How much does it cost to travel through Central America?
Posted on 12. Jul, 2011 by Dany in Belize, Central America, Central America, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Travel Tips
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Long-term travel is all about the benjamins. Your budget becomes your bible, how much (or little) you spend determines how long you will be able to keep up the lifestyle of constant travel. We have already posted our six-month budget and our 1-year budget, but both of these include time spent either in the U.S. or Europe, which are much more expensive and so don’t adequately reflect the cost of traveling in Central America.
This is why we wanted to write a separate post specifically breaking down the costs of traveling through this region, in order for those planning a trip to have a rough idea of how much traveling through Central America costs.
Overall Budget Breakdown
We spent exactly six months traveling through all Central American countries – Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama – spending a total of $10,685.65 for both of us.
That is about $890.47 per person per month, or $30.36 per person per day (for the exact amount of days we were in Central America).
Originally we had a rough goal in mind to shoot for under $1000 per person per month, but we ended up spending even less! This number is the average over six months, but there were major differences in how we spent our money in the various countries, so we have also broken it down per country:
Central America travel budget breakdown per country Belize: $54 per person per day
Belize was by far the most expensive country in Central America, but we enjoyed our time there immensely. We could have spent less here, but couldn’t pass up the adventure ops available like snorkeling and caving, which would have been much more expensive in Europe or North America. Minus the adventure, Belize would have cost around $40 per person per day.
Accommodation: $7.50 – $12.50 per person in a double room average A double room cost $25 on Caye Caulker, but only $15 in San Ignacio.
Transport: A long-distance bus from Belize City to San Ignacio near the Guatemalan border was $3.50, boats between Belize City and Caye Caulker were $10.
Food: $10 per person including beer. Beer $1.50 – $2.50.
Activities: Full day snorkeling tour $40, cave tours between $45 and $70 per person.
Guatemala: $23.12 per person per day
We splurged constantly in Guatemala. We took advantage of the high quality international cuisine in Antigua and around Lake Atitlan, putting away pots of fondue and bottles of wine, and discovering the wonders of Israeli food. Still, we managed to spend less than $25 per person per day by staying away from overpriced tourist shuttles and keeping our booze easy and local, plus we chose budget accommodation under $10 per person in a private room.
Accommodation: On average we spent $9 per person per night. The cheapest private room we stayed in was $4.90 per person, the most expensive was $16 per person.
Transport: Local buses cost between $0.50 and $3.
The most expensive bus we took was a night bus from Flores to Guatemala City for $29 each. After that, we only traveled by local buses and never spent more than $3.
Food: $6 – $10 per person including drinks. Beer $1 – $2.
Activities: Pacaya volcano $13, Tikal including transport & guide $30, ruins in Antigua $5
Honduras: $28.68 per person per day
Honduras can be done on the super cheap, but as we spent the Christmas holidays here, we treated ourselves to nicer hotels (maximum $25 for both of us together) and special holiday meals. Only for that reason did we end up spending more per day than Guatemala or El Salvador. We avoided the famous islands of Utila and Roatan, however, and visitors to the islands would most likely also average similar costs, as the mainland is considerably cheaper than these popular diving isles.
Accommodation: between $7.50 and $12 per person in a double room
Transport: Buses are between $2 and $4, the most expensive bus ride was $7.
Food: $5 – $7 per person including drink. Beer $0.60 – $1.50.
Activities: The most expensive activity was visiting the Copan ruins at $15 per person
El Salvador: $24.05 per person per day
Accommodation was the most expensive aspect of traveling in El Salvador – we found everything else (transport, food, drinks) super affordable. We did fall hard for pupusas; eating them every meal (almost) kept our food costs way down. In general El Salvador doesn’t have much in the way of expensive tourist sites, museums are free on certain days, and even surfing can be done for $10 to $20 per lesson.
Accommodation: $10 per person in a double room with shared bathroom, $12.50 per person in a double room with private bathroom and hot shower
Transport: Buses are seriously cheap here, between $1 – $2, with the most expensive bus ride costing $4.
Food: A meal was around $4 per person, including drinks (beer). Again, pupusas cost 40 cents each, and beer is usually $1.
Activities: The most expensive activity was a guided hike in Alegria for $7.50 per person.
Nicaragua: $31.81 (including the Corn Islands)/$20.76 (excluding the Corn Islands)
In Nicaragua, we treated ourselves to a well-earned splurge, and made the trip out to the Corn Islands. This raised our daily average significantly, but not everyone is going to make the trip to the Corn Islands. Without the trip, Nicaragua would have been the cheapest country in Central America for us. Even with eating out twice a day almost every day, we barely spent more than $20 per person per day.
