The Cost of Travel in Belize: My 2024 Budget Breakdown – Never Ending Footsteps (2024)

I have a confession to make, and I know it’s not going to make me popular.

I didn’t love Belize.

I’m in the minority here. Every person I know who’s been to Belize has returned singing its praises. Many of my friends countit among their favourite countries. As I’ve been writing posts about my travels in the country, so many of you have commented to tell me how much you love Belize. That it’s amazing. That you’d love to live there one day.

It’s not that I didn’t like it.

Belize is abeautiful country, filled with jungles and ruins, tons of wildlife, prettybeaches, andfriendly locals.

But it was expensive.

Expensive in a way that felt like I was receiving poor value for my money.

Belize is a small country that imports the vast majority of its goods, which obviously results in higher prices. This is then coupled with basic infrastructure, which makes it hard to get excited about what you’re spending your money on. Now, I’m fine with places being more expensive than I’m used to, but in Belize, it felt as though I was spending so much money on things I could get for far cheaper in neighbouring Mexico and Guatemala. In some places, I was spending what I’d expect to in the U.S.!

Mexico was cheaper than Belize and had better infrastructure and food, in my opinion. Guatemala had a similar level of development, but was muchmore affordable.

WheneverI hit the road, I’m thinking about finances. Mostly because I’m dedicated to recording every penny I spend. But as I explore a new place, I’m always weighing up whether it’s offering up good value for money. Sometimes I’ll be averaging$200 a day and feeling like it’s more than worth it;other times I’ll be spending a quarter of that and thinking, nope, no way.

Belize was a struggle for me because of that.

As an aside, I love looking back and noticinghow my priorities and style of travel have transformed over the years.

For a long time now, I’ve had this idea in my head that Belize was over-the-top-expensive, but when I sat down to put this post together, I realised the prices no longer sounded so dramatic. These days, while I’d stillnotice I was receiving less for my money than in neighbouring countries, I don’t think it would be as much of an issue.

But still, if you’re a budget traveller, Belize will be more expensive than its neighbouring countries, and you won’t receive as much for your dollars.

Let’s get on with my budget breakdown for Belize! All prices listed are in U.S. dollars, because most of my readers are based there. The Belize dollar is pegged at 2:1 to the US dollar, though, so if you want the price in local currency, just double it!

The Cost of Accommodation in Belize

When it comes to the cost of things in Belize, accommodation is easily going to be your greatest expense. While properties in this country are far pricier than they are in neighbouring Mexico and Guatemala, they still offer great value for money, especially if you’re coming from the U.S. or Europe. You can land yourself with some wonderful accommodation here, without having to pay hundreds upon hundreds of dollars for it.

Here’s where I recommend staying in Belize:

Belize City: Villa Boscardi ($116 per night for a standard double room)

Belize City isn’t the greatest of cities, so odds are, you’ll be looking to minimise the amount of time you spend here. That’s why I recommend Villa Boscardi, as it’s mid-way between the airport and Belize City, in a very safe area, just steps away from the beach, and close to some great restaurants. The property has a beautiful jacuzzi/swimming pool and includes a delicious breakfast, as well as a friendly owner who can call you a taxi, arrange sight-seeing tours, or offer tons of local travel recommendations. This is the perfect option for an overnight stay, either on your first or last night in Belize.

Placencia: Bella Vita Casitas ($131 per night for a one-bedroom villa)

When it comes to accommodation in Placencia, there’s a hell of a lot of pricey places around (think $250+ a night), but Bella Vita Casitas is perfect if you’re on more of a mid-range budget. And this property is superb! It’s only a minute’s walk from the beach, and Kat (the lovely owner) supplies kayaks, beach chairs, and towels so you’re fully equipped for a day on the sand. The self-contained villas are fully equipped, with extras like an oven, microwave, and fridge, plus a supermarket just down the road that means you can self-cater as much as you want. There’s a BBQ as well, plus bicycles for exploring further up and down the peninsula. It’s just a great example of hospitality done right.

Caye Caulker: Colinda Cabanas ($209 a night for large cabana that sleeps three)

This is the best-rated accommodation on the island and for good reason: you’ll be staying in the loveliest bungalows ever while you’re here, with a beach view, gorgeous balcony (with hammocks!), and in quiet and peaceful surroundings, which are hard to find on Caye Caulker! Rooms have air conditioning, free drinking water, consistently-hot water showers, lightning-fast Wi-Fi, and even Netflix on the TVs! Staying at Colinda’s also gives you access to complementary bicycles and kayaks — the former is essential for getting around the island and the latter is fun for exploring from the water! With free snorkelling gear thrown in, too, you’ll have plenty to keep you busy on the island. The owners are incredible and even offer to go shopping for you, to stock your fridge with food and snacks before you arrive. Seriously: go check out the reviews on Booking — this place is absolutely phenomenal!

I won’t deny that Colinda is quite expensive, though: if you’re on a tight budget in Caye Caulker, look to DreamCabanas, which is $92 a night and almost as well-rated!

The Cost of Transportation in Belize

Public transportation was inexpensive in Belize, and I recommend taking the local buses over hiring a scooter or car, both for safety reasons and to save money. I saw somebody get killed on a scooter during my first day in the country.

