This is exactly why I am asking. People can provide all the projections in the world for per day spending but I would like to see what the real world results are.
For people mentioning variables, yes, so please explain them! Please say how much it cost, how much you were planning to spend, and if you stayed at private accommodations or ate out often.
It seems to me you are suggesting our "per day spending" is not the same as "real world results". Which is not true. You are interpreting them as "estimates" (per your original question). But we are giving you what we spent daily as real world results. It is the most accurate way to compare different people's Camino spending - our per day spending times the number of days we travelled. We give averages because our day to day spending varies - but the average is our real world spending average - not some theoretical suggestion.
Maybe it would be more helpful to ask YOU the questions.
Where does your cousin want to stay? Does he want to stay in all municipal/religious albergues? Does he want to stay in private albergues? Does he want to stay in private rooms in Pensions?
Where does your cousin want to eat breakfast? Does he want to eat breakfast provided by private albergues or pensions? Does he want to buy breakfast from the supermarket or a local bakery? Does he want to stop at a bar for breakfast? Does he want to stop and get a full breakfast in an actual resaurant?
Where does your cousin want to eat lunch? Does he want to pack a lunch bought at a supermarket? Does he want to stop at a bar for lunch? Does he want to eat at an actual restaurant for lunch? Will that lunch be from the Raciones Menu, the Pilgrim's Menu, or the regular menu?
Where does your cousin want to eat dinner? Will he want to buy from a grocery store and cook? Will he want to partake in a communal pilgrim's meal at an albergue or at a bar? Or will he want to go out to sample the local cuisine? Or get an expensive meal at a fine dining establishment?
How many meals will he eat per day? Will he eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Will he have a second breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Will he buy snacks to carry? Will he stop and buy snacks?
Will your cousin only drink water during the day? And will he refill a water bottle from the tap or will he buy new fresh bottles of water daily? Will he stop to buy an aquarius or a soda? Will he stop to buy beer or wine? How many times will he stop and buy beverages besides water? Will he buy bottles of wine daily to share with friends? How many bottle will he buy to share with friends? Will he buy other food to share with friends?
How many km/miles will your cousin walk per day? How many days will he take to walk? How many rest days will he take?
Does he have any health issues that will likely flare up? Will he have injuries that need to be cared for? Will he need new insoles for his shoes? Will he need an ankle or knee support? Does he need to buy an extra jacket because he is colder than he intended? Did he lose his phone charger and need to buy a replacement?
Will he stop and tour cathedrals? How many cathedrals will he tour that are not free to visit? Will he stop and visit museums? How many museums will he stop to visit and how much do they cost?
Will he take a taxi or a bus or a train to skip a section or to find lodging if none is available in the town he was hoping to stay in?
How will your cousin get his money? Will he convert currency to Euros at home and bring all of his Euros with him? Or will he go to ATM's along the way. If he goes to ATMs, how many will he visit and how much are the ATM fees for his bank? What about additional fees by the bank in Spain? Does he have foreign transaction fees on top of the other bank fees? Will he be using his credit card? What foreign transaction fees will they charge?
When booking lodging - will he walk up and pay in cash, or card? Or will he reserve in advance - in which case, are they charging more because he is using a booking service? Or did he book directly and they owner gives a discount to those booking directly?
Will he use a travel service in any way? - because they have lots of fees too.
These are all variables that make it very hard to compare my Compare total costs - and I am sure there are many other variables that I am not mentioning. One person can do the entire
Camino Frances SJPDP to Finisterre for less than $1000, while another may spend $5000 or more. All you can really do is compare average costs - the variables are too great.
Again - I spend an average of 40 Euros/day times the number of days I am in Spain. So - when I am in Spain for 35 days I spend less than $1500 (not including airfare and travel to/from start/finish). When I stay in Span for 45 days I spend around $1800 before adding in pricier "tourist activities" after my Camino is complete. I stay in a combination of public and private albergues. But I also stayed in private rooms a couple times/week. I often stop at a bakery for breakfast, a bar for lunch, and have a pilgrim's menu for dinner - except sometimes I order from the raciones menu and sometimes I go somewhere nicer. My first Camino I bought shoe inserts twice plus a fleece pullover, leggings, a t-shirt, and 2 ankle supports. My second Camino I bought 2 pairs of extra socks and a brush and can't think of what else I bought extra. I didn't need to see a doctor at all - but I did loose a filling in Spain and needed to see my dentist upon return. A result of biting into French break with a very hard crust. I carry snacks all the time. I bought aquarius but never drank alcohol unless it was served with my meal or offered to me by a friend who was sharing a bottle of wine. That is just some of MY variables - but again - I am sure I am leaving out many - like how many museum and cathedral fees/donations I paid. And quite frankly - I am not going to spend my time recording every penny I spent and what I spent it on - because that would turn my restful pilgrimage into work. So - my average daily spending budget will have to suffice.