The Budget for Our Two Month South America Travel Adventure
Read on to find out how much we spent on our latest travel adventure to South America!
When we arrived home after spending three months in Thailand and Vietnam, the one question our friends and family asked us was, “Where are you going next?” What a difficult decision! I was strongly advocating for a Spanish-speaking country. I have been studying the language for several years on my own, and I wanted a chance to put my skills to the test. And then one day, serendipitously, I saw a discounted one-way cruise on the Sapphire Princess sailing from Los Angeles to Santiago, Chile. Thus began our South America Travel Adventure!
Choosing our South America Itinerary
For this trip, we wanted to try exploring more destinations, spending only a week or two in any given city. With the cruise booked, we knew we’d be spending time in Chile. But where else should we go? There are so many places to travel in South America! The Galapagos Islands are somewhere I’ve wanted to visit since I first read about Charles Darwin. Joe is equally fascinated by Easter Island. Patagonia, the Amazon Rainforest, the salt flats of Bolivia, the blue waters of Belize… South America is a big continent, and it was difficult to narrow it down.
In the end, we decided upon a South America travel itinerary that included three unique environments and three bustling cities. We would start in Santiago, the capital of Chile, nestled in a valley west of the Andes. Then we would fly north to San Pedro de Atacama, and explore the Atacama desert, the place on earth where the stars shine the brightest. Next, we would head to the Atlantic Coast and Rio de Janeiro, where we would walk the same beach as the Girl from Ipanaema of Bossa Nova fame. A short flight south from there would bring us to the Iguazu Falls, named one of the seven natural wonders of the New World. And finally, we would spend a short stint in Lima, Peru before our ultimate adventure: Machu Picchu.
A Realisitic Budget to Travel Across Chile, Brazil, and Peru
You can read about all of our South America travel escapades in our previous blog posts. In this article, we will discuss how well we adhered to our itinerary and budget for each stop, our overall impressions of each country, and what we would do differently next time around.
Let’s do the Math!
Before embarking on a trip, we create a budget divided into five categories – accomodations, food, transportation, experiences, and airfare.
Grand Total
So, how well did we stick to our budget? Read on to find out!
Budget Summary
| Santiago, Chile | San Pedro de Atacama, Chile | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil | Lima, Peru | Cusco, Peru | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # of days | 16 days | 6 days | 9 days | 5 days | 4 days | 12 days |
| Budget | $1,660 | $1,460 | $1,025 | $625 | $350 | $1,860 |
| Reality | $1,414.38 | $1,263.60 | $1,476.15 | $647.45 | $440.73 | $1,572.41 |
| Average Daily Cost | $88.40 | $210.60 | $164.02 | $107.91 | $110.18 | $131.03 |
Airfare across South America
We traveled across South America over a series of 5 flights, and then took our final flight back home to the USA. All but the last flight were on Latam Airlines. We booked our flights 2-3 months in advance, and we were able to upgrade to Latam’s “Premium Economy” class for merely $5 more per flight. This was a great decision! While the seats are the same size, Latam blocks the middle seat for their premium passengers. That meant Joe and I got the whole row to ourselves. We were also seated in the first three rows of the plane, so we never had to wait to de-board. And when we arrived at the luggage carousel, our suitcases always came out first because they had a Priority tag.
$3,400
Budget
$3,347.39
Reality
$52.61 under budget
The Verdict
Santiago, Chile
Accomodations
We stayed in an AirBnB in a Santiagan neighborhood south of Cerro Santa Lucia. The building was one of a complex of secured apartment buildings, with a central courtyard and swimming pool. While some of the surrounding blocks did seem a bit sketchy in the evenings, we didn’t have any actual problems. The unit itself was small, but did have a separate bedroom area. Unfortunately there was no A/C unit – these are not as common in Chile – and it got quite warm in the apartment!
16 nights
x $45/night
= $720
Budget
$652.37
or
$40.77/night
Reality
$67.63
under
budget
The Verdict
Food
The kitchen in our AirBnB was quite small. The stove top had two burners, but would only fit one pan at a time. Still, we managed to cook many meals here, which helped us keep our costs down. We did have a few meals out. Inexplicably, there were lots of sushi restaurants in Santiago so of course we had to try some.
2 weeks, 2 days
x $300/week
= $680
Budget
$607.71
or
$37.98/day
Reality
$72.29
under
budget
The Verdict
Transportation
We used a combination of Uber and public transit to get around Santiago. Their Red Movilidad metro/bus system is quite developed and it is possible to go most places in the city once you figure out the app. We also took a Pullman bus on a day trip to Valparaiso, about 90 minutes outside of the city on the coast.
