How expensive is travelling through Belize? How much money to budget for Belize? The answer to these questions depends on the type of traveller you are, the activities you do and how long you will be travelling for. However, in this blog, I will tell you what we spend during our trip through Belize. Also, we will share with you what a realistic daily budget for Belize is and what the price levels in Belize are.
How much money to budget for a trip to Belize?
A realistic daily budget for Belize is 80 euros per person. If you are travelling through Belize for one week, then take into account a budget of approximately €560 per person. This does not include flights and is a budget based on average expenses. It can always be cheaper or more expensive.
Disclaimer: we are not extreme budget backpackers. By this, I mean that we almost never sleep in a dormitory, do not cut down on activities and food. On the other hand, we certainly don’t travel luxuriously: we sleep in hostels, almost never take a taxi and try not to eat out too expensive. Everyone has different priorities and budgets while travelling. That is totally fine! Just keep this in mind while you read this blog. It’s always possible to travel cheaper or more expensive than we do.
Is Belize a budget destination?
Belize is certainly not cheap for a country in Central America. The price level is about the same as that of the United States and especially on the islands things like food and drink are quite expensive. During our time in Belize, we did a number of relatively expensive activities (diving, sailing) and this did not make our trip very cheap. But these activities are worth it and we had a wonderful time at this place!
We combined this trip with a trip to Guatemala. We started in Guatemala and from there we travelled overland Belize. Our plane tickets were therefore slightly more expensive than a normal return ticket Belize. If you are flexible and not bound to a specific period then you already have airline tickets to Belize starting at €350. Click here for the most recent flight deals for Belize.
Belize budget and spendings:
Total spend in Belize: BZD4089,29 / €1838,91 / $2029,80
Average spend per day in Belize: BZD454,36 / €204,32 / $225,53
Average daily expenses per person: BZD227,20 / €102,17 / $112,77
Our budget per day: BZD455,86 / €205 / $226,27
All expenses are for 2 people and calculated on the basis of exchange rates during the trip. This amount is excluding our flights. The currency displayed are: Belize Dollar (BZD), Euro (€) and USA Dollar ($).
How expensive is accommodation in Belize?
Total spend: BZD556 / €244 / $278
Number of nights: 8
Average amount per room for 2 pers: BZD93/ €40,70 / $46,5
We slept almost every night in a hostel but always had a private room. Our last night in Belize was a lot more expensive, here we slept in the Bamboleo Inn hotel, near the fly. This was the most expensive hotel (€ 81). We wanted to sit near the airport and sleep our last night in a more luxurious hotel. In Belize city did not seem to be good hotels and there it was not safe enough. In the end, we were happy with our choice!
Free travel guide: all you need to know about Caye Caulker!
How expensive is transportation in Belize?
Total spend: BZD573 / €251,35 / $286,5
Taxi : BZD60 / €26,22 / $30
Flights: BZD219 / €95,70 / $109,5
We noticed that the ferry between the islands and the mainland was relatively expensive. We paid over € 15 per person for the ferry from San Pedro to Caye Caulker (30 minutes). Taxis are as expensive as in America. Fortunately, Belize is very small and you do not have to travel much to see lots of the country.
We made one flight: from Palencia to Belize City. It cost € 48 per person, a fairly good price. Public transport, however, is a lot cheaper. With the bus, it would have cost € 15 per person.
Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker? Here I describe the differences!
How much money do you need to budget for food in Belize?
Total spend: BZD744 / € 326,53/ $372
From which eating and drinking out: BZD510 / €223,93 / $255
Of which groceries: BZD212 / €96,48 / $106
Other: BZD14 / €6,12 / $7
In Belize, we finally made breakfast ourselves again, some yoghurt with fruit, delicious! Furthermore, we ate a number of times in restaurants but always went for some simple food.
Read this blog with the ultimate one-week Belize itinerary!
Are activities expensive in Belize?
Total spend: BZD2318 / €1017,13 / $1159
Diving(inc tax): BZD668 / €293,18 / $334
Other: BZD50 / €21,85 / $25
Three day sail trip: BZD 1600 / € 702,10 / $800
Diving is certainly not cheap and with three dives per person, this was a considerable expense. But it was definitely worth the money in Belize where the reef is really beautiful. If you are not a diver, this will save you already €150 per person.
What also increased our expenses enormously was the three-day sailing trip with Raggamuffin. This activity was the highlight of our Belize trip and was certainly worth the splurge! If you do skip this, your travel costs for Belize will be much lower.
Curious to read more about this trip: read the travel guide “sailing in Belize“!
General travel expenses and food costs in Belize!
Below you will find a selection of foods general travel expenses with corresponding prices.
- Cappuccino: BZD5 / € 2,20/ $2,50
Normally we love our coffee in the morning but in Belize, it was simply too hot outside. - Kilo of banana’s: BZD3 / €1,30 / $1,5
- Kilo of apples: BZD7 / €3,10 / $3,5
- Avocado: BZD1,50 / €0,65 / $0,75
A couple of times we ate bread with avocado. Really so good! - Bottle of Coca Cola (0,3L): BZD1,50 / €0,65 / $0,75
- Yoghurt (500ml): BZD6 / €2,60 / $3
- Bread (2pers): BZD5 / €2,20 / $2,5
On Caye Caulker we discovered a French bakery, his baguettes were really great! - Bottle of water (3,3L):BZD3 / €1,30 / $1,5
- Glas of wine in a wine bar: BZD12 / €5,30 / $6
Wine is relatively expensive in Belize. A Gin Tonic or Cuba Libre is cheaper! - Gin and Tonic in a bar: GTQ 20 / € 2,31 / $2,60
- Local beer in a bar: BZD7 / €3,10 / $3,5
- Simple breakfast (1 pers) eating out: BZD22,80 / €10 / $11,40
- Simple lunch / evening meal (1 pers) eating out: BZD34,20 / €15 / $17,10
One of the advantages of Belize: it is at sea and therefore there is lots of seafood. For example, we ate for BZD20 (less than 10 euros) fresh lobster! Delicious!
Is Belize an expensive destination?
Belize is relatively expensive compared to other countries in Central America. Little is produced and the country depends on import. Looking back, the prices were still doable for us. Belize is a bit known as the Benidorm of the United States and therefore there are many expensive hotels. However, we had no trouble finding cheaper hostels and because we went to dinner at cheap places, it was not too bad.
Is diving expensive in Belize?
Diving makes this place an expensive destination for us. When we wouldn’t have gone diving, we would have spent almost 300 euros less. The money, however, was definitely worth it! The underwater world in Belize is amazing!
Is tipping required in Belize?
In Belize, it is normal to give a tip. Furthermore, people are relaxed about money. Negotiation is not really the norm, but it is possible on the markets. We never had the feeling that people were trying to sell us out.
Overall I found Belize beautiful. There is a relaxed atmosphere, the people are very nice and I especially loved the islands and the underwater world! I’m curious, do you have good budget tips for a trip through Belize?
What is a realistic daily budget for Belize?
A realistic daily budget for Belize is between 75 and 85 euros per person per day. For this you travel by public transport, you eat at local restaurants but you do all kinds of fun activities such as a multi-day sailing trip with Raggamuffin. For this budget, you sleep in private rooms in hostels or nice guesthouses. Please note, with this budget we have assumed that you are not diving. If you do this, you will lose more money in Belize.
Click here for all my blogs on Belize
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