Date of Travel:  March, April, May, June 2015

Date of Writing:  November 27th 2015

(All Values in Canadian Dollars unless otherwise Stated)

Chile is an incredible country, but it has the reputation for being among South America’s most expensive.  This causes a lot of backpackers to skip it, which is a shame because it’s utterly beautiful and full of all sorts of different charms.  From the otherworldly northern deserts around San Pedro de Atacama, to the rugged mountain peaks of Patagonia,  the cosmopolitan charms of Santiago, to the waterfalls and volcanoes of Pucon and Puerto Varas, The traditional Island of Chiloe, to the strange massive statues on Easter Island, Chile has lots to offer every traveler, even one with the most discriminating tastes.

I spent 116 days in Chile, and to me the idea of backpackers skipping it all due to the price tag is very sad, especially when It’s really not that hard to get by on just a few dollars more a day than the backpacking hotspots of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.  Here’s a look at how much money I spent while I was in Chile, and please keep in mind that during the month of March my father had joined us for a 3 week journey so we were moving more quickly, and on average spending a little more money, though Patagonia time also plays into that.  At any rate, here’s the charts.

Totals: 

Chile is more expensive than it’s northern counterparts, there’s no two ways around that, but how much more expensive is very much controllable.  Down in the far southern reaches of Patagonia you will spend more, but you’ll get more for it to and Patagonia is unmissable.  In 116 days in Chile including an 8 day trip to easter island (flights not included in total)  I spent 6044.80 CAD which works out to a daily average of 52.11 CAD or 38.97 USD.  Expensive yes, but only about 10 CAD more per day than I spent in Bolivia or Peru, and certainly not a prohibitive daily budget.  Plus if you self cater more and couch surf a bit you could easily cut down on this budget.

Lodging: 

In Chile hostels are a little more expensive than most of South America, but they are also usually quite clean spacious and modern.  I stayed in Hostels my entire stay in Chile, though for the three weeks my father visited In march I paid a little extra for the luxury of private rooms in the hostels, otherwise it was all dormitories.  In 116 days in Chile I spent 1727.25 CAD on Lodging working out to a daily average of 14.89 CAD.  Couch surfing and meeting friends to stay with are both very possible in Chile, so if you’re looking to cut costs it can be a great way to do it.

Food And Drink:

Food in Chile can be very very good, and there are lots of international options on offer, of course such meals come at a premium.  I cooked more for myself in Chile than any other South American country (still not very much)  and ate a lot of tasty cheese and tomato sandwiches for lunch, especially in Patagonia.  That said I still spent more than I probably needed to on food during my 116 days.  The total came to 2316.81 on food which gives a daily average of 19.97 CAD per day.  I’d say cutting that to 15 CAD per day would not be a problem in most of Chile, especially if you’re willing to cook for yourself a decent chunk of the time.

Transportation:

Buses in Chile are tough , they have a system more like north america where booking ahead saves you money, problem is you can’t book online unless your chilean, and I also never know when I want to travel far enough ahead of time.  That said the buses are incredibly comfortable, especially if you pay for Cama service.  Taxi’s are also a little pricey but I travelled with a  lot of people in Chile helping to divide that cost amongst us. I should mention these totals do not include my two sets of flights, roundtrip Santiago to Easter Island (374.00 CAD)  and Roundtrip Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas (237.44 CAD).  That said for some reason I counted a lot of daily tours into this category in the North of Chile so this did up the totals. In 116 days I spent 1005.21 CAD on transport in Chile during my two stays, meaning I spent an average of 8.67 daily.  I did a little hitchhiking, but not much at all and I moved around with some regularity, crisscrossing the country too many times (especially the northern part)  I think 6-7 CAD per day would be enough for most traveller’s and cheaper is definitely possible as hitchhiking is very easy and very safe in Chile (especially on Easter Island where it is a vital way to keep travel costs down)

Activities and Entertainment:

I spent 407.12 CAD on  activities and Entertainment which includes most daily tours (some in the north got included in transportation) all entry fees to sites and anything like going to a movie, a club cover, or a show.  This works out to 3.51 daily and is probably slightly lower than an average traveller would use in Chile.

Miscellaneous:

When I was in ChileI’d spent about a year on the road, and as it worked out a lot of my stuff started to break down.  I bought clothes, electronics and lots of other stuff like a beard trimmer which I still haven’t used successfully, it’s shave or grow wild for me.  But that contributed to these costs being higher along with the fact that things are more expensive in Chile than in the North.  In 116 days I spent 588.41 on these random items which works out to 5.07 daily, probably higher than someone on a shorter trip, or someone near the beginning of their long trip to Chile would need.

588.41  5.07 daily

Flights to Chile:

Chances are if you’re flying into Chile it will be into Santiago.  One thing worth noting for those in Asia or Australia, is that flights to Tahaiti, then onto Easter Island, then on to Santiago won’t be the cheapest option but will get you to two remote and amazing places on your way to South America and is worth examining. My father paid 1100 CAD or so for Round Trip flights from Toronto to Santiago and similar searches now  are around the same price for direct flights, though if you’re willing to make a few stops you can get from Toronto to Santiago for about 700 CAD with Tam (It takes just over 20 hours each way with the stops) .  Also worth noting is that for a long time Canadians had to pay a reciprocity fee when entering Chile by air, this is no longer true as of the beginning of 2015 for Canadian citizens.

Conclusions:

Once again, I spent 6044.80 CAD which works out to a daily average of 52.11 CAD or 38.97 USD in 116 days all over Chile and easter Island.  If you want to lower that budget use hitchhiking, couch surfing, or buy a ten as camping is often possible and cheaper in Chile.  It is more expensive than the northern South American countries, but it’s not as bad as people say and with a few sacrifices travel on a budget is quite easy.  I did everything I could have wanted in Chile and still spent less than 40 USD per day.

Recommended Daily Budget for Shoestring Backpacking: 25-30 USD Per Day

Recommended Daily Budget for Comfortable Backpacking: 35- 40 USD Per Day

***If you would like to download a blank copy of the budgeting template I use visit the link here.  All credit for this fantastic document goes to the people at www.alittleadrift.com another very useful travel website.