Camino de Santiago – the cost of walking in 2026

There is no set Camino de Santiago cost. How much you spend depends on many factors. You can walk the Camino de Santiago for 25 Euros per person a day or spend over 50 Euros pp. per day. I’ve had days when I spent 20 Euros as well as 50-euro days on the same Camino. It all depends on how much you can and want to spend and how much comfort you need.

In this post, I’m elaborating on what you can get spending 25, 35, and 50+ Euros per person per day on the Camino, give a detailed breakdown of my Camino budget, and give some money-saving tips. 

It’s important to remember that the cost may vary depending on the chosen Camino. Some routes work out cheaper than others. We’ve walked 10 different Camino de Santiago routes and noticed the difference, especially in accommodation prices. I’m going to compare the different routes and explain why some of them are more expensive than others.

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Camino de Santiago cost – 25, 35, and 50+ Euros per day

I’m giving an overview of what you can get walking the Camino on these budgets. It doesn’t mean you have to stick and stay only in public albergues if you have 25 Euros per day it just shows that most of the time it’ll be your best option. Accommodation and food are two main expenses on the Camino. Laundry and luggage delivery service are two other expenses many pilgrims have, both are optional. You can wash your clothes by hand and carry your backpack.

Some days you might have some extra expenses such as entrance fees, etc.

25 Euros per person per day

It’s a very tight budget so be ready that some days you might spend more than that. Budget 100-200 euros extra for your trip.

• Accommodation – public albergues, 10-15 Euros.
• Food – grocery shopping – 10-12 Euros.
• Extras – 3-4 Euros.

35+ Euros per person per day

• Accommodation – private albergues, 15-20 Euros.
• Food – 15-20 Euros depending on if you cook or eat out. Breakfast – 4-5 Euros, a set lunch (Menu del Dia) – 10-12 Euros. Dinners are usually more expensive from 20 Euros per person. It’s a lot cheaper to make food. Most albergues and hostels have a shared kitchen.
• Extras – 3-4 Euros.

50+ Euros per person per day

• Accommodation – a private room in a hotel, from 25 Euros per person (if you’re two people sharing a double room), from 40 Euros for a single room.
• Food – 15-30 Euros depending on if you eat out or make food. If you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner expect to spend 35+ Euros per person per day.
• Extras – 3-4 Euros.
• Luggage delivery – 7 euros per backpack per stage (optional).

Luggage delivery service

• Luggage delivery service – 6-7 Euros per backpack per stage.

If you want to track your daily expenses, you can install one of the travel spending apps on your phone.

The cost of accommodation on the Camino de Santiago

Your accommodation options on the Camino are quite diverse (especially on the popular Camino routes) from public and private albergues to hostels, hotels, and guesthouses.

Public (municipal) albergues

Albergues are hostels for pilgrims.

Public Albergues are the cheapest accommodation option on the Camino. They are exclusively for pilgrims walking or cycling the Camino. You need a Credential (a pilgrim’s passport) with stamps to stay at public albergues. The average price is 10-12 Euros per person per bed. Public albergues are usually quite big with a couple of rooms with bunk beds and shared facilities (showers, toilets, a kitchen).

On more popular Camino routes like the Camino Francés or the Camino Portuguese from Porto, you can plan your itinerary the way the you stay almost every night at a public albergue and pay 10-12 Euros per bed. Less popular routes have fewer public albergues – from time to time you’ll have no option but to stay in a private albergue/hostel.

Private albergues

The second cheapest accommodation option on the Camino. Anybody can stay there but most of the guests are usually pilgrims. Private Albergues cost 15-20 Euros per bed. They usually have better facilities and are smaller than public albergues. Some private albergues have private rooms as well. There are many private albergues on the main Camino routes, you’ll be able to find one at the end of every day. 

Sometimes you can find albergues for donation.

Hotels and guesthouses

These are the most expensive and comfortable accommodation options on the Camino. Prices for a private room start at 40 Euros for a single room and 50-60 Euros for a double room. Staying in hotels every night, especially on longer Camino routes is expensive but I recommend doing it sometimes. It’s nice to have a good rest and some privacy. We usually stay in hotels at least once a week or even more often if we can find well-priced private rooms.

