Travel Budget Per Day by Region: 19 Countries Compared
Published Nov 13, 2026 Reviewed by Dana Whitlock
Plan on about $25–$100 a day in Southeast Asia and $35–$300 in Europe for one person, flights excluded. Those are budget to mid-range bands from Autopilot, a travel-planning app, published in June 2026. They cover lodging, food, local transport and activities.
- Cheapest band
- India, from $15 a day on a budget plan
- Priciest mid-range band
- Switzerland, $220–$300 a day
- What tourists really spent
- about $150–$190 a day in four countries with official data, 2025–2026
- US federal limit
- $181 a day across most of the lower 48 for FY2027, a ceiling and not a price
- Left out
- flights, insurance, and travel between cities
In this guide
- Daily cost by region
- What tourists actually spend: official surveys
- Why published daily budgets disagree
- Why federal per diem rates are limits, not prices
- Southeast Asia
- Europe
- United States
- Latin America and the Caribbean
- How to adjust a daily budget for your group size
- What a daily budget leaves out
- Frequently asked questions
Official surveys of what tourists actually spent show about $150–$190 a day in Spain, Italy, Japan and the Dominican Republic. Three of them leave flights out (Spain's once our arithmetic removes them); the Dominican report does not say.
Daily cost by region
Mid-range days run from $40–$70 in India to $220–$300 in Switzerland in Autopilot's bands. The table shows a sample of countries per region, per person, in US dollars.
| Region | Country | Budget | Mid-range | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Asia | Vietnam | $25–$35 | $55–$80 | $120–$180 |
| Southeast Asia | Thailand | $30–$45 | $70–$100 | $150–$220 |
| South Asia | India | $15–$35 | $40–$70 | $90–$160 |
| East Asia | Japan | $65–$90 | $120–$170 | $200–$350 |
| Central Europe | Poland | $35–$55 | $70–$110 | $130–$200 |
| Central Europe | Czech Republic | $45–$65 | $80–$120 | $150–$230 |
| Southern Europe | Greece | $50–$70 | $90–$130 | $160–$240 |
| Western Europe | France | $70–$100 | $130–$190 | $220–$350 |
| Western Europe | United Kingdom | $75–$110 | $160–$230 | $280–$400 |
| Western Europe | Switzerland | $110–$150 | $220–$300 | $350–$500+ |
| North Africa | Morocco | $30–$50 | $70–$120 | $140–$230 |
| North Africa | Egypt | $25–$45 | $60–$90 | $110–$180 |
| Mexico | Mexico | $35–$55 | $70–$110 | $140–$220 |
| Central America | Costa Rica | $45–$70 | $90–$150 | $180–$280 |
| South America | Peru | $30–$45 | $55–$90 | $110–$180 |
| Oceania | Australia | $70–$100 | $150–$200 | $250–$400 |
| North America | United States | No reliable source | No reliable source | No reliable source |
Autopilot calls its figures estimates from "publicly available data, travel cost aggregators, and traveler reports," current as of June 2026. Its budget tier means hostels, street food and public transit; mid-range means private rooms, sit-down restaurants and occasional taxis. It does not say whether two people share that room, so treat the bands as a starting point, not a quote.
My rule: budget from the mid-range column, then trim. Planning from the bottom of the budget band is how a trip ends with instant noodles in week two.
Not covered: sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Canada and most of South America. For the US we found no traveler-spending figure we could read, so only the federal limits below apply.
What tourists actually spend: official surveys
Four official bodies publish what visitors spent, and all four work out to about $150–$190 a day. Italy's and Japan's leave out flights, and Spain's does once our arithmetic removes them; the Dominican report does not say. Each is an average across the visitors its survey counts, so it is not tied to one travel style.
| Country | Per day | In dollars | Period | Who and what it counts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | €130–€170, our arithmetic from €212 | about $147–$192 | Sept 2026, provisional | All international tourists; see the worked example below |
| Italy | €139.10 | about $157 | 2025 | Foreign visitors who stayed overnight; shopping included |
| Japan | ¥22,906 all, ¥26,022 Americans (our division) | $153 all, $174 Americans | 2025 | Leisure visitors, per night, shopping excluded |
| Dominican Republic | US$170.90 | $171 | 2025 | Non-resident foreigners arriving by air; flights not stated |
Euros and yen converted at the IRS 2025 yearly averages of 0.886 euros and 149.632 yen to the dollar. Spain's month is 2026, so its dollar range is a rough guide.
