Before starting the Pan-American Highway the biggest question we had was how much it would cost and if we could really afford to do it. There are some travellers online who tracked their costs but it seemed not every penny they spent, so we’ve decided to do just that. At a minimum it keeps us accountable to make sure we can get to Alaska, but we hope it provides an insight for your own trip.
Total Spent So Far
$15.8k
Total Spend
$48
Daily Average
000
Days
Signup below for monthly budget updates, plus some gossip from living on the road!
Month-By-Month
Most Expensive:
$2,122 – Mar 26
Garage Car Service & Spare Parts
Least Expensive:
$1,387 – Jan 26
Hiking El Chalten & Minimal Driving
June 26
Mike’s Birthday month, we explored rich Inca history, enjoyed climbing to glacier Lagunas in Huaraz and finally got to use our surfboard.
$1,523 Total
$51 Daily Avg
May 26
Our first month in Peru was big, we ventured from Machu Picchu, to the depths of the Amazon, the floating Uros Islands & Ausangate.
$1,309 Total
$42 Daily Avg
April 26
The Bolivian fuel nearly broke our 4Runner Yoti, but the adventures made up for the pain, from paragliding to hiking a 6,000m peak.
$1,606 Total
$54 Daily Avg
March 26
Holy shit!! Bolivia is crazy, in such a good way. From the Uyuni Salt Flats to the epic Lagunas Route, driving past red lakes full of flamingos.
$2,122 Total
$68 Daily Avg
February 26
From staying on a Mendoza Vineyard to driving the Puna 4×4 track with new friends. The road trip get’s better every month!
$1,853 Total
$66 Daily Avg
January 26
El Chalten has to be our favourite place we’ve visited so far, with blue skies we witnessed Fitz Roys magic and avoided wildfires.
$1,387 Total
$45 Daily Avg
December 25
We reached Fin del Mundo, a dream come true. Christmas was spent eating steaks and drinking beer at the end of the world, unforgettable.
$2,020 Total
$66 Daily Avg
November 25
We finished the Carretera Austral! This has to be one of the world’s most beautiful roads with some of the best hiking we’ve ever done.
$1,445 Total
$49 Daily Avg
October 25
Our first full month on the road, we made our way south, through the Lake Region of Chile, surrounded by the snow-capped volcanoes.
$1,752 Total
$57 Daily Avg
September 25
We landed in Santiago to buy a car and get started on the epic PanAm journey. After two weeks, we found our 4Runner and hit the road!
$783 Total
$53 Daily Avg
As you can see, each month varies, and travelling the Americas is expensive! We share our budget and costs up to date every month via email. No nonsense.
These costs are every single penny spent, a labour of love tracked from before our trip even begun.
For context we consider ourselves “budget” travellers, it’s a broad term we know so lets explain a little:
- We cook basically all of our meals rather than eating out
- Every night on the road so far has been in our car, no hostels or hotels
- We wild camp as much as possible and only get campsites when needed
- Yoti is a budget overland 4×4 vehicle. We could’ve gone cheaper but that would’ve sacrificed the off-grid electrical system and 4×4
- Our priority is seeing the world, meaning we eat cheap but adventure hard
Of course, these Pan-American Highway costs vary massively from person to person depending on your vehicle and spending habits. But we hope it gives you an insight into how little (or much) you can drive it with.Ā Safe travels, we’ll see you from somewhere along the Pan-American Highway š