In some areas the prices of accommodation vary a lot depending on the season. Keep that in mind if you’re planning to walk one of the coastal Camino routes.

Comparing public and private albergues and hotels

Features	Public albergues	Private albergues	Hotels
Price	10-12 Euros	15-20 Euros	from 40 Euros
Only for pilgrims	yes	no	no
Need a Credential to stay	yes	no	no
Can be booked	no	yes	yes
Can stay more than 1 night	no	yes	yes
Allow luggage delivery	no	yes	yes
Accept credit cards	no	usually	usually

The cost of food on the Camino de Santiago

Grocery shopping and cooking

The cheapest food option is to buy food in supermarkets/shops and cooking. Most albergues have a communal kitchen that pilgrims can use. Some kitchens are well-equipped and have all you need for cooking, while some are basic. My advice is to check out the kitchen before you go shopping.

Most places on the Camino have at least a small grocery store where you can get bread, pasta, cheese, yogurt, fruit, and vegetables. Bigger towns and cities have supermarkets where you can get pretty much anything including takeaway meals that are usually cheaper than restaurants. We usually spend between 15 and 20 Euros per day on grocery shopping for two people. Depending on what you buy and for how many meals I’d recommend budgeting 10 Euros per person per day to buy enough food for 2 meals.

Breakfast

The Spanish are not very big on breakfast, most of them just drink a cup of coffee with a small pastry. Many cafes on the Camino offer breakfast that usually includes a cup of coffee, a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice, and a sandwich or a pastry. A breakfast like that costs 4-5 Euros.

In very busy and touristy parts of some Camino routes, you can find an English (eggs & bacon) or an American (sausages, eggs, cereal, etc.) breakfast as well. It costs between 8 and 10 Euros.

Spanish Tortilla (egg and potato omelet) is a good option for breakfast or even lunch if you are not very hungry. It usually comes with bread and is quite filling.

Lunch

Menú del Día is a set meal that includes a starter, a main, a drink (wine, beer, water, soda), bread, and dessert or coffee. It is a very popular lunch option everywhere in Spain not only on the Camino de Santiago. A typical menu costs between 10 and 14 Euros.

The quality of the menu varies. I had some amazing menus and some poor meals on the Camino. Usually, in cities and busy towns, menus have more options and are of better quality. The worst meals I had in albergues/restaurants in the middle of nowhere. After finishing my meal I was almost as hungry as before.

If you follow a special diet e.g. vegetarian or vegan in small towns/villages it might be difficult to find a suitable menu. In cities and bigger towns, it’s not a problem as many restaurants have vegetarian/vegan menu options. The best option for you is to cook for yourself.

Dinner

The most expensive meal on the Camino de Santiago. We don’t often go out for dinner on the Camino but we do go out for a drink which is not expensive. Dinner in a restaurant with a glass of wine will cost you from 20 Euros per person depending on the place and chosen meal.

For a beer or a glass of wine at the bar, you’ll pay an average of 2-3 Euros. It may include a simple tapa. Many bars in Asturias and Galicia offer a free tapa with every drink you order. It might be a small portion of tortilla, peanuts, a small cheese or ham sandwich, etc.

Make sure to try typical Galician dishes Pulpo a la Feira (cooked octopus) and Pimientos de Padrón (fried green peppers) are great with beer. In Santiago de Compostela there are a couple of amazing tapas bars on Rúa do Franco and Rúa da Raiña streets.

If you’re planning to go out for a drink and a tapa regularly add 50 Euro (depending on how long you’re going to walk) to your total Camino budget. 

Trying local food on the Camino de Santiago is a part of the experience. Some dishes are not to be missed e.g. Tarta de Santiago, tapas and pintxos, Pimientos de Padron, and Pulpo a la Feira are some of them.

Extra expenses on the Camino

Luggage delivery service on the Camino

The service is available on all major Camino de Santiago routes. The more popular the route is the more companies offer backpack delivery services. The average price is 7-8 Euros per backpack per stage. It might vary depending on the distance, route popularity, etc. You can use the service for the entire Camino or only for selective stages e.g. the tough ones that involve walking long distances or have steep climbs.