Accommodation: $7.50 per person in a double room average
Transport: Buses were usually less than $1; the most expensive ride was $1.80
Food: Breakfast was between $2 and $3.50; dinner was $4 and max. $7 with beer between 50 cents and $1.20.
Activities: Movie theater tickets cost $1.90 (snacks around $1.80), daily bike rental $3.90
Costa Rica: $26.62 per person per day
Rumor has it that Costa Rica is more expensive than the rest of Central America, but we had a great time and easily kept costs down. Sure, it was quite a shock to see the prices in Costa Rica after coming from super cheap Nicaragua, but they didn’t vary much from prices in Honduras or El Salvador. Spend your money wisely, and those extras such as zip-lining, guided hikes and National Park visits won’t break the bank, or put you above budget, but if you’re not careful (and you like to drink beer), it’s easy to burn through Colones in a snap. There is cheap accommodation in Costa Rica, but the quality you get for $20 here is certainly far less than in the rest of Central America.
Accommodation: $10 per person in a double room
Transport: $1.20 for short distance bus rides, $2.50 for medium-distance rides, $8.00 for long distance bus rides
Food: A meal in a restaurant or in a soda runs at around $5 to $9. Beer $2 – $3.
Culture: The National Parks in Costa Rica are exceptionally beautiful and well worth the entrance fees, which range from $10 to $20. Ziplining is around $40 from the cheapest provider in Monteverde.
Panama: $35.71 per person per day
Like El Salvador, Panama also uses the U.S. Dollar, but here the inflation caused costs in Panama to be significantly higher than anywhere else in Central America. Goods and services here are often priced equally to the US thanks to a seriously large ex-pat population (especially in Panama City), but with beer still average 75 cents a bottle…who’s complaining! The islands of Bocas del Toro were above average in price, while the mountain town of Boquete was easily affordable. As a global city, Panama City is home to the finest luxury accommodation as well as 25 cent bus rides and street food for $1.
Accommodation: $10 per person per night – the cheapest accommodation was $6.50 per person in a triple room, the most expensive was $12 per person (also in a triple).
Transport: $1.50 for short-distance bus rides, $7 for medium distances, 12.50 for long distances. Inner city buses in Panama City cost between $0.25 and $0.50.
Food: A meal is between $3 and $8, depending on the location.
Culture: The Panama Canal visitor center at the Miraflores Lock is $8, a ferry ride to Taboga Island is $12 for a return ticket, and movie theater tickets are $3.
Have you traveled through Central America? If you have, what countries did you find budget-friendly? Where did you splurge? If you haven’t gone through Central America, let us know if you plan to go and if you need any budget advice.
33 Responses to “How much does it cost to travel through Central America?”
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03. Aug, 2011
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Scott
12. Jul, 2011
I can’t thank you ladies enough for the wealth of knowledge that I have gained about this region due to your site! I am using it as a borderline-bible for my trip next year.
jess
13. Jul, 2011
Hey Scott, that is probably the most awesome compliment we’ve gotten! Thanks so much!
Megan
14. Jul, 2011
I’m glad to see that you kept under about $30 a day for the most part – makes me feel better about my upcoming weeks of travel.
I’m actually finding it quite hard to keep my costs down (studying Spanish for 2 weeks really raised my daily costs quite a bit), and given I’m currently on Roatan I want to cry every time I pay for a meal!
Great post, as usual
Dani
18. Jul, 2011
Thanks Megan! Is Roatan really that much more expensive than the rest of Honduras / Central America?
Megan
18. Jul, 2011
I thought so…I paid about $12 for a bowl of noodles one evening (ok, so noodles would probably cost almost that much on the mainland, too), full day trips were around $70, a souvenir t-shirt was priced at $22 and it was impossible to bargain.
Had amazing rotisserie-style chicken one night and it was a huge amount of food but I could have got an identical meal at a BBQ chicken shop in Sydney for the same price ($10).
I haven’t really warmed to Central American food thus far (I am so kicking myself for skipping Mexico) and I got incredibly sick right before I left Guatemala, so I’ve been eating more than my fair share of western style food which bumps my average costs up straight away anyway.
Megan
18. Jul, 2011
And I was also there on the two days that cruise ships dock – that’s probably why the prices are so high and it’s impossible to bargain.
Also, price of diving courses (to get your Padi – per tank it was $35) were comparable to the Great Barrier Reef in Aust.
Dani
19. Jul, 2011
Megan, thanks for letting us know – we didn’t think that the Bay Islands would be that much more expensive!
Susie
15. Jul, 2011
An amazing article! Rarely are travelers able to really break down their spending in a way others can understand and adapt to their own travel style. Thanks so much for the great information!
jess
18. Jul, 2011
Thank you Susie – we are keeping track of our expenses to the penny and we just want to show that travel doesn’t have to be expensive.
