💰 Trip to Belize Cost: My Budget Breakdown (2024)

💰 Trip Cost	Affordable
💵 Typical Budget	$50-$160/day
🍀 My Budget	$186/day
✈️ Trip Total	$1,302
🗓️ Trip Length	1 week

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Is Belize Affordable To Travel To?

Although Belize is an affordable destination worldwide, it is the second-most expensive country to visit in Central America after Costa Rica.

• Transportation costs between the mainland and the islands add up.
• Budget accommodations are limited.
• Many popular natural attractions require guided tours.
• The country heavily relies on imported goods.

For comparison, here’s my daily budget for destinations in Central and South America:

Country	My Budget
🇨🇷 Costa Rica	$235
🇧🇿 Belize	$186
🇵🇪 Peru	$144
🇳🇮 Nicaragua	$59

See all my daily budgets.

About My Trip

To give context to the expenses below, here’s what you need to know about my trip:

• I spent a week in Belize, visiting Ambergris Caye and San Ignacio.
• My trip was in July, during the low season, when things are cheaper.
• I traveled with one other person, which allowed us to split costs like housing.
• I’m a mid-range budget traveler. I don’t aim to travel on a budget, but I’m intentional about my spending.
• I finance my trips and don’t receive sponsorship.
• All expenses are per person and in US dollars, converted from Belize dollars.

Belize has pegged its currency to the USD at a constant 2:1 exchange rate since 1978, so you don’t have to worry about getting a bad exchange rate when paying with USD.

Planning a trip? Here’s what to know about Belize.

Total Cost

• $1,776
• $1,302
• $186

A mid-range budget traveler can expect to spend about $160 per day in Belize. This budget generally means:

• Staying at accommodations that cost about $55 per night
• Eating at some $$ restaurants and several $ local restaurants
• Paying for several popular tours (e.g., ATM cave)

Budget Breakdown

Here’s a breakdown of my expenses by travel category:

Category	Cost	% of Total	Daily Budget
✈️ Flights	$475	27%	–
🏠 Accommodation	$362	20%	$52
🥘 Food	$216	12%	$31
🚙 Transportation	$409	23%	$58
🤿 Entertainment	$314	18%	$45
Total	$1,776	100%	$186

Flight Cost

• $475 (from the east coast of the US to Belize’s international airport)

A round-trip flight between the US and Belize costing under $300 is considered cheap, as international flights typically cost over $500.

Accommodation Cost

• $362
• $52

The accommodations I stayed at:

	Total	Cost/Night
Ambergris Caye hotel	$225	$56
San Ignacio hotel	$137	$46

My accommodation budgeting tips:

• Stay in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye – The downtown area is generally more affordable than staying north and south of it, where many of the resorts are located. You can also minimize your golf cart rental costs by staying there, as you won’t need to drive as much. This can save you over $100 in rental costs.
• Consider staying near San Ignacio’s downtown area – Most resorts in San Ignacio are a 20- to 30-minute walk from downtown, so you’ll likely have to pay for taxis to get around if you don’t stay nearby.

The walk from the resorts to downtown is doable but not always pleasant for women because Belize has a cat-calling problem. I traveled with another woman and experienced it almost every other walk.

Food Cost

• $216
• $31

My most affordable meals:

Meal	Location	Cost
Chicken and rice dish	San Ignacio local concert stall	$4
Beef and rice dish	Closed restaurant (San Ignacio)	$4
Pupusas and chicken	San Ignacio Market	$4

My most expensive meals:

Meal	Location	Cost
Octopus and seafood dishes	Elvi’s Kitchen (San Pedro)	$60
Fish dishes	Hungry Grouper (San Pedro)	$25
Traditional chicken and rice dishes	El Fogon (San Ignacio)	$24

My food budgeting tips:

• You can find meals for less than $5 – The cheapest meals are in the local markets and restaurants (e.g., Central Park in San Pedro and San Ignacio Market).
• The most expensive meals are in San Pedro – San Pedro in Ambergris Caye has many restaurants catering to tourists, so there’s an upcharge at those places.

Transportation Cost

• $409
• $58

The transportation I used:

Transportation	Total Cost
Local flight (Ambergris Caye → San Ignacio)	$206
Local flight (Belize airport → Ambergris Caye)	$94
Shared shuttle (San Ignacio → Belize airport)	$56
Golf cart rental (Ambergris Caye)	$34
Taxi rides (San Ignacio)	$19

My transportation budgeting tips:

• Getting to Belize’s islands is $30 to $100 one-way – A one-way flight to Belize’s islands (e.g., Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker) costs at least $100, while a water taxi costs only $30. The flight takes 10-20 minutes, whereas the water taxi takes 90 minutes.
• Golf rental prices are negotiable on Belize’s islands – The primary way to get around the islands is by golf cart. Some don’t include gas prices, so ask about it in advance. During the low season, golf cart rental prices are negotiable.
• Traveling between San Ignacio and an island is $100 to $200 one-way – San Ignacio has a small airport. Taking a flight is significantly shorter (3 hours vs. 45 minutes) but much more costly than taking a taxi and water taxi (around $200 vs. less than $150).

• In San Ignacio, taxis have a flat rate per person – Taxis have a flat rate of $2.50 per person in the downtown area with no room to negotiate.

The quality of the San Ignacio taxis varies (e.g., I rode one without seat belts), so if you find a driver and car that you like, you can ask for their number and arrange rides through WhatsApp in the future.

Entertainment Cost 

• $314
• $45

The activities/attractions I did:

Experience	Location	Cost
🔦 ATM Cave	San Ignacio	$120
🤿 Hol Chan Marine Reserve Snorkeling	Ambergris Caye	$98
🦎 Green Iguana Tour	San Ignacio	$12
🐴 Xunantunich Horseback Ride	San Ignacio	$98
🧘 Drop-in Yoga	Ambergris Caye	$20
💧 Swimming Dock	Ambergris Caye	Free

My entertainment budgeting tips:

• Many popular guided tours cost roughly the same in Belize – Half-day tours cost between $40 and $60, and full-day tours cost $90 to $120. Prices are pretty consistent across tour operators.
• You can negotiate during the low season – If you book multiple tours with the same company, you can potentially negotiate a discounted rate in person. This is how I got a lower rate for Xunantunich.

See my ratings for Belize experiences.

Cost Breakdown by Destination

Below are my trip expense breakdowns for the places I visited during my trip.

Ambergris Caye

• 4 days
• $595
• $149

Ambergris Caye is Belize’s #1 island destination and one of the most expensive areas. One of my favorite activities was snorkeling in the Belize Barrier Reef. Since it’s a protected area, you’re required to book a licensed snorkeling tour.

San Ignacio

• 3 days
• $705
• $235

San Ignacio is Belize’s #1 mainland destination and one of the cheaper popular areas. My favorite tour of the trip was the adventurous ATM Cave.

Do You Need Cash?

• Belize has a great credit card infrastructure, but some areas still depend on cash transactions. This is especially true outside the touristy areas.

My tips on using cash:

• You don’t need to exchange USD for BZD; Belize accepts both. It’s one of the few countries in the world that has pegged its currency to USD at a constant exchange rate.
• Carry $20 to $30 worth of cash per day. I spent about $125 ($18 per day) in cash during my trip.
• Belize has a tipping culture, but it’s not mandatory. Tipping is appreciated, especially in businesses that serve tourists. The typical tip range is 5-15%.

Belize Trip Planner 2024

To make your travel preparation easier, download the trip planner below. It has destination-specific travel information, itinerary, map, and packing list.

My trip planners are built on Notion, which I use for all my travel planning. I genuinely love this tool and creating an account is free.