I am planning to ride south - US to Argentina leaving next October. A friend who might come asked how much would the trip cost per day. My response was about $50 US for gas hotel/motel, and food, other out of pocket, for an older BMW rider who (in the US) is happy at a Motel6 and Denny's. Does that figure seem reasonable? I was surprised when my friend said prove it. Dave
Premium fuel at Pemex is over $3 per gallon these days. Your fuel costs will be in the range of $12 or more each day. If you ride the cuota or toll roads, the tolls can be expensive and you will spend at least $10 on those but often times you will spend more. If you ride the free roads you will be covering up to 100kms extra each day depending on routing and riding. So there is half your budget in tolls and gas only. A decent hotel with hot water can be found for between $20 to $25 dollars a night. You food costs will be at least $10 a day minimum and likely around $15 dollars per day. So for Mexico you should think upwards of $65 per day in US dollars. Souveniers, parts, oil, tires, etc... will all add up, also. You mileage and expenses, as the saying goes, may vary.
It'll all vary according to everything under the sun. Notably, I sometimes spent $50 per day on gasoline alone in Patagonia and Brazil; it's not hard to do if you ride a full day, especially where gas is expensive (Brazil), when it's windy (Patagonia) or wherever surfaces are soft (rider's option). The question is often asked here and on Horizonsunlimited. Any search should round up more information on the subject than you can possibly absorb, with opinions ranging from $5 or 10 (seriously!) to well over a hundred. I figure most riders average $80 or more, including the cheap countries (Ecuador, Bolivia, etc.) and the expensive. Other variables include accommodation--some like hotels while others prefer hostels, some free camp most nights and a few even couchsurf religiously. And don't forget parts and repairs, the Darien, any tours to places your bike won't take you, etc. etc. etc. I'd be cautious telling anyone the trip could be done for $50/day. Hope that helps. Mark
When I made my trip from <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:State w:st="on">Alabama</st1:State> to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Costa Rica</st1lace></st1:country-region> last year I was riding solo. Did everything in my power not to stay in a dump or love hotel. Not staying in a dump was easy. All boarder crossings, tips, one new rear tire and fuel and food ran me $90.00 per day. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> <o></o> This $$ amount did not include my lost left side case and its contents. That burned my back side and wallet to the tune of about $500.00 that day. Now another $100 to buy another used BMW side case. Dont forget the unexpected problems. $50.00 a day is for someone riding a bicycle.
I just finished my trip form Chicago to SA, and I throughout the whole thing I mostly camped for free and ate at regular restaurants, with the ocassional treat here and there, I kept a 50 uds budget for the most part, with some days exceding to 70 80, but I always made up for it with free camping (also friends along my route). My advantage is that I speak the language so many things I could easily bargain for and such. Gas is definetly the most expensive, and the days that I would ride all day would be my most expensive, specially with 5 dolar gallons of gas in some countries. Can you do it? yes, but you will definelty have to rough it, and leave aside some cash for repairs, darien gap, and unexpected situations. If you can swing it then make your budget a bit higher, youll definetly be more comfortable, but if you cant, dont care, have health and youth on your side, than just shoot for it, youll be fine. Peace.
I did my trip for $65 / day. I stayed in hotels and ate out most of the time. I'm a lite eater so most days would be breakfast at the hotel, a snack for lunch and a full dinner. This price didn't include getting the bike to Colombia or back to the US but those prices/options are well documented.
I just did the trip last year, so I expect these prices to be fairly current. I spent about $12 a day on food. I never missed a meal and splurged on drinks and desert, but I ate at cheap local places. I averaged about $9 for lodging. I never camped, but I would ride around each town to find the cheapest, but still clean, hotel or hostel. I never paid more than $20 for a room even when I was in expensive areas and in serious need. My best was $2.20 a night at a place in Peru. My fuel costs were about $3.80/gal on average. It ranged from $1.43 in Ecuador to almost $5 in southern Colombia. Calculate your expected mileage accordingly. I budgeted $8 a day for recreation expenses like SCUBA, ruins, park entrance fees, etc, and that was just about perfect to experience everything I wanted to.
Thanks Guy's. The $50 figure came from Horizons Unlimited site. Glad to see it's not too far off even though it's low. Dave
You'll have a hell of a lot better time if you don't stick to a budget or plan Things just seen to happen by themselves on a big trip South What plans I ever really did begin with have been altered and thrown away a hundred times and I have not been left dissappointed!
Agree with all the above comments. The key thing to keep in mind is gas prices, how much you plan to rider per day and how long will you stay in each locations. Gas will be the biggest expense if you are travelling long distances everyday. the longer you stay in a place the easier it is to figure where you can find cheap accomodation and food. you can save quite a bit on accomodation and food finding free places along the way with the tent list here on ADV, couchsurfing.com, brazilriders.com.br horizonsunlimited, and other biker friendly places
When I went through Venezuela, I was amazed at how much money I had in my pocket at the end of each day. With fuel at a penny a liter, and decent hotels around 10 to 15 bucks I finally figured out why.
Gas can range from $0 to $30 (I ride a 400cc). $1.00/gal in Ecuador to over $5.00 in S Chile. Lodging can range from $5 for a nice room with Cable (Bolivia) to $25 + for a dorm room (Patagonia). Food can be anywhere from $1-2.00 for a set meal, to exceeding USA prices for a pizza. Throw in whitewater rafting, diving, Galopagos & other exciting tours & costs can get way high. Being a handy wrencher can save you a lot. Lot's of corners can be cut, but gas is gas & you can't go without it. Camping can save a lot, be careful where you set up in many areas. Eating out is often cheaper than doing your own cooking in the hostal, depending on the country. Beer consumption (and where you drink them) is probably one of the biggest controllable variables, but remember, you're on vacation. I would say below $20/day for a low, if you scrimp on everything in a country with cheap gas like Ecuador. To $50 or $60 or more for a hard riding day in Patagonia even cutting every corner.
