BIG TRIP BUDGET | FREE | IN AUD
🌋 Central America🏔️ South America🛵 South-East Asia🥐 Western Europe🏰 Balkans + Eastern Europe

Central America: how long, and how much?

Mexico to Panama. Volcanoes, reefs, ruins and the cheapest dive tickets on earth.

PRICE MY TRIP
THE SHORT ANSWER
HOW LONG DO I NEED
6 to 8 weeks does Mexico to Panama without rushing.
  • 4 weeks covers the top half well: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador.
  • Under 3 weeks? Pick 2 or 3 countries that sit next to each other.
  • Want Spanish school, a dive course or surf time? Plan on 3 months.
WHAT A DAY COSTS, PER PERSON, ALL IN
Tight
A$50-110 /day
Not worried
A$90-190 /day
The budget where you stop checking your balance
Treat yourself
A$170-340 /day
Bed, food, buses between towns and everyday activities. The range is the cheapest country to the priciest. Flights and the big one-offs are costed below.
Dry season runs November to April. May to October is wet, greener, cheaper and emptier.
COUNTRY BY COUNTRY, CHEAPEST FIRST

Costa Rica costs about 2.2x Nicaragua for the same day.

Where you spend your days matters more than how long you go. Per person, per day, all in.

TIGHT NOT WORRIED
🇳🇮NicaraguaGIVE IT 7-12 DAYS
A$50 / A$90 a day
The cheapest country in Central America. Where tight budgets catch their breath.
🇬🇹GuatemalaGIVE IT 10-14 DAYS
A$55 / A$100 a day
Antigua is the pricey bit. Lake Atitlán and Xela are where the money stretches.
🇸🇻El SalvadorGIVE IT 4-7 DAYS
A$60 / A$105 a day
Runs on US dollars, so no exchange maths. Cheap surf towns and A$2 pupusas.
🇭🇳HondurasGIVE IT 5-7 DAYS, MORE IF DIVING
A$60 / A$105 a day
The Bay Islands cost more than the mainland, but it's the cheapest dive licence around.
🇲🇽MexicoGIVE IT 2-4 WEEKS, IT'S HUGE
A$70 / A$125 a day
Tulum and Cancún cost double Oaxaca or Chiapas. Budget by where you are, not the country.
READ THE GUIDE
🇵🇦PanamaGIVE IT 5-8 DAYS
A$85 / A$150 a day
US dollars again. Bocas del Toro is cheap, Panama City and San Blas are not.
🇧🇿BelizeGIVE IT 3-5 DAYS
A$100 / A$170 a day
Second priciest in the region. Caye Caulker is worth it, just don't linger on a tight budget.
🇨🇷Costa RicaGIVE IT 5-10 DAYS
A$110 / A$190 a day
Roughly double Nicaragua for the same day. Park entries and tours are where it bites.
NOW PRICE YOUR TRIP

Pick a length, tweak the days, see the number.

01 | HOW LONG HAVE YOU GOT
02 | HOW DO YOU WANT TO TRAVEL
03 | DAYS IN EACH COUNTRY
Mexico to Panama, in route order. Set a country to 0 to skip it.
🇲🇽
Mexico
A$125/day | give it 2-4 weeks, it's huge
10
🇧🇿
Belize
A$170/day | give it 3-5 days
4
🇬🇹
Guatemala
A$100/day | give it 10-14 days
12
🇸🇻
El Salvador
A$105/day | give it 4-7 days
5
🇭🇳
Honduras
A$105/day | give it 5-7 days, more if diving
5
🇳🇮
Nicaragua
A$90/day | give it 7-12 days
9
🇨🇷
Costa Rica
A$190/day | give it 5-10 days
5
🇵🇦
Panama
A$150/day | give it 5-8 days
6
04 | THE BIG ONE-OFFS

The things that blow a daily budget. Tick what you're planning to do.

05 | FLIGHTS AND EXTRAS
Flights from Australia
A$Usually A$1,900-2,900 return. Fly into Cancún or Mexico City, out of Panama City. Open jaw beats a return.
Travel insurance
About A$8/day on a long-trip policy
Don't-stress buffer
+15% for the sick day, the extra night out, the dive you didn't plan
YOUR NUMBER
🌋 CENTRAL AMERICA | 8 WEEKS | NOT WORRIED | PER PERSON
A$11,371
all in, flights included
A$162 a day on the ground
8 countries
WHERE THE MONEY GOES
🇲🇽 Mexico
10 days x A$125
A$1,250
🇧🇿 Belize
4 days x A$170
A$680
🇬🇹 Guatemala
12 days x A$100
A$1,200
🇸🇻 El Salvador
5 days x A$105
A$525
🇭🇳 Honduras
5 days x A$105
A$525
🇳🇮 Nicaragua
9 days x A$90
A$810
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
5 days x A$190
A$950
🇵🇦 Panama
6 days x A$150
A$900
Flights
Return from Australia
A$2,300
Big one-offs
Cenotes + Chichén Itzá, Tikal sunrise tour, Acatenango overnight hike, Volcano boarding in León
A$490
Insurance
56 days x A$8
A$448
Borders + entry fees
E-visas and land crossing fees, roughly
A$110
Don't-stress buffer
15% of everything but flights
A$1,183
WHAT TO PUT AWAY
Leaving in
A$437 a week for 26 weeks
Send this to your travel mate
A WhatsApp-ready breakdown, with a link back to this exact trip.
THE ROUTE, TOWN BY TOWN
Aussies In Central America
Where to stay, which buses to take and the Google Maps pins for every stop.
MONEY TIPS FOR CENTRAL AMERICA
  • Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua share one 90 day visa zone (the CA-4). Days in one count in all four.
  • Tourist shuttles cost 3-5x a chicken bus. Mixing both is the easiest way to drop your daily spend.
  • Carry some US dollars. El Salvador and Panama use them, and they get you out of a jam at every border.
Want one city in detail? The city-by-city estimator does seasons, travellers and a PDF.
AUD per person, based on what Aussies and Kiwis spend on the ground in 2026. Daily numbers cover your bed, food, buses between towns and everyday activities. Flights swing a lot with dates and how early you book. Entry fees and visa rules change, so check the Visa Checker before you go.