Budget-Friendly Destinations

In our recent post, we discussed how your travel style impacts the cost of your trip. Depending on when you go, where you stay, and what you eat, your bottom line can vary considerably.

But not all travel costs are a matter of personal choice. Some destinations are simply more expensive than others. It's important to keep this in mind if you have your heart set on a particular travel style but are limited by a modest budget. Would you rather indulge in luxurious accommodations, fine dining, and first-class transportation in Vietnam? Or, for a similar price, would you rather stay in hostel dorms, eat street food, and ride public buses in London?

By understanding the daily costs of a destination, you can set a reasonable travel budget and keep those expectations in check. Thankfully, someone's already done the work for you. Price of Travel has compiled a Backpacker Index (2012) with daily costs for 116 cities worldwide. Prices are listed in USD and include: 

• A dorm bed at a good and cheap hostel
• 3 budget meals
• 2 public transportation rides
• 1 paid cultural attraction
• 3 cheap beers (as an “entertainment fund”)

The cheapest city on the list is Pokhara, Nepal, which comes in at $15.83 per day. At the other extreme, Zurich, Switzerland, was the most expensive place they surveyed with a daily cost of $121.36.

You can browse the entire list on our nifty interactive map below.


View Backpacker Index: 116 global destinations for 2012 in a full screen map