You can decide whether you need it or not on the way. Try to walk with your backpack and if it’s too heavy or too difficult you can always start using the luggage delivery service. It’s important to remember that many public albergues don’t allow luggage delivery which means you’ll have to stay in private albergues or hotels.

Laundry

It is one of our main extra expenses on the Camino de Santiago. We do machine washing more or less twice a week. Many albergues (both public and private) have self-service washing machines and dryers that work with coins. The machines are usually quite big; you can share one load between 3 or 4 people. It’s 4 Euros per load for washing and 5 Euros for drying. If it’s a sunny day we hang our clothes outside, if it’s rainy and cold we use a dryer. Sometimes the machines are free but you have to buy detergent. Many people wash by hand.

Entrance fees

Walking is the main activity on the Camino. Usually, you’re too tired after a full day of walking to do any sightseeing but some attractions just can’t be skipped. Like the Cathedral of León on the Camino Francés or the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao on the Camino del Norte. I suggest adding 20-30 Euros extra for entrance fees and tickets.

The cost of transportation

You’re probably not going to use any on the Camino itself but you’ll have to get to the starting point of the route and back home from Santiago de Compostela. If you’re from Europe your transport expenses won’t be very high if you use one of the budget airlines. You can get to Madrid or Barcelona and from there catch a local flight, bus, or train to the starting point of your Camino route.

If you come from overseas e.g. US, Australia, Canada, etc. your international flight will be one of your biggest expenses.

To get back from Santiago, you can take a bus or a trail to Madrid, Porto, etc., and from there fly back home. I’d suggest adding 60-70 Euros to your Camino budget for local transport expenses. 

There are direct flights with budget airlines from Santiago to the UK, Switzerland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, etc. If you buy your ticket a couple of months in advance you can get a really good deal e.g. a flight to the UK for 25 Euros.

The cost of travel Insurance for the Camino

This is an important thing to have if you’re going to travel abroad and planning to do outdoor activities. Walking the Camino is not a high-risk venture but it’s always recommended to have travel insurance that can cover your medical expenses (in case you need any), gear loss, or trip cancellation. Note, if you have a European Health Insurance card you don’t need any extra medical insurance for Spain or Portugal. The cost of Camino travel insurance varies depending on the company, the policy, a person’s age, etc.

World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world.

The cost of essential gear

For walking the Camino de Santiago you don’t need any special gear. There are two important items that you can bring for the Camino – comfortable walking shoes and a suitable backpack. These two you’re going to use every day walking for hours. I’d recommend investing in both. You don’t need heavy hiking boots for walking the Camino unless you’re planning to walk it in winter.

In our opinion, a pair of light hiking shoes are great for walking the Camino. As for your pack, a 30-40l backpack should be enough. if your stuff doesn’t fit in it means you’re trying to pack too much. If you’re planning to do some Camino training to prepare better for the pilgrimage it’s best to wear the same hiking shoes and backpack you’re going to use on the Camino.

The average cost of the essential Camino gear

Essential gear	Average price
36l backpack	from 100 US$
Hiking shoes	from 100 US$
Merino wool socks	from 20 US$ for 3 pairs
Quick-dry towel	from 9 US$
Light sleeping bag	from 25 US$
Water bottle	from 15 US$
Headlamp	from 15 US$
Hiking clothes (pants, T-shirts, a rain jacket, a cap)	from 150 US$
Total	about 484 US$

This is the list of essential items one will need on the Camino. The given examples are for women, men’s gear costs more or less the same.

More details on what to pack for the Camino for different seasons for men and women can be found in our Camino de Santiago packing post.

Comparing the cost of different Camino routes

As I mentioned above up to now we’ve walked 9 Camino de Santiago routes: Camino Francés, Camino Portuguese from Lisbon, Camino del Norte, Camino Primitivo, Camino Inglés, Camino Finisterre-Muxía, Via de la Plata, Camino del Salvador, and Camino de Gran Canaria. We’ve done all the major routes in Spain and Portugal. Portugal overall is a bit cheaper than Spain. Things like transport (local trains), hotels, and eating out. 

The following routes can be walked on 25 Euros per person per day.