Claire
21. Jul, 2011
This is a great, comprehensive breakdown for people who are looking to travel long-term. I have traveled through all the countries you mentioned, although for just 3 months. I spent most of my time in Guatemala though. I am so surprised to see that you spent less per day in Costa Rica! This time around I am only hanging in Nicaragua and your figure per day is right on target!
Dani
22. Jul, 2011
Hi Claire, happy to see that our numbers seem to be in the same range as other travelers expenses. Which country is your favorite in Central America? I hope you enjoyed all of them – 3 months is plenty of time to get to know Central America!
Matt
23. Jul, 2011
Thanks alot for posting all this info, i’m planning on heading to south and central america in a few months and have been hearing so many different views on the cost of it all, but this has been BY FAR the most helpful.
Cheers.
BTW, would indulging a fair bit in nightlife drive up my costs too much, i’ve heard of some good nightlife, and are the local(not too touristy) bars easily found or are they dying out?
Cheers again.
Alex
23. Jul, 2011
These are the most helpful kind of posts! You have inspired me to get my act together and post my budget from Honduras last year though I’m embarrassed to say I spent almost double what you did per day! We were only there two weeks though and I sometimes think with shorter trips your per day budget shoots up as you try to cram in all the fun.
Matt
23. Jul, 2011
I made a post earlier but then something happeneds with my computer and i’m not sure if it went through or not, but anyway…
Thanks for posting all this info on here, I plan on heading to south and central america in a few months and i have so far had so much trouble hearing different peoples stories on the costs of south and central america, but this has been BY FAR the most helpful info i have heard so far.
Cheers.
BTW, I’ve heard of some good nightlife in central america and i was wondering if this would really drive my costs up, and i’d just like to know if there are plenty of local(not too touristy) beachside bars(shacks), or are these dying out in favour of flashier bars and restaurants.
Cheers again.
jess
23. Jul, 2011
Hi Matt, thanks so much for the props, that’s awesome, and really glad we could help. Don’t worry about the nightlife issue at all. There are really countless places to have a great time without going to a club or flashy bars. First of all there are loads of gringo bars where scrubby nomads like us don’t have to get too dressed up, and then there are also local bars where no one would ever pay US prices for beer, etc. You’ll definitely be able to drink on the cheap! Hope that helps!
Matt
24. Jul, 2011
yeh, very helpful.
Thanks again.
Katie_Bu
27. Oct, 2011
Hi Globe trotter Girls,
What fantastic travels you’ve had! Thank you so much for posting this really helpful budget! Exactly the type of information I was looking for!
Thanks again, keep up the good work!
Kate
Dani
27. Oct, 2011
Thanks Kate, we’re always happy to hear back from our readers! Thanks for the feedback & the kind words
travelyn
09. Nov, 2011
I’m always amazed when I read your blog on how little it costs you to travel so far and see so much. What about bed bugs?
Do you ever get hassled traveling with just the two of you?
You must be two of the most amazing young women. Obviously the information you provide is really helpful for your fellow backpacker travelers. When do you find the time to bookkeep. Keep up the good work. I really enjoy your blog.
travelyn recently posted..Romantic Road | Attractions Germany |Small Group Tour
Dani
09. Nov, 2011
Thanks so much for your comment and your kind words, Lyn! We actually were harassed by bed bugs a couple of times, and it was not a pleasant experience!! We usually look at the rooms before we decide to check into a guesthouse / hostel / hotel, and if it doesn’t seem 100 % clean, we go somewhere else
About the book keeping – it’s not that hard to keep track if you do it every day for a few minutes, but although we are very good at keeping track of our expenses, we are NOT very good at setting a budget that we stick to
Dan
22. Mar, 2012
Thanks so much, this information is incredibly valuable as I plan my trip down to Central America. It’s going to be a mix of volunteer travel and being a “digital nomad,” so it’s relieving to see that it can be so affordable. Now it’s just a matter of traveling slow and hitting the hostel bar in moderation. Thanks, I’ll definitely be reading more!
Dan recently posted..Vicarious Volunteering: BECA, Cofradia, Honduras
Dani
24. Mar, 2012
Thanks a lot, Dan! Great to hear that you’re heading to Central America – Guatemala and Nicaragua are still our favorite countries! Nicaragua is a great place for cheap beer, btw
Hayley
07. Apr, 2012
Hi girls. I’ve recently stumbled across your blog and I can happily say you’ve been the reason I haven’t moved from my computer in days.
