Quick Answer

Budget travelers can keep daily costs low by combining budget hostels or economy hotels, second-class rail, metro and street food. Daily totals vary by city, so our planning team prices a route to your actual budget before you commit.

• Accommodation: hostels and economy hotel chains are the biggest lever on daily cost.
• Transport: metro, buses and second-class trains keep city and intercity costs down.
• Food: street stalls and local restaurants are both cheaper and better than tourist zones.
• Cities differ: first-tier hubs cost more than smaller destinations for the same style.