Three Weeks In Bolivia: How Much Does It Cost?
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Three Weeks In Bolivia: How Much Does It Cost?
As our journey through South America continues, we spent three weeks of December 2018 in Bolivia. With the reputation of being South American’s cheapest country, we were looking forward to giving our wallets a breather heading into 2019.
Let’s take a look at the costs associated with three weeks in Bolivia.
Total monthly expenses for December 2018.
Notable Expenses
Transport
Transport accounted for 28.54% of all Bolivian expenses with the flight to and from the jungle being the largest. The decision was between spending $218.17/person on a 30 minute flight or taking an 18 hour bus ride down the Yungas Highway. The highway connects La Paz to Rurrenabaque and is nicknamed “Death Road” and accounts for 300+ deaths per year! Typically we elect for the cheaper bus option but in this case, we considered the more costly option to be the wiser move.
Bolivian Visa
Although Bolivia is generally a much cheaper country than its neighbors, the cost of a 10 year visa is much more expensive. Americans pay $160 USD per person, which set us back $320 USD right off the bat. This is a significant expense on a backpacker’s budget and one that nearly kept us from visiting Bolivia altogether.
The visa fee itself ($160 USD/person or $320 in total) accounted for 8.5% of our monthly spending and this was before even setting food on Bolivian soil!
Bolivian Jungle Tour
There was so much to do in Ecuador and Peru so we waited to visit the jungle in Bolivia. We elected for a 3 day/2 night tour with Mashaquipe Eco Tours, which was an absolutely unforgettable experience! As mentioned above, the flight to and from and the tour itself was our largest expense in Bolivia.
The tour itself ($241.50/person or $483 in total + $14.47 tip) combined with flights ($218.17/person or $436.34 in total) accounted for $933.81 or 24.8% of our monthly expenses!
Did We Meet Our Budget Goal For The Month?
Three weeks in Bolivia accounted for 69.7% of our December 2018 expenses.
If we had spent a full month in Bolivia, assuming we spent the same amount each day ($124.90), we would have spent $3,747.11 for the month. This is very close to the amount we spent in total ($3,761.75) by spending three weeks in Bolivia and one week in Peru.
We have a budget goal of $2,000/person/month or $4000 total/month. Accounting for health insurance, which comes to $195.55 for two people, we spent a total of $3,957.30 for the month of December.
$4,000 (allowed monthly budget for two people) – $3,957.30 (total monthly expenses for two people including health insurance) = $42.70 under budget
Are We Under or Over Budget For Our Trip???
A budget breakdown of our four months in South America thus far looks something like this.
September 2018 (Colombia): UNDER budget by $1,493.80
October 2018 (Ecuador): OVER budget by $133.36
November 2018 (Peru): UNDER budget by $532.68
December 2018 (Bolivia x 3 weeks, Peru x 1 week): UNDER budget by $42.70
Trip Total: UNDER budget by $1935.82
(Here you can find more information on Colombia, Ecuador and Peru expenses).
In Summary
Despite spending only three of four weeks of December in Bolivia, our monthly spending was very similar to what it would have been had we spent all four weeks in Bolivia. Despite rumors that Bolivia is the cheapest country in South America, Bolivia turned out to be the second most expensive for us thus far. The $160 USD visa fee combined with transportation to and from our jungle tour, we managed to be just under budget.
Our next stop is Chile, which is rumored to be one of the most expensive countries on the continent. Our budget surplus may be in jeopardy heading into 2019! I will continue to keep you posted on expenses moving forward.
