🧳 Trip Budget Calculator

Add your trip spending categories to see your total budget and average daily spending. Runs entirely in your browser.

Trip Length (days)

A sum and a division, with one trap in it

Every category row is added up, and the daily figure divides that total by the trip length. Blank amounts count as zero and unnamed rows show as Untitled:

total   = sum of all category amounts
per day = total / trip length
1,300 over 7 days = $185.71 a day

The trap is that one-off costs get spread too. Add a $700 flight and the daily average leaps from $185.71 to $285.71, which is not what you will spend on the ground. Keep travel in its own row and read the total, not the average, when flights are in the list.

The 3-7% nobody budgets for

The mid-market rate is not a rate you can buy. Google and XE show the midpoint between bank buy and sell prices. Retail sits around it: a card network within about 1%, a high street bureau 4-6%, an airport desk 7-12%.
Decline dynamic currency conversion. When a terminal or ATM offers to bill you in dollars rather than the local currency, the merchant's processor sets the rate and takes 3-7%. Pick the local currency.
Add a row for card fees. A 3% foreign transaction fee on this $1,300 trip is $39. Many travel cards charge nothing, which is worth more than most sign-up bonuses.

Nothing is saved - the four starter rows are rebuilt on every load, so copy your figures out before closing the tab. There is no currency conversion either: enter everything in one currency.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I budget per day for a trip?

The starter rows come to $185 a day excluding flights, which is a fair mid-range figure for Western Europe or North America. Southeast Asia runs well under half that; Scandinavia and Japan run above it.

Is it cheaper to exchange money before travelling?

Usually not. A bank ATM on arrival, or simply paying by card, beats a home-country bureau on the spread. The one place to avoid either way is the exchange desk inside the airport terminal.

Should I pay in my own currency abroad?

No. That prompt is dynamic currency conversion and it hands the rate to the merchant's processor. Paying in local currency costs your card network's rate plus your bank's fee, which is much less.