Italy's figure comes from the Banca d'Italia's 2025 international tourism survey, which counts transport inside Italy, lodging, food, shopping and other spending. It leaves out international fares. The bank divides what overnight visitors spent by the nights they stayed: €139.10 in 2025, up from €135.60 in 2024.
The Dominican Republic's central bank reports US$170.90 a day in 2025, on an average stay of 7.8 nights. The same report says 75.7% of visitors stayed in hotels. The report does not say whether airfare or a package paid at home counts, so treat this figure as rough. By the first half of 2026 it had reached US$179.50.
Japan is the one country in both tables. Its $153–$174 runs from inside Autopilot's $120–$170 mid-range band to just above it, which is a fair sign the bands are not fantasy.
Why published daily budgets disagree
Published daily figures disagree mostly because they count different things. Some include flights or package holidays, some assume a shared room, and the federal numbers are limits. Compare what each figure counts before you compare the number. When two sites agree, that proves little: HelloSafe lists Budget Your Trip, another estimate site, among its own sources.
| Figure | Publisher | Flights? | Lodging basis | How it was made |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €212 a day, Spain, Sept 2026 | INE, Spain's statistics office | Yes, plus package holidays | Whatever visitors used | Interviews as visitors leave Spain |
| €139.10 a night, Italy, 2025 | Banca d'Italia | No | Whatever visitors used | Interviews and counts at border crossings |
| ¥32,723 a night, Americans in Japan, 2025 (our division) | Japan Tourism Agency | No, but shopping is in | Actual spend, per person | Visitor survey, leisure visitors |
| US$170.90 a day, Dominican Republic, 2025 | Banco Central | Not stated | Mostly hotels | Central bank figures for air passengers |
| $70–$100 a day, Thailand, mid-range | Autopilot | No | Private room, shared or solo not stated | "Publicly available data, travel cost aggregators, and traveler reports" |
| $30–$100 a day, Southeast Asia, mid-range | AirTreks | No | Private room | No method stated |
| C$357 a day, Switzerland, data as at March 2025 | HelloSafe | No | Hotel or Airbnb-type stay, standard not fixed | Estimates from AI analysis of offers plus traveler prices, with Budget Your Trip among its sources |
| $374 a day, Bangkok | US State Department | No | Limit for one federal traveler | Reimbursement ceiling |
One reconciled example: Spain's €212 a day
Spain's headline €212 a day shrinks to about €130–€170 once you remove what a traveler budgeting "per day, flights excluded" would not count. INE's September 2026 release gives both the headline and the items behind it, so anyone can repeat the sum.
| Item | Million € | Share |
|---|---|---|
| International transport, outside packages | 2,889 | 19.9% |
| Package holidays | 2,684 | 18.5% |
| Lodging | 2,567 | 17.7% |
| Food | 2,263 | 15.6% |
| Activities | 2,880 | 19.9% |
| Other | 1,204 | 8.3% |
| Total | 14,488 | 100% |
Removing international transport keeps 80.1% of the money, which gives about €170 a day. Removing package holidays as well keeps 61.5%, which gives about €130. The true figure sits between the two, because a package usually holds a flight as well as the hotel. At the IRS 2025 average rate, that is about $147–$192.
The month matters too. INE's figure was €167 in December 2025, against €212 in September 2026.
A second check: Japan
American leisure visitors to Japan spent about $174 a night in 2025 on lodging, food, transport and activities. The Japan Tourism Agency's figures exclude international fares, so the only sizable line to remove is shopping. We divided by the agency's 10.7 average nights and converted at the IRS 2025 average rate of 149.632 yen to the dollar.
| Line | Yen per trip | Dollars per night |
|---|---|---|
| Lodging | ¥151,033 | $94 |
| Food | ¥69,704 | $44 |
| Transport in Japan | ¥42,074 | $26 |
| Entertainment and services | ¥15,620 | $10 |
| Total of these four lines | ¥278,431 | $174 |
Shopping (¥71,630) would lift the total to about $219 a night. Across all nationalities, leisure visitors spent ¥22,906 a night without shopping, about $153, on 7.1 nights.
