Travel Budget Calculator
What a trip costs in all, per person and per day, from the nights you stay, daily food and local transport, travel to get there, activities, insurance and a buffer, all at prices you enter.
Result…
How it's calculated
Accommodation = price per night × nights Daily costs = (food + local transport per person per day) × travellers × days Per-person costs = (getting there + activities + insurance) × travellers Before buffer = accommodation + daily costs + per-person costs + other one-off costs Total = before buffer × (1 + buffer % ÷ 100) · per person = total ÷ travellers · per day = total ÷ days
Adds up a trip from the parts you know. Accommodation is a price per night for the whole group, times the nights; food and local transport are per person per day, times the travellers and the days; travel to get there, activities and insurance are per person; other one-off costs are for the group. A buffer percentage goes on top for price rises and surprises. The result is the total, the cost per person (an even split) and per day. Every price comes from you: nothing here is a typical cost for any place. Spending abroad can also carry card and exchange fees, and a shared trip may not split evenly.
Your numbers, step by step
About the Travel Budget calculator
This travel budget calculator adds up a trip from the prices you already know or have been quoted. Enter the days away, the nights you pay for, how many are travelling, the accommodation price per night for the group, food and local transport per person per day, fares to get there, activities, insurance and any one-off costs such as visas. It adds a buffer percentage on top for price changes and surprises, then gives the trip total, the cost per person, per day and per person per day. Nothing is filled in from averages: every price is yours, because costs differ hugely by destination, season and travel style. The steps show each part of the sum with your numbers, so you can see which costs drive the total and where trimming would help most.
How to use it
- Enter “Days away”, “Nights of accommodation” (usually one fewer) and the number of “Travellers”.
- Put the whole group's room or rental price in “Accommodation per night”.
- Fill in “Food per person per day” and “Local transport per person per day”.
- Add “Flights or long-distance transport per person”, “Activities and tickets per person” and “Travel insurance per person”, plus any “Other one-off costs for the group”.
- Choose a “Buffer for the unexpected” and read the total, the cost per person and the cost per day.
Worked example
Two people go away for 5 days and 4 nights. A room at 150 a night is 150 × 4 = 600. Food at 45 and local transport at 12 per person per day are (45 + 12) × 2 × 5 = 570. Fares of 250, activities of 80 and insurance of 25 per person are 355 × 2 = 710. Before the buffer that is 1,880; a 10% buffer adds 188, so the trip total is 2,068. That is 1,034 per person, 413.60 per day, or 206.80 per person per day.
Updated
Questions people ask
How do I calculate a budget for a trip?
Split the costs into those paid per night (accommodation), per person per day (food, local transport), per person once (fares, activities, insurance) and for the group once (visas, parking). Multiply each by the nights, days or people, add them up, and put a buffer on top.
What is the formula for a daily travel budget?
Daily cost = trip total ÷ days, and per person per day = trip total ÷ travellers ÷ days. The total includes the buffer, so the daily figure is what to plan for rather than the bare minimum.
How big should a travel buffer be?
There is no fixed rule; it depends on how firm your prices are. If accommodation and fares are already booked, a small buffer may do; if you are pricing from rough guesses, a larger one gives more room. Try a few values and see how the total moves.
What do people often forget in a trip budget?
Card and currency exchange fees, tourist taxes on accommodation, baggage fees, airport transfers and tips where they are customary. The FX fee calculator shows what an exchange really costs.
How do we split the trip cost between friends?
This calculator gives an even split per person. If people paid for different things or shared rooms unevenly, the split expenses calculator works out who owes whom.
Is the total what the trip will actually cost?
It is only as good as the prices entered; it does not know any destination's prices, exchange rates or fees. Treat it as a plan, check current prices before booking, and for questions about insurance cover or paying abroad ask your insurer or bank.