• Camino Francés
• Camino Portuguese from Porto
• Camino Primitivo
• Camino Finisterre-Muxía
• Camino Inglés
• Camino de San Salvador

It doesn’t mean you can’t walk other routes spending 25 Euro per day but it’ll be more difficult due to the higher cost of accommodation and lack of public albergues.

Camino Francés, Camino Portuguese, and Camino Primitivo

The most popular Camino routes are the cheapest ones because they have more infrastructure for pilgrims; many municipal and private albergues, special pilgrim’s menus at restaurants, etc. The Camino Frances, the Portuguese Camino from Porto (both the Central and the Coastal Route), and the Camino Primitivo have public albergues pretty much at the end of every stage. You can plan your walk the way you stay 90% of the time at public albergues which means you’ll pay 10-12 Euros per person per night on average.

We have a detailed post on the cost of the Portuguese Camino.

Vía de la Plata & Portuguese Camino from Lisbon

On less popular Camino routes like the Via de la Plata or the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon, accommodation is more expensive. All public albergues on the Via de la Plata cost 12 Euros which is a bit more than on the Camino Frances. On the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon, there are few public albergues every other night we stayed at a guesthouse or a private albergues. On the other hand, eating out on these routes was less expensive.

Camino Finisterre-Muxía and Camino Inglés

Both routes are very short, 3-5 days even if you stay at hotels all the time it won’t ruin your budget. Both the Camino Finisterre and the English Way have enough public albergues and many private albergues you’ll be able to walk spending 25 per person Euros a day. The only problem on both routes is there are not many supermarkets but most of the towns have at least a small grocery store.

Camino del Norte

The Camino del Norte (the first half of it) was our most expensive route. The part of the route through Asturias and Galicia was more or less the same as other Camino routes. Northern Spain (the Basque Country and Cantabria) is overall more expensive than the rest of the country. Accommodation is significantly more expensive in the popular touristy cities such as San Sebastian and some small coastal towns in the Basque Country.

There are very few public albergues in the Basque Country. Most of the time pilgrims stay in hostels or hotels. Eating out is more expensive in Northern Spain. If you’re on a tight budget it’s not the best route to choose.

Camino de Gran Canaria

Out of the 9 Camino routes, the Camino de Gran Canaria worked out the most expensive per day. It’s only 3-4 walking days so it didn’t cost us a fortune. There are no albergues on the route pilgrims stay in hotels or guesthouses which are a lot more expensive. Cooking is not possible because most places don’t have a kitchen which means you have to eat out 2-3 times a day. Our average our budget was 60 euros per person per day for this route.

Camino de Santiago money-saving tips

First of all, always make sure to have some cash with you. Public albergues and some private albergues don’t accept credit cards. It’s advisable to have some cash enough to pay for accommodation, food, etc. for a couple of days. On most routes, you find an ATM every day. We usually draw 300 Euros and when we have less than 40 Euros left we draw again. Most hotels, supermarkets, grocery stores, and restaurants accept cards.

Tip 1. Eating out every day adds quite a bit to the cost if you want to save money cooking is the way to go.

Tip 2. Book your international flight in advance many airlines have special prices for early booking. Find out which airlines fly from your destination and subscribe to their newsletter to make sure you won’t miss their special offers. Use sites like Skyscanner to search for the cheapest flights. Book your local flights in advance. Many budget airlines often have great early booking deals, you can get a flight for 20-30 Euros.

Tip 3. From our experience, it’s cheaper to walk the Camino if you’re two or more people. A double or a triple room works out cheaper per person than a single room. If you’re going to walk along you can always team up with another pilgrim and rent a twin room (with two single beds) it’ll be cheaper than paying for a single room.

Tip 4. Cooking together is another way to save money. If you’re several people cooking together you can split the cost of shopping. If you buy pasta, rice, etc. it’s usually too much for one person and you end up leaving half of it in the kitchen.

Camino planning resources

• Choose the best Camino route for you | Many routes of the Camino de Santiago |
• Practical information for planning the walk | The Camino de Santiago – all you need to know |
• Use our recommendations for planning the Camino | The best Camino de Santiago tips |
• Find answers to the most popular questions about the Camino | Camino de Santiago FAQ |

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