Why federal per diem rates are limits, not prices
A per diem is the most the US government will normally pay back an employee for a day of lodging and meals. It tells you the ceiling for one business traveler, not what a trip costs. GSA says it directly: "The lodging per diem rates are a maximum amount; the traveler only receives actual lodging costs up to that maximum rate."
The FY2027 standard rate is $181 ($113 lodging, $68 meals and incidentals), in force from Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027. It applies to most of the 48 contiguous states and DC, and 295 areas have higher rates. GSA's lodging rates are based on average daily rate data for local lodging properties.
Three details change how you read the numbers:
- US lodging rates leave out tax. GSA's FAQ says: "Lodging taxes are not included in the CONUS per diem rate."
- Foreign rates keep it in. GSA's FAQ says: "lodging taxes have not been removed from the foreign per diem rates."
- Meal rates include tips and taxes, according to GSA's FAQ.
| Place | Lodging limit | Meals and incidentals | Total limit | Rate effective | What tourists spent (official survey) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US standard rate | $113 | $68 | $181 | Oct 1, 2026 | No reliable source |
| New York City | $189–$358 by month | $92 | $281–$450 | Oct 1, 2026 | No reliable source |
| Paris | $487 | $165 | $652 | Nov 1, 2026 | No reliable source |
| Rome | $467 | $171 | $638 | Nov 1, 2026 | $157 (Italy, 2025) |
| Madrid | $386 | $134 | $520 | Nov 1, 2026 | $147–$192 (Spain, Sept 2026) |
| Prague | $255 | $109 | $364 | Nov 1, 2026 | No reliable source |
| Tokyo | $346 | $122 | $468 | Jun 1, 2026 | $174 (Americans in Japan, 2025) |
| Bangkok | $259 | $115 | $374 | Aug 1, 2026 | No reliable source |
| Hanoi | $236 | $126 | $362 | May 1, 2025 | No reliable source |
| Cancún | $287 | $135 | $422 | Aug 1, 2024 | No reliable source |
| Dominican Republic, outside listed cities | $192 | $91 | $283 | Nov 1, 2026 | $171 (2025) |
| Lima | $250 | $103 | $353 | Nov 1, 2025 | No reliable source |
Where both numbers exist, the limit sits well above what tourists spent. Rome's limit is about 4 times Italy's average day, Tokyo's 2.7 times the American average, Madrid's roughly 2.7 to 3.5 times and the Dominican Republic's 1.7 times. These are city limits against national averages, so they are not like for like. Two rates are also old: Cancún's dates from Aug 2024 and Hanoi's from May 2025.
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is among the cheapest regions in our table; only India starts lower. Autopilot puts Vietnam at $25–$35 a day on a budget and $55–$80 mid-range, and Thailand at $30–$45 and $70–$100. AirTreks gives $30–$100 a day for mid-range ground costs across the region, with a private room.
Street prices show why. Numbeo's Hanoi page lists $1.95 for a meal at an inexpensive restaurant and $0.39 for a one-way transit ticket. Numbeo's Bangkok page lists $2.97 and $1.09. A three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant runs $23.38 in Hanoi and $41.65 in Bangkok. Both pages were last updated Nov 10, 2026, from 87 contributors in Hanoi and 194 in Bangkok over the past 12 months.
We found no official per-day spending figure for Thailand or Vietnam that we could read. The federal limits ($374 in Bangkok, $362 in Hanoi) are ceilings for business travel, far above any of these bands.
Europe
Europe runs from $35 a day on a budget in Poland to $300 mid-range in Switzerland, in Autopilot's bands. In its table, Poland has the lowest budget band in the EU and Switzerland the highest mid-range band in Europe. Greece sits at $90–$130 mid-range, France at $130–$190 and the UK at $160–$230.
The official figures land in the same range. Foreign visitors spent about $157 a day in Italy in 2025, and Spain works out to about $147–$192 once flights and packages are out. Both average all foreign visitors, whatever their style.
Rooms move the most with the season, so the month you pick can matter more than the country. Our guide to the cheapest month to travel shows when hotel prices dip by region.
