Budget Camino de Santiago

If you are one of the many people who wish to make the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, the first thing you should do is organise your trip. One of the fundamental aspects is to be able to estimate the cost that you are going to make and for this, it is very important that you know what you have to take into account in order to develop your budget for the Camino de Santiago.

Choose the route you are going to do

Route selection is one of the main factors in the calculation of the budget for the Camino de Santiago. In some sections the cost is higher than others. For example, the French Route has more services available. For this reason, the offer of accommodation is greater.

This means that you can stay in comfortable places, with a slightly higher price, or do the Camino de Santiago in an austere way, to make your trip cheaper. On the other hand, as it is more crowded, food costs more than on other routes.

The starting point of your pilgrimage

When you go to organise your budget for the Camino de Santiago you should consider the cost of the outward journey to the starting point of the pilgrimage. It is also necessary to include the cost of the return journey home from Santiago de Compostela.

Another reason is that depending on where you decide to start your pilgrimage, you will have to spend more or less days on the route. Of course, the time you use to make the journey will have an impact on the estimate of the budget for the Camino de Santiago.

How you are going to do the Camino de Santiago

The way in which the vast majority of pilgrims choose to walking the Camino de Santiago is walking, but there are those who do it by bicycle and others who are more adventurous who travel on horseback, motorbike or kayak.

In all of these latter modalities, expenses for other services, in addition to those normally presented, must be considered. Each of these items should be included in the budget for the Camino de Santiago.

Type of accommodation you prefer to sleep in

Inns or hotels do not represent the same expenditure as hostels in the Way of St. James. Staying in hostels is less expensive, but also less comfortable. Depending on the type of accommodation you choose to use, your daily budget will be higher or lower.

Choosing where to eat

You should define whether you are going to prepare your meals at the accommodation or if you are going to eat in restaurants and in what type of restaurants. All of this will affect the amount you will need to spend to to do the Camino de Santiago. Both options are equally popular, supermarkets and restaurants are always visited by pilgrims.

Other services on the Camino

At the Way of St. James various services aimed at improving the comfort of pilgrims can be found. Among the most frequently used are the backpack transport service and the assistance car service.

Specialised travel agencies

If you decide to leave the planning of your Camino under the responsibility of one of the various travel agencies that have specialised in the Way of St. James, you will save yourself a lot of time, but this decision will cause a considerable variation in your Camino de Santiago budget.

Preliminary expenditure

Not all costs to be considered in the budget for the Camino de Santiago are those that originate directly from the adventure. There are others that need to be done beforehand, such as buying the necessary material for to do the Camino de Santiago.

If you do not have the required material, you will need to purchase it first, and for each accessory there is a price range depending on what you prefer:

• The price range is between 30 and 50 euros.
• There is greater variety in costs, ranging from 30 to 150 euros or even more.
• Technical clothing. It depends on what you need and can buy. It can vary from 20 or 30 euros to 200 euros or more.

There are other materials that will be useful along the route. The amount you spend will depend on what you need. Although prices vary from shop to shop, some that serve as a reference are:

• Sleeping bag. The lightest ones cost between 20 and 50 euros. If the Camino is done in cold weather, you will need a thicker one, which will cost at least 120 euros.
• Trekking poles. They cost 20 euros, the lightest and cheapest. From this price you can find many options.
• Water bag. Its price varies according to capacity and characteristics. Approximately 10 euros.
• Headlamp. Although prices vary, the simplest ones can be found for 5 or 6 euros.

Conclusion

You already know what are the main factors you should consider in order to prepare your budget on the Camino de Santiago and the referential price of the basic material required to make the pilgrimage. You only need to consult the prices for each aspect explained, depending on the option you have selected.