Budget for doing the Camino de Santiago
The Camino de Santiago has become one of the most attractive destinations for travellers from all over the world. You have also decided that you will embark on the adventure and, like any other traveller, you want to know how much it costs to do the Camino de Santiago: the price of services on the Camino de Santiago and how to make the trip as cheap as possible.
Therefore, we have prepared this article, to help you calculate how much money you will spend on the Camino de Santiago. Knowing what expenses the adventure entails, and what price things are on the Camino de Santiago, helps greatly to organize your budget.
We all know that, during the trip, there can always be unforeseen events,which may spoil your planning, but we understand that you need to have a rough idea of how much it would cost to make a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Here, we provide you with all the necessary information to calculate how much money you need to do the Camino de Santiago and give you some tips on how to make the trip cheap, but comfortable.
How much does it cost to do the Camino de Santiago?
Before going into detail about what expenses you will have on the Camino de Santiago, you need to answer some questions about your trip. Depending on your response, your budget for the Camino de Santiago will vary considerably and the trip may be cheaper or more expensive.
An ideal route to make pilgrimage is the Camino de Santiago from Sarria and we can help you organize the perfect trip, to make it an unforgettable experience and without any unforeseen expenses. Tell us a little more about your plan and let us do the rest.
Do you have everything you need to do the Camino?
This question will influence whether you will have to spend money on material to do the Camino de Santiago. The prices of some things necessary to do the Camino de Santiago are very cheap, but others, depending on the characteristics and quality you choose, can be more expensive.
If you still do not know what you need to do the Camino de Santiago you can consult our articles: “Tips to prepare your equipment on the Camino de Santiago” and “what material to take on a pilgrimage to Compostela?
Which one of the Caminos de Santiago will you take?
The pilgrim route you choose will also affect your budget. Some of the sections of the Camino de Santiago are cheaper than others. For example, on the Camino Frances, you will find more services during your tour and therefore, you will find a better offer of accommodation. That means that you can stay in comfortable places, with a slightly higher price, or do the Camino de Santiago in an austere manner, to make your trip cheaper.
However, as it is the most touristic Camino de Santiago, the price of food is significantly higher than on the Camino Portugues, For example. This fact is also related to the fact that prices in Portugal are lower than in Spain.
If you still don’t know which route to take, remember to choose the itinerary that best suits what you’re looking for. Each route on the Camino has a special peculiarity that makes it magical.
We can help you with your choice. To make a decision, check out the following posts on our Camino de Santiago blog:
- You can check all characteristics of each itinerary to Compostela: “Which is the best Camino de Santiago?”
- To learn more about the origin of each of the Camino routes : “The origin of the Camino de Santiago and its pilgrim routes”.
Where do you start the Camino from?
One of the expenses that you must keep in mind when organizing your budget for the Camino de Santiago is the price of the one-way trip to the point from where you start. You must also provide for the cost of returning home from Santiago de Compostela.
In addition, depending on the place you choose to start your pilgrimage, you will have to spend more or less days travelling, if you want to reach the tomb of the apostle. Obviously the time you spend on the tour will affect the budget that you will need to complete the Camino de Santiago.
Keep in mind that the longer you walk for, the more you spend. So depending on the days you want to walk, your budget will vary.
If you do not know how many days you will need or from where to start the tour so that your money will give you to get to Compostela, we can also help you. In this article we talk about the duration of your pilgrimage depending on the itinerary you choose, and your starting point.
How will you do the Camino de Santiago?
Doing the Camino walking, on wheels or by kayak are totally different experiences. If you decide to do the Camino de Santiago by bike, in addition to the expenses you will have to make regardless of how you make your pilgrimage, you should consider the price of other services required.
Bicycle transport to the point where you start your pilgrimage, bike rental, if you do not have one, possible repairs, etc. are some of the extra expenses that you can have. You will have to include these items in your budget, if you want to know exactly how much the Camino de Santiago is going to cost you.
Do you want to go to Camino de Santiago on the cheap or have a VIP experience?
Within this block there are many elements that will affect how to organize your budget on the Camino de Santiago. At the outset, it can be said that the more comfortable you want to be, the less cheap it is to do the Camino de Santiago.
Independently of why you would make a pilgrimage, you can organize a low-cost experience on the Camino de Santiago or a luxury experience. Both options are valid, but the price of doing the Camino de Santiago will be completely different. Here are some questions to help you decide what you want.
Where will you sleep on the Camino de Santiago?
Cottages or hotels on the Camino de Santiago are by no means the same price as hostels. Sleeping in hostels on the Camino de Santiago is much cheaper, but less comfortable and romantic. Depending on the type of accommodation you use during your pilgrimage, your daily budget on your pilgrim route will be one or the other.
Will you visit restaurants on your pilgrimage?
Do you plan to cook at your accommodation and go through the day with just a snack? All this will influence how much money you need to take on the Camino de Santiago. Supermarkets are always full of pilgrims and restaurants too, both options are valid.
