Bolivia is one of the cheapest countries in South America and also incredibly diverse and beautiful! Visit La Paz and see the infamous San Pedro’s Prison. Go crazy with perspective photography at Salar de Uyuni or cycle the Death Road. Bolivia was part of the South America backpacking trip of 28-year-old Floris from the Netherlands. In the post below he shows how much money he needed for his backpacking trip in Bolivia.
This article is part of the Money Matters series in which we ask travelers to keep their expenses for Bunch of Backpackers. Real travelers, real expenses.
COSTS 17-DAY BOLIVIA TRIP: 822 EURO (1004 USD)
DAILY TRAVEL EXPENSES BOLIVIA*: 48,35 EURO (59,08 USD)
*These daily travel expenses are per one person per day. Including all tours, domestic flights, souvenirs, lodging, food, drinks, entrance fees, tips etc. Excluding international flights.
EXAMPLES OF PRICES IN BOLIVIA:
These prices are per person unless stated otherwise.
Standard Bolivia expenses
One night in a hostel dormitory: 6,39 euro
A double room in a guesthouse: 9,47 euro
A short 10-minute taxi ride: 1,77 euro
A bottle of water (0,5L) at the store: 0,40 euro
A large beer (0,5L) in a restaurant: 2,96 euro
Dinner at a local restaurant: 3,19 euro
Notable Bolivia expenses
Death Road Cycling: 55,67 euro
3-day climb Huanya Potosi: 124,37 euro (an additional 94 euro’s for thermal underwear, clothing, head, scarf, gloves and snacks)
Halfday tour silver mines in Cerro Rico in Potosi: 11,84 euro
3-day trip to Salar de Uyuni and southwest Bolivia ending in San Pedro de Atacama: 88,84 euro (an additional 11,84 euro for the rent of a sleeping bag, retrospectively a sleeping bag wasn’t really necessary)
You may also like this Backpackers Guide to Bolivia from Tales of a Backpacker.
SOME DETAILS ON THIS TRIP:
About the backpackers: Floris, the Netherlands, 28 years
Destination and travel period: Bolivia in September 2014 for 17 days
Visited places: Copacabana, La Paz, Potosi and Uyuni
Type of trip: Solo, independently
Accommodation*: budget (mainly hostels and guesthouses)
Transportation*: budget (cheapest available mode of transportation)
Food*: basic (cheap local places, streetfood and snacks)
Currency rate: 1 euro = 8,63 Bolivianos
*4 options: basic, budget, standard and luxury
BOLIVIA TIP BY FLORIS
- Eat at markets. The food is cheap and delicious. It’s best to eat at market stands with many locals, because they know what good and safe is.
I (Manouk) also made a cost overview of my trip to Peru and Boliva. It’s pretty similar to Floris, but I only traveled 6 days there. Find out how much money I needed to backpack Bolivia here!
My friends Tapashia and Ashvin also made a cost overview of their trip to Bolivia. Find out how much money they spent in Bolivia here!
Floris also kept his expenses for Peru, Chili and Argentina! Find the costs of his total 58-day South America trip here.
Have you been to Bolivia? Can you relate to these travel costs?
