We know that everyone spends differently, and a budget can be extremely variable; however, after leaving an area, we want to provide some perspective on the cost associated with staying there for anyone interested in doing a similar trip. Our budget of $100 - $150/day is for 2 people and does not include the $10,000 round-the-world flights (plus trip insurance) already paid for. The budget also does not account for the bills we are continuing to pay at home. Our budget allows for a comfortable, low-to-mid-range lodging in hostels or budget hotels with private bath, meals/drinks, use of public transportation, and cost to do some sightseeing and/or activities. As foodies, we are not depriving ourselves from eating and drinking whatever and whenever we want to, although we are usually focused on finding local cuisine. Most of the time, breakfast seems to be included in the cost of lodging, so we are paying for 1-2 meals/day. An article titled, "Set Your Daily Number" by the veteran travel bloggers from Married With Luggage confirms that a daily average is a simple strategy for setting and meeting a budget. We've got in the habit of taking a few minutes to record our daily expenditure so we can make small adjustments along the way. ECUADOR
We spent 15 days total in Ecuador, where on average, $30-50 gets you great lodging with breakfast; a full meal costs less than $5; 25-50 cents for bottled water; a large bottle of beer for $2; laundry service costs $1/kg; and a bus ride is approximately $1/hour. Expect the cities such as Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca to cost a little more. We spent 4 nights in Quito, 7 nights in Baños de Agua Santa, and 4 nights in Cuenca. Here is our breakdown:
LODGING
$35/day. The average rate in Quito and Cuenca was $60/night, but Baños was only $16/night.
MEALS/GROCERIES
$40/day for 2 full meals per day, including a few more expensive places due to the view or location. We've eaten every meal out because we haven't had a kitchen to cook in.
DRINKS (bottled water, beer, wine, soda)
$11/day...quite inexpensive for us!
TRANSPORTATION
$233 total for taxis and long-haul bus rides. The 3-hour and $130 private tour to Mindo in a cab killed our budget. Without this luxury, it would've been more like $8/day. ($15/day)
PERSONAL CARE ITEMS/SERVICES
$17 on haircut/shave, soap, toothpaste, antibiotic cream, etc. ($1/day)
SOUVENIRS/POSTCARDS (including postage)
We spent $71 on mostly postage to send the 20 or so, postcards. ($5/day)
CLOTHING/LAUNDRY
$54 on buying some clothing items such as a hat and swimwear and laundry service every third day or so. ($3/day)
ATTRACTIONS/ADMISSION
$36 total or $2/day
WIFI/COMPUTER/ATM FEES
$18 on ATM transaction fees - usually an ATM usage surcharge ($5) plus 1% of the withdrawal. We didn't have to pay for any wifi anywhere. ($1/day)
TOTAL
Approximately $120/day puts us under budget, so you can see that Ecuador is perfect for the budget traveler!