16 days
x $10/day
= $160
Budget
$96.37
or
$6.02/day
Reality
$63.63
under
budget
The Verdict
Experiences
The great thing about Santiago is that there are many museums, and a lot of them are free. I did pay 10,000 CLP ($12.63) to visit the Museo de Pre-Columbiano – totally worth it! And I scored a pair of discount tickets for less than $10 to attend the Santiago Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker. We also spent some money to participate in a few interesting Chilean New Year’s traditions. I included the fees we paid to use public restrooms in this category, too (300 – 700 CLP per visit, less than $1). I mean, that’s an experience, right?
$100
Budget
$57.93
Reality
$42.07 under budget
The Verdict
Full Cost of Santiago, Chile
$1,660
Budget
$1,414.38
Reality
$203.55 under budget
The Verdict
Not bad! We’re off to a good start!
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Accomodations
We stayed in an AirBnB just outside of the central market area in the town of San Pedro de Atacama. We knew that accommodations here would be more expensive, as 90% of this town runs on tourism. We also knew it would be hot, so we picked one of the few places that advertised air conditioning. Unfortunately, when we arrived we discovered the “portable A/C” was actually an evaporative cooler, sometimes called a swamp cooler. This was not up to the task! And to further exacerbate the situation, there were no windows that we could open to catch the cool evening breeze. Nights were hot, uncomfortable, and sleepless.
6 nights
x $45/night
= $270
Budget
$385.56
or
$64.26/night
Reality
$115.56
over
budget
The Verdict
Food
While there are many restaurants in San Pedro de Atacama that cater to backpackers, we opted to cook for ourselves for all but one meal. With the extreme heat, we also had less of an appetite. I think half of our food budget may have been spent on cold beverages!
6 days
x $40/day
= $240
Budget
$190.77
or
$31.80/day
Reality
$49.23
under
budget
The Verdict
Transportation
We vered a bit from our transportation budget formula because we decided to rent a car and drive ourselves to explore the Atacama desert. From our research, we calculated that we would save enough money on tour fees to make the extra expense of the car worth it. You can read more about our experience renting a car in the Atacama here.
rental car @ 6 days x $50/day = $300
gas @ 5 driving days x $30/tank = $150
Reality: rental car @ $339.57 + gas @ $112.88 = $452.45
$450
Budget
$452.45
Reality
$2.45 over budget
The Verdict
Experiences
The Atacama desert is an absolutely stunning place to visit, but it is difficult to plan a budget because info on the internet is scarce, scattered, and sometimes outdated. We knew we wanted to do a star-gazing tour, visit the Valley of the Moon, go on a desert “safari” to spot some new animals, and marvel at the unique ecosystems of the salt flats. We hoped to swim in one of the salt lagunas and see the geysers of El Tatio Volcano. We calculated a budget by extrapolating costs from guided tours we found advertised online. We ended up skipping the geysers due to the length of the drive, condition of the road, and timing of the visit (arriving before dawn). We also missed out on swimming in Laguna Piedra because it was closed when we arrived and we didn’t have any time to re-schedule.
$500
Budget
$234.82
Reality
$265.18 under budget
The Verdict
Full Cost of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
$1,460
Budget
$1,263.60
Reality
$196.40 under budget
The Verdict
So far, so good! We’re on a roll.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Accomodations
During most of our time in Rio de Janeiro, we stayed in an AirBnB near Copacabana Beach. Since the area is one of the main tourist areas, it is well-patrolled by the police and seemed fairly safe, especially during the daytime. We also spent one night on La Isla de Gobernador, closer to the airport. We were warned to be careful of walking down side streets, as there are many unsecured favelas in that area.
9 nights
x $45/night
= $405
Budget
$473.90
or
$52.66/night
Reality
$68.90
over
budget
The Verdict
Food
We ended up eating out in Rio de Janeiro more than any other place we stayed in South America. This was partly because the kitchen at our AirBnB was horrible, and partly because the Brazilian food was really good. So many meals out in such a tourist-y location, and we totally blew our food budget here. C’est la vie!
