How Much Does a Trip Cost in 2026? Real Budgets by Destination
Most budget articles tell you what a trip 'should' cost. This one shows what travelers actually spent in 2025-2026 across 15 popular destinations — broken down by category, with mid-range and budget tiers. Use it as a sanity check before you book anything.
The 5-category framework
Every trip cost breaks into five buckets: transport (flights + intercity), lodging, food, activities, and a 10-15% buffer. If you don't track all five, one will eat the rest.
Lodging is usually 30-40% of total spend, transport 20-30%, food 15-20%, activities 10-15%, buffer 10-15%. International flights from North America to Europe averaged $720 round-trip in 2025; from the US to Asia, $1,150.
Europe: $130-$220 per day per person
Western Europe (Italy, France, UK, Germany) runs $180-$220/day on a mid-range budget. Eastern Europe (Czechia, Poland, Hungary) is closer to $90-$130/day. Spain and Portugal sit between at $140-$180.
Lodging in major Western European cities averages €120-€180/night for a 3-star hotel. Meals: €15-€25 lunch, €30-€50 dinner. Trains within a country: €40-€80 per intercity hop.
- Italy 2 weeks: $2,800-$3,500 per person (excluding flights)
- Portugal 10 days: $1,400-$2,000 per person
- Iceland 7 days: $2,500-$3,500 (one of the most expensive in Europe)
Asia: $50-$140 per day per person
Southeast Asia is still the global value champion. Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia run $50-$80/day on a comfortable backpacker budget, $120-$140/day mid-range.
Japan is the outlier — closer to Western Europe at $180-$220/day. South Korea sits between at $120-$160/day.
- Thailand 2 weeks: $900-$1,400 per person
- Japan 10 days: $1,800-$2,400 per person
- Indonesia 2 weeks: $1,000-$1,600 per person
Free: The 50-item Pre-Trip Checklist (PDF)
Drop your email — we'll send the printable checklist + 3 bonus money-saving travel tips. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
North America: $150-$260 per day per person
USA road trips average $180-$260/day per person (2 sharing) once you include rental car, gas, and tolls. Mexico runs $90-$140/day — the best value in North America. Canada is similar to the US.
- USA 2-week road trip: $3,000-$4,500 per person
- Mexico 10 days: $1,200-$1,800 per person
Hidden costs nobody warns you about
Travel insurance ($40-$120 per trip), foreign transaction fees (3% on most cards if you don't use a fee-free card), tipping in countries that expect it (USA: 18-22%), city taxes (€2-€5/night in most European cities), luggage fees on budget airlines (€30-€60 each way).
These add up to 8-12% of your total trip cost. Build them into your budget upfront, not as 'unexpected' line items.
Track every dollar in one place
The fastest way to overspend is to plan in one app and track in another. Our travel budget template lets you set per-category limits, log expenses in any currency, and see daily averages live as you spend. One tool, every trip, no spreadsheet wrangling.
Skip the spreadsheet setup.
Get Wanderlist — the all-in-one travel planner. $29 one-time. Instant download.
Get instant access