Travel Budget Calculator
Add up a whole trip, from flights and rooms to food and fun, and see what it costs each person and each day.
We don’t look up live rates. Use the rate your bank, card or exchange shows today. Room, food, activity, local transport and shopping prices below are then in the destination currency.
Empty: one room for every 2 people.
Taxis, buses, car hire, fuel.
For surprises. 10–15% is common.
One number per person. 2, 1, 1 means the first pays half and the others a quarter each.
How your travel budget is worked out
Add up each part of the trip, then divide by people and days.
- 1
Places to stay
120 × 7 nights× 1 room= $840
- 2
Food every day
40 × 2 people× 8 days= $640
- 3
Add it all up
1,200 travel+ 1,480 stay, food+ 300 the rest= $2,980
- 4
Per person, per day
2,980 ÷ 2 people= $1,490 each$372.50 a day
Read more: the formula, a worked example, currencies and tips
A trip budget is a list of costs added up. Some are paid once for the whole group (flights, activities), some every night (rooms), and some every day for every person (food). Once you have the total, divide by the number of travellers and by the days to see what the trip really costs each of you.
The formula
days = nights + 1
accommodation = price per night × nights × rooms
food = per person per day × travellers × days
local transport = per day × days
trip spending (another currency) ÷ your rate = in your money
card fees = trip spending in your money × fee %
subtotal = transport + accommodation + food + activities + local transport + visa, insurance, eSIM × travellers + shopping + fees
total = subtotal + subtotal × buffer %
per person = total ÷ travellers · per day = total ÷ days
save each month = (total − already saved) ÷ months
Worked example
With the starting inputs, 2 people go away for 7 nights, so there are 7 + 1 = 8 days of meals and 1 room (one room for every 2 people). Accommodation is $120 × 7 nights × 1 room = $840. Food is $40 × 2 people × 8 days = $640. Add the $1,200 of flights and $300 of activities: 1,200 + 840 + 640 + 300 = $2,980. That is 2,980 ÷ 2 = $1,490 each, 2,980 ÷ 8 = $372.50 a day, and $186.25 per person per day. (The starting amounts follow your currency, for example ₹60,000 of flights and a ₹4,000 room. They are round examples only, not prices for any place: type in your own.)
Switch to Advanced and the 10% buffer adds 2,980 × 10% = $298, making $3,278. To pay for the $2,980 trip in 4 months with $980 already saved, you need (2,980 − 980) ÷ 4 = $500 a month, or $250 each.
Another currency
Say one US dollar buys 35 Thai baht at the rate you entered. A 1,750 baht room for 3 nights is 5,250 baht, food at 700 baht a day for 2 people over 4 days is 5,600 baht, and activities are 3,500 baht: 14,350 baht in all. That is 14,350 ÷ 35 = $410. A 2% card fee adds $8.20, and with $800 of flights the trip costs $1,218.20. These figures only show how the sum works.
Custom shares
Shares of 2, 1, 1 on a $1,000 trip mean 2 + 1 + 1 = 4 parts of $250: the first traveller pays $500 and the other two pay $250 each.
Tips
- Count the days, not just the nights: you eat and get around on the day you arrive and the day you leave.
- Card and ATM fees are often 0–3% of what you spend abroad, and some cash machines add a fixed charge too. Paying in the local currency, not your own, usually avoids a worse rate.
- Check visa, travel insurance and mobile data costs before you book; they are easy to forget.
- Exchange rates move every day. Recheck the rate close to your trip.
This calculator has no built-in prices or exchange rates: every amount is what you enter. Starting values are examples only. Checked 13 October 2026.
Common questions
How do I work out a travel budget?
Add up getting there and back, places to stay, food, activities and anything else, then divide by the number of travellers and days. For 2 people on a 7-night trip with $1,200 of flights, a $120 room, $40 a day each for food and $300 of activities, the trip costs $2,980: $1,490 each, or $372.50 a day.
How much should I add as a buffer?
Many travellers add 10–15% for things that go wrong or cost more than planned: a missed connection, a taxi instead of a bus, a better room. The calculator adds 10% in Advanced mode; change it to suit you.
How do I budget in another currency?
In Advanced mode pick “Another currency”, type the destination currency code and the rate you got (how much of it one unit of your money buys). Enter the room, food and activity prices in that currency. The calculator converts them back at your rate and adds your card or ATM fee.
How do I split trip costs fairly?
Split equally, or give each traveller a share. Shares of 2, 1, 1 mean the first person pays half and the other two a quarter each, which suits a couple paying for a room while two friends share another, or a child paying less.
How much do I need to save each month for a trip?
Take the trip total, subtract what you have already saved, and divide by the months until you leave. A $2,980 trip with $980 saved and 4 months to go needs $500 a month, or $250 each for two people.
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Made by Zulu Calculator, part of AlphaZulu LLC. Formulas are shown in full and rule figures are checked against official sources; see how we build calculators.