United States
We found no traveler-spending survey for US leisure trips that gives a daily figure we could read, so this page gives limits, not a budget band. The federal standard is $181 a day, and 295 areas have higher limits.
New York City shows how much a federal rate can move by month. Its FY2027 lodging limit is $189 in January and February, $296 from March to June, $250 in July and August, and $358 from September to December.
Hotels in resort areas can add a mandatory fee on top of the room rate. Check our list of resort fees by property before you set the lodging line.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Mexico runs $35–$55 a day on a budget and $70–$110 mid-range, Costa Rica $45–$70 and $90–$150, and Peru $30–$45 and $55–$90, in Autopilot's bands. The Dominican Republic has no Autopilot band, but its central bank's official average was $171 a day in 2025.
Island prices vary far more than one country shows. HelloSafe's estimates, with data as at March 2025, rank Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda first and second of 131 countries, at more than twice its figure for the Dominican Republic.
How to adjust a daily budget for your group size
Divide what you share and leave the rest alone: room and car costs divide by people, food and activity tickets do not. Local transport depends on how you ride, since a transit ticket is per person and a taxi splits.
| Line | Divides by people? |
|---|---|
| Room | Yes, by people per room |
| Rental car, fuel, parking | Yes, by everyone in the car |
| Taxi or rideshare | Yes, by everyone in it |
| Transit tickets | No |
| Food | No |
| Activities | No, unless a private tour is priced per group |
Start from a per-person daily figure, then make two adjustments:
- Check the room. Find out whether your figure assumes a shared room. Autopilot does not say, and the official surveys count what each visitor actually paid. Traveling alone, you pay the whole room, so price a real room for your dates. Four people need two rooms, so the room share stays the same as for a pair. Our guide to the single supplement covers what solo travelers pay on packages.
- Add what you share. Divide the car or taxi cost by the people using it, and add that amount per person.
Model numbers, not a quote: a $120 double room and $60 a day each for food, local transport and activities Two sharing: $60 room share + $60 = $120 each Solo: $120 room + $60 = $180, half as much again as the shared day
Model numbers: four friends, two of those rooms, one car Room share and daily spending: $120 each, as above Car at a sample $60 a day, split 4 ways: $15 each Total: $135 each, $540 a day for the group
If the car replaces transit rides, take those fares off each person's $60.
Put your own numbers into the trip budget calculator: it takes rooms and travelers separately and shows the cost per person. For a family, the family vacation cost breakdown builds the same lines for three to six people, and for friends paying different shares, see ways to split group trip costs.
What a daily budget leaves out
A daily figure covers time on the ground, so several real costs sit outside it. Add these once per trip, not per day:
- Flights and other travel to and from the destination
- Travel between cities, such as a train or domestic flight
- Travel insurance, which Autopilot also treats as a separate line
Frequently asked questions
Is $100 a day enough to travel?
Yes at mid-range in India, Vietnam, Peru, Egypt and Thailand, where Autopilot's mid-range bands top out at $100 or less. It also covers a budget-style day in Japan, France and Australia. It falls short of what the average tourist actually spent in Spain, Italy, Japan and the Dominican Republic: about $150–$190 a day.
Is $600 enough for two weeks?
Before flights, yes on a budget plan in the cheapest places. $600 over 14 days is about $43 a day. That is at or above the bottom of Autopilot's budget bands for India, Vietnam, Egypt, Thailand, Peru, Morocco, Mexico and Poland. It is below the budget band everywhere from the Czech Republic and Costa Rica ($45) upward.
How much money should I take traveling?
Multiply the daily figure for your style by your days, adjust for group size, then add the one-off costs above and a cushion you choose yourself. A 10-day mid-range trip to Thailand comes to about $700–$1,000 before flights at Autopilot's $70–$100 a day.
How much does it cost to travel in Europe per day?
From about $35–$55 a day on a budget in Poland to $220–$300 mid-range in Switzerland, in Autopilot's bands; the UK runs $160–$230 mid-range. Official data put the average foreign visitor at about $157 a day in Italy in 2025 and about $147–$192 in Spain in September 2026, flights excluded.
Reviewed by Dana Whitlock, editor at Pilot Travel Deals. How we check