Budget Synopsis: Nicaragua

Days in country: 5

Food: $79.34

Lodging: $72 (no Couchsurfing)

Transport: $27.58 (buses, taxi)

Other: $108.11 (entrance fees, border fees, volcano boarding, souvenirs)           

TOTAL: $287.03= $57.41/day for 2 people

Of course one of the cheapest countries in Central America would also be our highest daily average so far! This is what happens when border fees combine with no free lodging, a tour splurge and not staying in a country long enough to even everything out. I also threw our budget to the wind for Nicaragua, since I knew there was no way we would make it out cheaply. Our guidebook listed a daily basic budget as $20/person and a splurge budget as $50/person—we’re somewhere in between.