Distances are short, as the country is so small, but bear in mind that that doesn’t necessarily mean your travel days won’t be long and sweaty. A particularly memorable (read: awful) travel day saw us taking a full nine hours to get from San Ignacio to Placencia, a distance of 120 miles. It was a public holiday on that day and it turned out most of the country was trying to travel on that route, too! Thankfully, days like that were a rarity.

Here’s a few examples of what I spent on transportation in the country:

Bus from Cancun to Belize City: $66
Bus from Belize City to San Ignacio: $10
Return bus trip from San Ignacio to Xunantunich: $3
Return ferry ticket from Belize City to Caye Caulker: $45

The Cost of Food in Belize

The price of food in Belize was fairly steepand more in line with what you’d pay in the U.S., rather than neighbouring Mexico or Guatemala. That said, it’s not impossible to save money here: it’s just that it means eating at street stalls rather than a sit-down meal in a restaurant. Fortunately, some of my most delicious meals were from stalls, including a delicious seafood BBQ in Caye Caulker that was almost certainly the best thing I ate in Belize.

In terms of price, expect to pay around $5-7 for a simple but filling meal of rice, beans and some kind of protein from a street stall, or a couple of dollars for a Mexican-style tamale. That seafood BBQ will set you back $15-20.

In a sit-down restaurant, prices go up, often substantially depending on how fancy it is and what you order. Expect to pay around $10 for standard breakfasts like sausage and eggs or a breakfast burrito. Be sure to try stuffed fryjacks if you see them on the menu: this local specialty of deep-fried dough stuffed with egg, cheese, and meat is delicious, if not necessarily very healthy! Prices are usually $8-10 for a plateful.

Later in the day, you’ll pay around $10 for jerk chicken, $15 for a burger, $20 for a shrimp curry, and $25 for a rack of ribs and sides. Be careful if a price isn’t listed on the menu (or there is no menu): it often means you’ll be charged whatever the market price is, which may be more than you expect!

I spent$481 on foodfor my 13 days in the country, which worked out at $37 a day.

The Cost of Activities in Belize

I was all about the ruins in Belize! One of the cheapest activities in the country is clambering all over the ruins, so we made sure to do exactly that while we were based in San Ignacio. In Placencia and Caye Caulker, I opted to spend my time sunbathing and exploring on foot to save money. Here’s how much I spent on activities and entrance fees while I was in Belize:

Entrance fee forXunantunich: $5
Entrance fee for Cahal Pech: $5

Not much, hey? One of my greatest regrets about my time in Belize was not feeling as though I could justify spending money on some of the pricier activities in the country.

One of the big-ticket items that everybodyinsists you have to do while in Belize is takea tour of the ATM caves($120). This full-day experience takes you through the jungle, where you’ll swim through caves, ford a river, and learn about the Mayan civilisation. I regret not taking the tour because as the reviews show, practically every single person says it ended up being one of the highlights of their trip.

If you’re into water-based activities, you may want to work in a trip to go snorkelling on the Belize Barrier Reef($95). If you’re not already going to be venturing into Guatemala on this trip, it’s worth opting for a day trip from San Ignacio to the magnificent Tikal ruins($150) as well. I absolutely adored my day spent exploring Tikal, so highly recommend taking the day to see as much of it as possible from Belize, especially as that tour receives fantastic reviews.

Don’t Forget About Travel Insurance for Belize

If you’ve read any other posts on Never Ending Footsteps, you’ll know that I’m a great believer in travelling with travel insurance. I’ve seen far too many Go Fund Me campaigns from destitute backpackers that are unexpectedly stranded in a foreign country after a scooter accident/being attacked/breaking a leg with no way of getting home or paying for their healthcare. These costs can quickly land you with a six-figure bill to pay at the end of it.

In short, if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel.

Travel insurancewill cover you if your flight is cancelled and you need to book a new one, if your luggage gets lost and you need to replace your belongings, if you suddenly get struck down by appendicitis and have to be hospitalised, or discover a family member has died and you need to get home immediately. If you fall seriously ill, your insurance will cover the costs to fly you home to receive medical treatment.

I useSafetyWingas my travel insurance provider, and recommend them for trips to Belize. Firstly, they’re one of the few companies out there who will actually cover you if you contract COVID-19. On top of that, they provide worldwide coverage, don’t require you to have a return ticket, and even allow you to buy coverage after you’ve left home. If you’re on a long-term trip, you can pay monthly instead of up-front, and can cancel at any time. Finally, they’re more affordable than the competition, and have a clear, easy-to-understand pricing structure, which is always appreciated.

With SafetyWing, you’ll pay$1.50 a dayfor travel insurance.

The Cost of Travel in Belize

Now that I’ve taken a look at how much I spent while in Belize, let’s add it all up to see how much averaged each day.

Accommodation: $132 per night for a couple (so $66 each)
Transportation: $11/day
Food: $37/day
Activities: $1/day

And all of that works out at an average of $115 per day.

Have you been to Belize? How did my travel expenses stack up against yours?