1 week, 2 days
x $300/week
= $380
Budget
$758.86
or
$84.32/day
Reality
$378.86
over
budget
The Verdict
Transportation
We traveled exclusively with Uber while we stayed in Rio de Janeiro. Normally I enjoy trying to figure out a new public transit system, but the Rio system is massive! I’m pretty sure even the locals don’t really know how to use every part of it. Plus, getting an Uber was not much more expensive than paying for two bus fares, we traveled in comfort, and we knew we wouldn’t get lost.
9 days
x $10/day
= $90
Budget
$79.33
or
$8.81/day
Reality
$10.67
under
budget
The Verdict
Experiences
Our “must-see” destinations in Rio were Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, and the Girl from Ipanema cafe. And that’s exactly what we did! The rest of the time we spent at Copacabana Beach, which was only four blocks from our AirBnB and completely free.
$150
Budget
$164.06
Reality
$14.06 over budget
The Verdict
Full Cost of Rio de janeiro, brazil
$1,025
Budget
$1,476.15
Reality
$451.15 over budget
The Verdict
Well, you can’t win them all. Rio was more expensive than we’d planned, but we still had a great time. We can’t wait to come back!
Foz do Igauçu, Brazil
Accomodations
We finally lucked out with an amazing AirBnB – spacious, well-furnished, air conditioned, with a full kitchen and a comfortable bed… and our own private pool and backyard! The most incredible part is that this was the least expensive stay for our whole trip.
5 nights
x $45/night
= $225
Budget
$179.26
or
$35.86/night
Reality
$45.74
under
budget
The Verdict
Food
Finally, in Foz do Iguaçu, we got a good kitchen in our AirBnB! We were able to comfortably cook most of our meals here. But, we did have to try one of the famous Brazilian churrascarias before we left the country. This single meal ended up costing $80, nearly half of our food budget for this city. But it was absolutely worth it! This was hands-down the best meal we had on our entire trip, including the gourmet formal dinners on our Sapphire Princess cruise.
5 days
x $40/day
= $200
Budget
$205.96
or
$41.19/day
Reality
$5.96
over
budget
The Verdict
Transportation
We had planned to use Uber for our stay here, just as we had in Rio de Janeiro. However, at the airport of Foz de Iguaçu, we were unable to get an Uber because the private taxi drivers have the market cornered. Joe had to use his haggling skills to negotiate a fair price with our driver. This was fortunate as the driver offered to help us get to the Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls. He arranged for transportation, help with customs, and currency exchange. This was an additional $75 of expense.
5 days
x $10/day
= $50
Budget
$138.91
or
$27.78/day
Reality
$88.91
over
budget
The Verdict
Experiences
Like most tourists, our sole purpose for coming to Foz do Iguaçu was to see the Iguazu Falls. The entry fees for both sides was comparable to a US National Park, about $20 per person. We also decided on our last day to go to the Parque de Aves bird sanctuary, basically a bird zoo that was OK but a bit more kid-centric than we had anticipated.
$150
Budget
$123.32
Reality
$26.68 under budget
The Verdict
Full Cost of Foz do iguaçu, brazil
$625
Budget
$647.45
Reality
$22.45 over budget
The Verdict
Honestly, I’m pretty happy with this!
Lima, Peru
Accomodations
We spent two nights in Lima, on the way to and coming back from Cusco. Both nights we spent at the Holiday Inn directly across from the airport. We expected that this would be more than our usual nightly stay, but felt it was worth it for the ease, comfort, and safety.
2 nights
x $45/night
= $90
Budget
$263.55
or
$131.78/night
Reality
$173.55
over
budget
The Verdict
Food
We spent two days in Lima during our Sapphire Princess cruise, and two days on either end of our Machu Picchu trip. We used this as an opportunity to eat as much ceviche as we could!
4 days
x $40/day
= $160
Budget
$128.63
or
$32.16/day
Reality
$31.37
under
budget
The Verdict
Transportation
It doesn’t seem fair to include this part of our budget, because it isn’t a true reflection of transportation costs in Lima. However, we did use Uber during the two days we had to explore the city on our Sapphire Princess cruise. For the other two days, we had a free airport shuttle to and from our hotel, and we didn’t have time to go anywhere else.
4 days
x $10/day
= $40
Budget
$26.36
or
$6.59/day
Reality
$13.64
under
budget
The Verdict
Experiences
Our “must-see” destinations in Rio were Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, and the Girl from Ipanema cafe. And that’s exactly what we did! The rest of the time we spent at Copacabana Beach, which was only four blocks from our AirBnB and completely free.