We do recommend that, if you can afford it, take advantage of the experience to enjoy the traditional cuisine on the Camino de Santiago. Maybe not every day, not every meal, but don’t leave without trying some classics such as a Mariscada (Seafood platter) in Santiago de Compostela. In this guide to the capital of Compostela we tell you about it and what to do to make the gastronomic homage of the end of pilgrimage cheaper.
Will you take advantage of other services?
On the Camino de Santiago, you will find various services aimed at making your pilgrimage easier and more comfortable. One of them is the transport of baggage. In one of the articles on our Camino de Santiago blog, we explain some reasons to hire the baggage transfer service between stages and in this other one we tell you how these services work and we provide you with an approximate price.
Assistance cars are another of the services frequently used by pilgrims. If you want to know more about how you can make your experience on the Camino easier, you can consult our article: “Make the Camino easier”.
Do you want to organise it with a specialist travel agency?
Planning the Camino takes some time. Many people prefer to leave the logistical details, such as reserving accommodation, baggage transport, etc. in the hands of a travel agency specialized in the Camino de Santiago, such as us.
This will also have an impact on your budget of the Camino de Santiago. In that case expense on the pilgrimage route is slightly higher, but you save a lot of time, it will be much more comfortable, and you have a fixed price to complete the Camino de Santiago.
Money you will need before beginning your pilgrimage
As you can see in the questions we previously put forward, not all expenses associated with the Camino de Santiago are directly related to the experience. Some of them relate to previous aspects. Here, we will talk a little about them.
The price of equipment for the Camino de Santiago
If you do not have the necessary equipment to do the Camino de Santiago, you will have to buy it, as mentioned above. Here are some guide prices for material needed to do the Camino de Santiago:
- Backpack for the Camino de Santiago: Between 30 and 50 euros, in affordable sports shops
- Boots: Here it depends on how much you want to risk, you could spend from 30 to 150 euros or more, if you are looking for specialized trekking brands. Footwear on the Camino de Santiago is extremely important, therefore, perhaps it is not advisable that you choose the cheapest one. Is important to find out what technical characteristics you must meet.
- Technical clothing: it largely depends on what you specifically need, but it can involve a disbursement of money of 20 or 30 euros, if you only need a T-shirt and socks, at 200 euros or more, if you need to buy a coat and more equipment.
Other equipment
For the items we recommended to organize your backpack on the Camino, you will see that there are other types of equipment that could be useful to you during your trip. Like the previous point, the expense here will depend on what material you need. Some guidance prices are:
- Sleeping bag: a light one can cost you between 20 and 50 euros. If you make the pilgrimage in winter or plan to camp out, you will need a warmer one, in that case we are talking about an expense of 120 euros onwards.
- Trekking poles: approximately 20€, a cheap and light one. From there, you can always spend a lot more, if you want. But the truth is, it’s not necessary.
- Water bottle: Less than 10€. Its price varies depending on its capacity and characteristics.
- Headlamp: Prices are very variable. You can get one of the simplest for 5 or 6 euros.
The above prices are indicative and vary greatly depending on the store where you purchase material for your trip to Santiago. In Spain, the Decathlon store offers good value for money, but obviously it is not the same as having NorthFace equipment or other brands specialized in outdoor activities.
Return trip to Santiago de Compostela
The Camino de Santiago is free, i.e. you don’t need to pay any entrance fees to join the pilgrim route. However, it does require spending money going back and forth from the Camino.
Regarding the price of travelling at the beginning of the Camino de Santiago and returning home, it is very difficult to give you an example of prices. It largely depends on:
- From where you travel: It is not the same to have to take a 12-hour plane from Japan as to begin the Camino de Santiago from Madrid.
- What kind of transport you use: Although you can easily find great deals by plane, far better than bus or train prices. Think also that if you travel from Madrid to León by bus, to do the Camino de Santiago, it is probably cheaper than taking a plane.
- The departure point: some routes start from cities that are easily accessible, both by plane, by train or bus. Others, on the other hand, start in small locations that you will have to access, using a local transport from some other main hub. That will increase the cost of transportation.
Budget for the Camino de Santiago by bike
If the tour is done by bike, to the costs of the trip to and from the Camino de Santiago, you will have to add the price of transferring the bicycle. This will vary depending on whether you use a plane, bus, train or private transport.
If you decide to rent a bike to do the Camino, you can get one for about 300 euros per week. The advantage of renting one is that they include insurance, so you won’t have any repair costs. Depending on where you live, and the conditions your bike is in, renting can be even cheaper than bringing your own bike on the Camino de Santiago.
So far we have explained what you must take into account to organize your budget for the Camino de Santiago and what price approximately the necessary material for your pilgrimage has. Now you only need to put a price on the expenses that you will have during the tour.
In our post: “How much will I spend on the Camino de Santiago?”, we detail the Camino de Santiago cost: the prices of hostels and hotels on the Camino de Santiago, the cost of the food, and some of the services you can hire along the pilgrim route. We will talk about the price of doing the Camino de Santiago in that article. See you there!
If you prefer, and you know clearly that you want to travel to Santiago with an agency specialized in the Camino de Santiago, you can write to, or call us and even contact us through our official Facebook page. We will directly organise your budget for the Camino de Santiago.
Buen Camino!
