South America is an amazing continent to go backpacking. There are incredible places to visit and lots of amazing activities to do. But how expensive is it to go backpacking in South America?
We have put together a very, very, rough guide, but should help you construct that all important ball park figure when saving for your trip. All prices were, to the very best of our knowledge, were correct at the time of publishing.
We have also added some important tips for how to travel in South America on a budget.
Remember, there are so many variables, including where you go, how long you are staying for, how much comfort you prefer, what you want to do, if you want to go independently, or take a gap year trip and, how much you can party.
The general rule for travelling is – the more money you can take, the better!
Cost of Travel in South America
What can you expect to get in South America for your money? Ok, so we’ve chosen an amount of time, let’s break it down. For the purposes of this post we’re dividing the time up as follows: 5 weeks in Brazil, 3 weeks in Argentina, 2 weeks in Bolivia and 2 weeks in Peru.
Brazil
Average Cost of Accommodation in Brazil
The average cost of rooms in Brazil is around £12 per night (Rio and Sao Paulo bump the price up) so for 5 weeks will average out at approx £420.
Average Cost of Food in Brazil
• Meal on the go: £4
• Sit down 3 course meal for two people: £20
• McDonalds meal: £4.50
• 500ml bottle water: £0.40
• Bottle of Coke: £0.70
• Local beer: £1.10
So, if you based your budget on eating three ‘meals on the go’ a day, as well as a couple of bottles of coke and a couple of beers that would cost you around £16 a day on food, which would total around £546 for 5 weeks in Brazil.
If you did want to push the boat out and swap a ‘meal on the go’ for a sit down meal say, 3 times a week, and add an extra couple of beers to your treat too, you can expect to add around an extra £123 to your total making it £669 for 5 weeks.
A Few Activities in Brazil
My choice of the must do activities in Brazil include:
• Rio to Ilha Grande fr £183 for 4 days
• Rio Favela tour fr £22
• Take a Christ the Redeemer tour and watch the sunset at Sugarloaf Mountain fr £36
Bringing your total for 5 weeks in Brazil to: £1,171
(with the cost of 3 hostel nights taken off your total as accommodation is included in the Ilha Grande tour).
Argentina
Average Cost of Accommodation in Argentina
Argentina is one of the more expensive, if not the most expensive, country to visit in South America. You can expect to pay, on average, £14 for a night in a hostel but expect this to rise if you visit the larger cities and decrease slightly as you get off the beaten track.
Taking his average, 3 weeks in Argentina would cost around £294 for hostels.
Average Cost of Food in Argentina
• Meal on the go: £6
• Sit down 3 course meal for two people: £22
• McDonalds meal: £5
• 500ml bottle of water: £0.90
• Bottle of Coke: £1.10
• Local beer: £1.20
Again if you based your budget on eating three ‘meals on the go’ a day, 2 bottles of coke and 2 beers that would cost you around £23 a day on food, which would total around £475 for 3 weeks in Argentina.
Stretch your budget even further and swap a ‘meal on the go’ for a sit down meal 3 times a week, and add an extra 2 beers and you can expect to add around an extra £57 to your total making it £532 for 3 weeks.
A Few Activities in Argentina
My choice of the must do activities in Argentina include:
• Tango show with dinner fr £53
• Visit the vineyards of Mendoza fr £90 for 3 days
• Visit the end of the world Patagonia fr £191 for 5 days
Bringing your total for 3 weeks in Argentina to: £1,005
(with the cost of 7 hostel nights taken off your total as accommodation is included in the tours).
Peru
Average Cost of Accommodation in Peru
Cuzco is the most expensive place to stay in Peru, closely followed by Lima. £10 a night is a realistic average price for accommodation here, meaning for a 2 week visit you’d be looking at around £140.
Average Cost of Food in Peru
• Meal on the go: £2
• Sit down 3 course meal for 2 people: £13
• McDonalds meal: £3
• Bottle of 500ml water: £0.30
• Bottle of Coke: £0.45
• Local beer: £1
If you’re looking to stick to basic meals then 3 ‘meals on the go’ a day, plus 2 bottles of coke and 2 beers would cost you somewhere in the region of £9, meaning you would spend around £126 for 2 weeks in Peru.
