels. You wouldn’t want to spoil this amazing opportunity by having to sit and stress about your finances. (Or worse, having to call your family to bail you out!)

Remember, It never hurts to have a cushion of extra money while you’re on the other side of the world!