How much should you expect to spend hiking the Camino de Santiago? (If you want to know what the Camino de Santiago is, check out this post!)
My 11 day trek from Astorga to Santiago in September 2017 cost around 25€ ($30 USD) per day, including accommodation. This doesn’t factor in transportation costs getting there and leaving. I also booked a private hotel room for about 60€ each for my first and last nights, which also wasn’t factored into this daily amount.
Transportation ~ 165€
Transportation to and from came out to about 165€ as I was already in Barcelona. I took the train to Astorga, and flew back from La Coruña in the north of Spain via a bus that cost approximately 15€. If I hadn’t waited until the last minute to book my return flight it would have been even cheaper.
Accommodation and Food (daily expenses) ~ 275€ (for 11 days)
For the 11 days I was hiking, I paid between 6-12€ a night depending on whether or not I stayed in a municipal (government run albergue, which I did once, for 6€) or private albergues (between 9-12€). They also have donativos which are technically free but you’ll want to donate a little something (I think 10€ is fair, depending on amenities). Most all of the towns have the “menu del peregrino” or Pilgrim Menu which is a daily menu offering of generous portions of 2 courses, a drink and dessert for around 9-10€. If you order wine (which I obviously did) they will usually be VERY generous with the amount they give you. I also usually stopped for a coffee and a mid-day snack (usually a bocadillo (sandwich) or tortilla española (spanish omelette)) halfway through the morning.
Supplies ~ 200€
I spent about 200€ ($250USD) on supplies, the most expensive being new shoes at 69.99€. I already had several things on hand, like certain clothes and toiletries. I had to purchase the backpack, sleeping bag, new shoes and a few other things. Since I was already in Spain, I did most of my shopping at Decathlon which is an awesome and reasonably priced sporting goods store in Europe, as well as Amazon.
Total for 11 days ~ 760€
So all together, this 11-day trip cost me about 760€ or $916USD including hotel rooms, transportation, supplies and day to day expenses.
For Camino de Santiago packing list essentials, check out my post on what to pack!
Thank you for this information. The Camino is one of my bucket list items that I hope to do starting in France but I have not seen anything about costs so this was really helpful. Up to this point I have read someone’s book about their journey without doing enough research on what it really entails. Great post!
You’re welcome, I’m glad you found it useful! Buen Camino!
Wow, brings back great memories! I did the Camino Frances in 2015. I stayed at alburgues, donativos, and even slept outside twice.
Your prices are very similar to what I paid back then.
Do you think you’ll want to do the full hike someday?
Thanks for the read!
Yes, I definitely want to at least do the portion I didn’t do one day. But most likely all the way to Santiago to finally see the cathedral without all the construction! Glad you enjoyed it!
I agree, that was very disappointing!! haha!