If you want to treat your self a little more, then swap a ‘meal on the go’ for a sit down meal 3 times a week, add an extra 2 beers and you’ll add around an extra £45 to your total making it £169.60 for 2 weeks in Peru.
A Few Activities in Peru
My choice of the must do activities on a gap year in Peru include:
• Visit Lake Titicaca 1 day homestay fr £45
• Inca Trail fr £599 for 7 days
• Colca Canyon fr £123 for 3 days
Bringing your total for 2 weeks in Peru to: £952
(with the cost of 9 hostel nights taken off your total as accommodation is included in the tours).
Bolivia
Average Cost of Accommodation in Bolivia
Bolivia is one of the cheapest countries to visit in South America. Capital La Paz is the most expensive place to stay as you would expect, but if you head out of the city, the price of hostels drops considerably a good ball park figure for a night in a hostel in Bolivia is £8 per night.
So, 2 weeks at an average of £8 a night will cost you £112.
Average Cost of Food in Bolivia
• Meal on the go: £1.30
• Sit down 3 course meal for 2 people: £8
• McDonalds meal: £3
• Bottle of 500ml water: £0.55
• Bottle of Coke: £0.55
• Local beer: £1
Here we go again, three ‘meals on the go’ a day, 2 bottles of coke and 2 beers would cost you approximately £7, meaning you would spend around £98 for 2 weeks in Bolivia.
Splash out a little more and swap a ‘meal on the go’ for a sit down meal 3 times a week, add 2 extra beers and you’ll add around an extra £28.20 to your total making it £126.20 for 2 weeks in Bolivia.
A Few Activities in Bolivia
My choice of the must do activities in Bolivia include:
• Visit the Salt Flats fr £173 for 3 days
• Cycle the ‘Death Road’ fr £86
Bringing your total for 2 weeks in Bolivia to: £453
(with the cost of 2 hostel nights taken off your total as accommodation is included in the tour).
How to Explore South America on a Tight Budget
In order to get most bang for your buck, you can use many different ways. Depending on your needs, personality and plans, you might extend your trip or ability to choose more interesting tours.
Here are my best tips:
1. Compare Prices
Some people will try to get more money from you, than it is worth. Thus, you should always try to bargain a bit. If possible try to get some comparing prices, this works best on big markets, since most of the products are the same. Ask natives or experienced travelers, where to save money or what is an appropriate price. Some people are just good in getting more for their money. Watch and learn.
2. Split the Cost
Look out for good opportunities and team up, most of the time you can save money by grouping with other people. Taking a rented car alone is quite expensive with another person you pay the half price.
3. Save Money Regular – Yet Recurring
Things like taxis and food. South America is full of good restaurants. It is more common to eat in a restaurant/cafe in South America, cause it is cheaper and sometimes having a kitchen of your own (a friend from Peru told me that.) Yet, these people don’t eat in tourist restaurants 😉 Another way is to cook for yourself, since some hostels provide a kitchen for free. Ask for the dish of the day (“plato del dia”) in restaurants.
4. “Work” at a Youth Hostel
This depends on the country, in Peru it is quite easy to get a job at a youth hostel. Depending on the hostel, you can get accommodation for free, lowered prices on products and tours (no commission), free bed and some other stuff. In Arequipa I lived with 1-3 bucks a day.
5. Don’t Do Stupid Things
Be careful, leave your valuables in a safe place, especially when going out. Thus, you lower the chance of losing money and getting things stolen from you. Even if you don’t plan to get drunk, it is always wise to keep a limited amount of valuables with you. I have seen people go out with their credit card, even though you can’t pay with it most of the times. Take a youth hostel with a locker and lock all your valuable stuff up.
6. Leave Presents to Last
Wait with buying souvenirs til the end of your trip. Very few things are unique in South America if it comes to products.
7. Have a Plan
… or at least an idea on what you really want to do and where you want to go. Zig-Zagging over South America is pretty easy and can be awesome, but it might lay heavy on your budget. Taking a bus cross country is pretty cheap related to the traveling distance, yet it sums up pretty fast. Also you might regret spending money on “nice” tours, which are not that great.
Plan Your Trip to South America
If you’re looking to live the dream in South America make sure you book flights in-advance and also search the huge selection of adventure tours – most of which include transport, accommodation and activities making budgeting super easy!
Need more inspiration? Head over to our South America gap year guide and take a look at our tours.