I often see people asking about the daily average costs of the Camino and this was also something I was worried about before going, especially because in my day-to-day life I'm very conscious about how I spend my money (irresponsibly conscious, as in I spend way too much with things I don't need, but at least I know where my money is going).
I use an expense tracker and budget usually and thought about doing the same for the Camino. The first few days went great, I was tracking everything even the damn coins, but by the second week, I honestly didn't care anymore as long as I was vaguely aware I still had money in the pre-paid card I had with me. But now I am home and could export all the expenses from my bank and import them into my budget software, so here we have it!
It's not perfect, mainly because of cash. I had to withdraw cash twice and I can't honestly remember where I spent everything, but I had an overall idea, so the cash part (476 euros in total) is an approximation.
Anyway, I did the Camino Frances from SJPP to Santiago, from April 29th to May 30th. I'm not considering here the flight tickets or the train ticket to SJPP, but I am considering the day I was in Santiago just enjoying the city (May 31st). In total, I spent 2046,61 euros for 32 days, so around 64 euros per day. I could have spent way less, but I did enjoy my many nights in private rooms with private bathrooms.
This was my overall spending:
And now a breakdown:
Rooms:
- I stayed in a mix of private bedrooms, private albergues and public ones. After walking the first few days without a bed, I realized I needed the peace of mind of just walking without rushing and trying to win the bed race. So I only stayed in public albergues when it was a short day or when I knew it was a big one with many beds. Every 3 or 4 nights I would stay in a private bedroom.
- In total, there were 5 nights in public albergues (54 euros), 10 nights in private rooms, including 2 nights in Santiago (564 euros), and 14 in private albergues (310 euros)
- Not here: 3 nights in Airbnbs, 2 in León and 1 in Burgos. Not here because they were charged in brazilian reais on a different card, but it was around 160 euros for the three nights.
Food:
- Restaurants is a mix of lunch, dinner, snacks and breakfast. I almost never had lunch and dinner on the same day, it was usually one or the other, and around 15-22 euros for a menu del dia or menu peregrino. The cheapest I paid for a menu del dia was 12 and the most expensive was 22. For breakfast, I would usually walk 5-8km and stop for a coffee and tortilla or tostada, for which I paid anywhere from 2,50 to 5 euros per day. Also, I would have a caña (beer) or two in the afternoons, which were around 1,50 - 2 euros per glass.
- Grocery includes anything I bought in supermarkets, from chocolates (essential for the camino!!!) to instant noodles.
Extras:
Transportation:
- I took a bus twice, due to a mix of injury and time constraints: from Santo Domingo to Burgos and from Bercianos del Real Camino to Leon, both were around 5 euros
- I had to take a taxi from Zubiri to Pamplona (15 euros) because there were no beds available.
- I bought tickets for the bus to León for two of my Camino friends so here you can actually subtract 10 euros.
Equipment:
- Everything I paid for in the Oficina del Peregrino both in SJPP and in Santiago
- My hiking poles on Decathlon
- A pair of gloves somewhere in the mesetas, because it was way too cold in the early mornings and wearing socks as gloves was not fun
- Orange sim card
Pharmacy:
- Compeeds, ibuprofen, earplugs, a new shampoo bar
Tours
- Mostly museums and churches
Luggage Transport:
- 3 times I sent my backpack ahead when I had long days
- I sent my suitcase to Santiago with PaqPeregrino before I started my Camino
Gifts:
- 103 euros for a Polarstep photobook, which was a gift to myself to remember the trip
- The rest was a mix of magnets, pins, and small tokens from the Camino and Tarta de Santiago to bring home
So this is it. Everything I spent in my Camino. I know a post like this would have been useful to me a few months ago, so it may be useful for someone else now.
I use an expense tracker and budget usually and thought about doing the same for the Camino. The first few days went great, I was tracking everything even the damn coins, but by the second week, I honestly didn't care anymore as long as I was vaguely aware I still had money in the pre-paid card I had with me. But now I am home and could export all the expenses from my bank and import them into my budget software, so here we have it!
It's not perfect, mainly because of cash. I had to withdraw cash twice and I can't honestly remember where I spent everything, but I had an overall idea, so the cash part (476 euros in total) is an approximation.
Anyway, I did the Camino Frances from SJPP to Santiago, from April 29th to May 30th. I'm not considering here the flight tickets or the train ticket to SJPP, but I am considering the day I was in Santiago just enjoying the city (May 31st). In total, I spent 2046,61 euros for 32 days, so around 64 euros per day. I could have spent way less, but I did enjoy my many nights in private rooms with private bathrooms.
This was my overall spending:
And now a breakdown:
Rooms:
- I stayed in a mix of private bedrooms, private albergues and public ones. After walking the first few days without a bed, I realized I needed the peace of mind of just walking without rushing and trying to win the bed race. So I only stayed in public albergues when it was a short day or when I knew it was a big one with many beds. Every 3 or 4 nights I would stay in a private bedroom.
- In total, there were 5 nights in public albergues (54 euros), 10 nights in private rooms, including 2 nights in Santiago (564 euros), and 14 in private albergues (310 euros)
- Not here: 3 nights in Airbnbs, 2 in León and 1 in Burgos. Not here because they were charged in brazilian reais on a different card, but it was around 160 euros for the three nights.
Food:
- Restaurants is a mix of lunch, dinner, snacks and breakfast. I almost never had lunch and dinner on the same day, it was usually one or the other, and around 15-22 euros for a menu del dia or menu peregrino. The cheapest I paid for a menu del dia was 12 and the most expensive was 22. For breakfast, I would usually walk 5-8km and stop for a coffee and tortilla or tostada, for which I paid anywhere from 2,50 to 5 euros per day. Also, I would have a caña (beer) or two in the afternoons, which were around 1,50 - 2 euros per glass.
- Grocery includes anything I bought in supermarkets, from chocolates (essential for the camino!!!) to instant noodles.
Extras:
Transportation:
- I took a bus twice, due to a mix of injury and time constraints: from Santo Domingo to Burgos and from Bercianos del Real Camino to Leon, both were around 5 euros
- I had to take a taxi from Zubiri to Pamplona (15 euros) because there were no beds available.
- I bought tickets for the bus to León for two of my Camino friends so here you can actually subtract 10 euros.
Equipment:
- Everything I paid for in the Oficina del Peregrino both in SJPP and in Santiago
- My hiking poles on Decathlon
- A pair of gloves somewhere in the mesetas, because it was way too cold in the early mornings and wearing socks as gloves was not fun
- Orange sim card
Pharmacy:
- Compeeds, ibuprofen, earplugs, a new shampoo bar
Tours
- Mostly museums and churches
Luggage Transport:
- 3 times I sent my backpack ahead when I had long days
- I sent my suitcase to Santiago with PaqPeregrino before I started my Camino
Gifts:
- 103 euros for a Polarstep photobook, which was a gift to myself to remember the trip
- The rest was a mix of magnets, pins, and small tokens from the Camino and Tarta de Santiago to bring home
So this is it. Everything I spent in my Camino. I know a post like this would have been useful to me a few months ago, so it may be useful for someone else now.
, thank you
