In this guide, you’ll figure out a realistic trip daily budget so your per-day spending feels comfortable instead of stressful.
Most people have no idea what a realistic daily travel budget looks like. They either guess too low and blow their budget mid-trip… or guess too high and talk themselves out of traveling at all.
A better way is to start with a simple “cost per day” number for your style of travel, then plug it into a trip cost calculator to see the total. That’s exactly what we’ll do here.
Want a quick ballpark? Use our free Trip Cost Calculator to plug in your daily budget and see your total trip cost and cost per person.
In this guide, you’ll see:
- Typical daily budgets for budget, mid-range, and luxury travel
- What those numbers usually include
- How to adjust your daily budget for expensive vs. cheap destinations
- How to plug your numbers into the Trip Cost Calculator on CostPerTrip
Want to see real numbers? Check out our 7-Day Trip Cost Example: How Much Does a Week-Long Vacation Really Cost? and our Weekend Trip Cost Example: How Much Does a 3-Day Getaway Really Cost?
Trip planning tools
Budget vs. mid-range vs. luxury: quick daily benchmarks
These are rough “per person, per day” budget ranges many travelers use as a starting point:
- Budget travel: $50–$100 per day
- Mid-range travel: $100–$200 per day
- Luxury travel: $200+ per day
These ranges assume you’re paying for:
- Accommodation
- Local transport
- Most meals
- Normal activities and small extras
They don’t include flights to and from your destination, big shopping sprees, or very expensive once-in-a-lifetime activities.
What a budget daily travel cost might look like
A budget day might look like:
- Staying in a hostel, guesthouse, or budget hotel
- Eating mostly street food or simple local spots
- Using public transport or walking
- Choosing mostly free or low-cost activities
If you’re careful, you might hit the lower end of the range ($50–$70) in cheaper destinations. In big cities and expensive countries, expect to be closer to $80–$100 even when you’re being frugal.
What a mid-range daily travel cost might look like
A mid-range day might look like:
- Staying in a decent hotel or comfortable Airbnb
- Eating a mix of local spots, cafés, and a few nicer dinners
- Using taxis or ride-shares when it’s convenient
- Booking a few paid activities or tours
In many destinations, that puts you roughly in the $120–$180 per day range per person.
What a luxury daily travel cost might look like
A luxury day might look like:
- Staying in upscale hotels or resorts
- Eating at high-end restaurants
- Using private transfers or business-class transport
- Booking premium tours and experiences
It’s easy for this to go over $250–$300+ per person per day, especially in major cities and resort areas.
Adjusting your daily budget for your destination
Those ranges are global averages. To make them more realistic for your specific trip:
- Expensive regions (like the US, Canada, Western Europe, Japan, Australia):
Move your daily number toward the top of each range. - Cheaper regions (like Southeast Asia, parts of Eastern Europe, parts of Latin America):
You can often use the lower end of each range and still travel comfortably.
You can also tweak based on your habits:
- Love food and eating out? Add a bit more.
- Happy with simple meals and free activities? You might be fine a bit lower.
Turn your daily budget into a total trip cost
Once you have a daily budget that feels right for your trip, you can turn it into a total cost in seconds.
All you need is:
- Number of travelers
- Number of nights
- Daily budget per person
- Your travel style (budget, mid-range, or luxury)
Instead of doing the math yourself, you can plug those numbers into a calculator that does it for you.
Use the Trip Cost Calculator to see your total
Now that you have a rough daily budget, you can use the Trip Cost Calculator on CostPerTrip to see:
- Estimated total trip cost
- Estimated cost per person
It takes less than a minute:
- Enter your number of travelers and nights.
- Choose your travel style: budget, mid-range, or luxury.
- Enter your daily budget per person based on the ranges above.
The calculator will instantly show you a total estimate you can adjust as you plan flights, hotels, insurance, and activities.
Want to make sure you’re not missing any sneaky expenses? Read our guide 13 Hidden Travel Costs Most People Forget to Budget For before you finalize your numbers.
When you’re ready, open the Trip Cost Calculator and plug in your own numbers.
See a 14-day trip cost example
Want to see how these daily budget numbers look in a real trip? Take a look at our 14-day trip cost example to see what a 2-week vacation might really cost.
For even more ways to cut your total trip cost without killing the fun, read our 21 Simple Travel Money-Saving Tips (Without Ruining Your Trip).