Costs & Travel Tips (2019) • Indie Traveller

Updated for 2019 by Robert Bell, traveler and business analyst based in Bolivia. All prices updated + the latest on the economic situation in Argentina.

South America is an amazing continent to travel on a budget, though you would be wrong to assume that every country in South America is cheap!

The past year has seen weakening currency in some countries (particularly Argentina), though prices have also risen at the same time.

The least expensive countries have traditionally been Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia, with each attracting large numbers of budget travellers, followed by Colombia which is more or less mid-priced. Countries like Brazil and Chile are relatively more expensive, sometimes approaching Western prices.

If you’re travelling across South America, a good rule of thumb is that you’ll need about $1000 a month, though this depends greatly on which countries you’ll spend most of your time.

This backpacking in South America cost overview is based on notes from my own…