I know it’s been a while since this post but I’m soon going to be travelling from Mexico to Guatemala and then to Costa Rica and I was wondering what your thoughts were on bussing it vs flying. I’m a female travelling solo and obviously concerned about safety. How did you girls find it? Thanks
Hayley recently posted..10 Bucket List Moments – ticked off
Dani
08. Apr, 2012
Hello Hayley, thanks so much
We’re so happy to hear that you’re planning to travel through Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica – still some of our favorite countries! We traveled exclusively by bus in Central America, we only took one flight out to Nicaragua’s Corn Islands. We found the bus travel very safe and I know plenty of female solo travelers who didn’t encounter any problems either. Most of the time, you’ll have fellow backpackers on the bus anyway. Mexico had by far the best bus system – modern, clean, and usually on time. In Guatemala we took the local chicken buses everywhere but if you feel safer in a ‘tourist shuttle’ (usually mini-vans), they are available from and to all the major destinations, they are cheap and can be booked in most of the guesthouses (and all hostels). There is also a big bus company (Tika Bus) which connects Guatemala & Costa Rica – it’s a three day ride (incl. 2 nights hotel) but the tickets are reasonable and you don’t have to worry about changing local buses many times. On the chicken buses, your backpack usually gets thrown on top of the bus, and in the beginning we panicked every time if our stuff would be safe, but after a while you get used to it. Just make sure to always keep your day pack on you & don’t put it in the overhead department (if there is one 
) – Let us know if we can help out with anything else and enjoy your trip to Central America!
Ela
10. Apr, 2012
Hi! My name’s Ela and I’m also planning a solo trip this summer around Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras!! I’ve been reading your blog and it’s amazing!! Thank you so much for all your advice
It’s absolutely amazing! 
Dani
11. Apr, 2012
Hi Ela, great to hear you’re heading to Central America, still our favorite place in the world
Are you planning to visit Guatemala as well (our favorite together with Nicaragua). Please let us know if we can help out with any specific recommendations / tips, and enjoy your trip!
Ela
12. Apr, 2012
I would love to go to Guatemala, but I can only go for 6 weeks, and it looks like there’s just so much to do in Nicaragua and Costa Rica I can barely even fit Honduras in! Thanks for the offer! I do have a question, do you recommend any cities to visit for a few days in Costa Rica?
Dani
13. Apr, 2012
I don’t think you’ll need a lot of time for Honduras, unless you want to go out to the islands. Copan was the only major attraction and we barely saw any other tourists anywhere else. Lake Yojoa was beautiful, but I don’t think it’s exciting when you travel by yourself, unless you’re looking for a few days of solitude. Costa Rica: I’d definitely recommend Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side (close to the border with Panama), we went to some fantastic beaches down there and you can take a day trip to Cahuita National Park. If you don’t want to go that far south, Manual Antonio on the Pacific side is also really nice (beaches and National Park) but much busier. We also enjoyed the cloud forest in Monteverde. There are some great beaches on the Nicoya Peninsula, like Montezuma, Samara and Santa Teresa (best for surfing) but it’s hard to get around there. Arenal National Park is also nice if you’d like to see the volcano, but you could also do a volcano tour from Leon in Nicaragua or climb up Masaya (not far from Granada).
taylor
12. Apr, 2012
Really informative, thank you so much! The only thing that wasn’t mentioned was the cost of transportation and how easy it was to get to each city. If you have any information regarding transportation, I would greatly appreciate it! Cheers!! I am anamored with your life!!
Dani
13. Apr, 2012
Taylor – most of the towns are very well connected. We almost never had problems getting from city to city, only in very remote areas. If you let us know which places you plan to visit, I’d be happy to send you the exact costs for the buses.
Amy
04. May, 2012
Hi Girls!
Like everyone else, I found your post so useful! I’m planning to travel round the world next year for 20 months.
)
Want to spend approx. 5 months travelling from Cancun in Mexico down to Argentina before flying over to Hawaii.
Because of the extent of my trip I’m really looking at a shoe string budget, and as a solo traveller I’ll probably be staying in hostels all the time (12 bed dorms – bring it on!!
Might even do some couch surfing (Heard of that? Check out the site, had an amazing experience couch-surfing in Florida)
But I digress,
My question is, without the “splurging” and taking into account I’ll be in dorm rooms – How much do you think I could cut the budget down to?
Would be much appreciated!
Thanks again for the great post,
Amy
Dani
05. May, 2012
Hi Amy, thanks for getting in touch! Your trip sounds fantastic – and yes, we’ve heard of couchsurfing and are big fans. We had a great experience just recently in Singapore. A lot of bloggers who we followed through South America had fantastic CS hosts there. Our friend Jaime traveled through Central America & Mexico from March to June last year – check out his budget here: http://breakawaybackpacker.com/category/c/page/2/. He stayed in dorms and posted all the prices throughout his trip. I think you should still calculate around $30 per day – in some countries you’ll spend more, in some less.. Enjoy your trip and let us know if we can help out with anything else