How we know: Sources are listed at the end. The on-the-ground prices are crowd-sourced figures from Numbeo as of late September 2026, quoted in local currency; they are indicative, not guarantees. Flight prices are deliberately not quoted: they move daily and the route pages show today's fare.
"How much will it cost" has no single answer, but it has a reliable structure. Five lines cover almost everything, and once you have a real number for each you can compare destinations honestly instead of guessing.
The five lines
- Flights. The biggest single item for most trips and the most variable. Use the current fare on the route page, for example JFK to Paris, LAX to Bangkok, Miami to Mexico City or Boston to Lisbon, and set a price alert below it. Add bag fees if the fare excludes them.
- Lodging. Nights × nightly rate. Price your actual dates on a booking site; shoulder seasons and weekday stays are cheaper almost everywhere.
- Food. Days × (breakfast + lunch + dinner + coffee). This is where the destination matters most; see the table below.
- Local transport and activities. Airport transfer both ways, a transit pass or a few rides a day, and the tickets for the things you are going for.
- Fixed extras. Travel insurance, visa or authorization fees, a SIM or roaming plan, and a contingency of about 10%.
What a day on the ground costs: four sourced examples
Numbeo's crowd-sourced figures for a cheap restaurant meal, a mid-range dinner for two, a cappuccino and a single transit ticket, in local currency:
| City | Cheap meal | Mid-range dinner for two | Cappuccino | Transit ticket | |---|---|---|---|---| | Paris | €16.00 | €70.00 | €4.35 | €2.50 (Numbeo Paris) | | Lisbon | €15.00 | €55.00 | €2.70 | €2.05 (Numbeo Lisbon) | | Mexico City | Mex$215.88 | Mex$900.00 | Mex$68.39 | Mex$6.00 (Numbeo Mexico City) | | Bangkok | ฿100.00 | ฿1,200.00 | ฿94.40 | ฿36.50 (Numbeo Bangkok) |
Convert at today's rate and the pattern is clear: a day of eating and getting around in Bangkok or Mexico City costs a fraction of the same day in Paris, with Lisbon in between. That gap compounds over a two-week trip and often outweighs a difference in airfare.
Building the budget: a worked method
For a 10-night trip, fill in each line with your own numbers:
- Flights: current fare from the route page × travellers, plus bags.
- Lodging: 10 × the nightly rate you found for your dates.
- Food: 10 × (cheap meal + mid-range dinner ÷ 2 + two coffees) from the table or Numbeo for your city.
- Transport and activities: airport transfers + 10 × (three transit rides) + your must-do tickets.
- Extras: insurance + visa fees + connectivity + 10% contingency.
Do this for two candidate destinations and the comparison is real. Doing it for two travel months on the same destination shows what shoulder season is actually worth.
Where budgets go wrong
- Forgetting the airport transfers. Taxis at both ends can cost as much as a night's lodging in expensive cities.
- Counting the flight, not the fare plus fees. Seat selection and bags on low-cost carriers.
- Under-counting coffee, snacks and drinks. Add a daily line for them.
- Exchange-rate drift. Budget in local currency and convert at the end.
- No contingency. Something will cost more than planned.
Ways to move the total
- Shift dates to shoulder season; both the fare and lodging fall.
- Fly midweek and consider a connection; see how to find cheap flights.
- Pick a destination where the daily cost is low; see cheapest countries to fly to.
- Eat the cheap meal at lunch and the mid-range one at dinner, not both at dinner.
- Use transit passes instead of taxis.
FAQ
How much should I budget per day for an international trip? It depends almost entirely on the city. Use Numbeo or the table above for your destination and multiply by the days, then add lodging separately.
What is usually the biggest expense? Flights for short trips and cheap destinations; lodging for long trips and expensive cities.
How do I estimate the flight cost? Use the current fare on the route page and set an alert below it; historical averages are less useful than today's price for your dates.