$100
Budget
$22.19
Reality
$77.81 under budget
The Verdict
Full Cost of lima, peru
$350
Budget
$440.73
Reality
$90.73 over budget
The Verdict
We expected to go over our budget due to the hotel cost, so this was no surprise.
Cusco, Peru
Accomodations
We were quite happy to find a decent place within our budget in Cusco. Our AirBnB had tons of space and (finally!) a comfortable bed. We also spent one night in Aguas Calientes before heading up to Machu Picchu. It is possible to do a day trip to Machu Picchu by departing on the earliest, pre-dawn train to Aguas Calientes. However, we knew that would leave us too tired to appreciate this majestic place. In hindsight, we actually wish we’d spent more time in Aguas Calientes.
12 nights
x $45/night
= $540
Budget
$504.78
or
$42.07/night
Reality
$35.22
under
budget
The Verdict
Food
We found Peruvian food to be a mixed bag. We struggled to find fresh vegetables and meat to make tasty meals at home. The fancy restaurants were quite good, but also on the pricey side ($40+ for dinner for two). We did try the traditional Cusqueño roasted cuyo, aka guinea pig. It was… interesting, a bit like dark chicken meat with a grassy overtone. The altitude also affected our appetites, and I think we ate less than usual.
1 week, 5 days
x $300/week
= $500
Budget
$445.62
or
$37.14/day
Reality
$54.38
under
budget
The Verdict
Transportation
Taxis in Cusco are numerous and cheap! Uber is nice if you don’t speak enough Spanish to give the taxi drivers directions back to your accommodations. Regardless of where we were going, most taxi fares were 20 PEN ($5.25). We often walked into the main Plaza de Armas and took an Uber home at night. (Note that the buses and train to Machu Picchu was recorded under experiences.)
12 days
x $10/day
= $120
Budget
$44.53
or
$3.71/day
Reality
$75.47
under
budget
The Verdict
Experiences
Obviously, the biggest expense here was Machu Picchu! We had researched this extensively before leaving, and had a fairly good idea of what to expect for cost ($400). We also bought a 10-Day Cusco Tourist ticket to see the other archaeology sites in the area ($68 each). To visit the Sacred Valley sites of Ollantaytambo and Pisac, we hired a private car for a day ($100).
$700
Budget
$577.48
Reality
$122.52 under budget
The Verdict
Full Cost of cusco, peru
$1,860
Budget
$1,572.41
Reality
$287.59 under budget
The Verdict
Machu Picchu was the climax of our trip, both liteally and figuratively. It did not disappoint.
Pros and Cons of Each City on our South America Travel Adventure
We absolutely loved our epic South American adventure! And given the chance, we’d happily return to any of the cities. But if I had to pick a favorite, I think I’d go with Cusco, Peru. The Incas have a remarkable history and I felt like we barely scratched the surface.
Santiago, Chile
Transit System
Smog
Murals
Graffiti
The Beatles
Death Metal
Politically Active
Hostile Attitude
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Otherworldy Vistas
Poor Roads
Unique Environment
Obscur Info
Peace & Quiet
Altitude Sickness
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Upbeat Vibe
Crowded
Delicious Food
Expensive Food
Beautiful Beaches
Chaotic Beaches
Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
Stunning Waterfall
Crowded
Wildlife
Tourist Traps
Lima, Peru
Vibrant Culture
Political Unrest
Ancient Ruins
Dangerous Areas
Cusco, Peru
Picturesque Town
Altitude Sickness
Historic Sites
Travel Time
Our Advice for Your South America Travel
- Be willing to spend a bit more for better accommodations. And if the place you reserved doesn’t meet your expectations based on the listing descri, don’t be afraid to find somewhere new. Your body will thank you!
- To stay on budget, you will either need to cook your own meals or be willing to eat the local cuisine. American food like pizza, tacos, and hamburgers will cost a premium, as will any restaurant in a tourist area. Don’t sacrifice your stomach health by eating questionable street food that may not agree with you!
- Public transportation can be inexpensive and a way to observe the local culture, but it requires more planning. Consider when it is worth paying more for a private vehicle. Don’t forget that you will need to buy a bus ticket for each member of your group, whereas you only pay one taxi fare.
- Remember why you are traveling in South America: to see these amazing sites! Don’t let the cost of an entry ticket make you miss out on something you are truly interested in. Most tourism sites charge a higher fee from foreigners than locals – usually twice as much. The biggest discrepancy we found was on the bus to Machu Picchu, where foreigners paid over nine times what locals paid!
