Top 10 least expensive countries to check out This Year

As we enter the new year, every travel lover starts planning their trips. As we all know, the more affordable the destination, the longer you can afford to stay — or the better your travel lifestyle can be while visiting.

The least expensive countries to check out on this list offer both affordability and value for money.

In some countries, $45 / night barely affords you a hostel dorm bed, while in others that can pay for a luxury villa. 

For example, in Canggu, Bali, you can get a 2 bedroom private pool rental property for $50 / night, while when checking out Japan that same $50 barely gets you a double bed on the floor of a small room. 

Swinging into the new year! It’s time to start travel planning
This year is sure to be fantastic for travellers and if you’re already planning your trips for the year, then this post of low-cost countries to check out is for you.

Some of these destinations are a lot more budget-friendly now than ever, mainly due to drops in their local currency on the global market, or due to a recent lack of tourism.

We would never write a post to revel in low prices at the cost of economic struggle, but by checking out these places independently now, you can not only take pleasure in better prices for yourself but also help the local services and people along the way.

See Also: best places To check out in January

Here are the top 10 least expensive countries to travel to this year.

Table of Contents
1. Indonesia
2. Mexico (one of the least expensive countries to check out for North Americans)
3. India
4. Colombia
5. Cuba
6. Bulgaria
7. South Africa
8. Turkey
9. Thailand
10. Greece
11. Bonus! Argentina
Honourable Mentions
Where will You Go?

Note: always check the current travel restrictions before booking a trip. This post has been updated for 2022 to include the current least expensive countries to visit, the updated conversion rates, and a couple of benefit low-cost places to check out that you won’t want to miss. delighted travel planning! 

1. Indonesia

White sand beaches, world-class surfing, the best scuba diving in the world and some of the most picturesque jungle and rice paddy scenery, Indonesia is without a doubt one of our much-loved countries on earth and it’s a low-cost place to travel as well.

UPDATE: We recently returned from a trip to Raja Ampat in Indonesia and while it’s the one place in the country that isn’t overly cheap, it’s absolutely worth a visit.

This archipelago is known to be one of the top 3 best dive locations in the world and there are some relatively economical accommodation options when you consider that you get full board and diving included in a lot of room rates. even if you’re on a budget, if you have time, don’t miss Raja Ampat!

Currently, Indonesia is one of the least expensive countries to check out that we know of.

$1 us dollar will get you around 14,000 rupiah, which is about 2,000 a lot more rupiah than in 2018. seven years ago you’d only get 9,050 rupiahs to the dollar.

As I said in the opening paragraphs of this post, Indonesia uses extraordinary value for accommodation, food and transport. here you can get stunning guest house rooms, typically set in pool villas, for as little as $20 / night.

You can eat delicious seafood meals and millennial classics like “smashed avo on toast” for around $3 and you can rent a motorbike here for just a couple of dollars per day (cars are around $15 / day).

The only thing that’s not of terrific value is alcohol. Indonesia has placed a pretty heavy tax on imported booze, so a low-quality bottle of imported white wine will cost around $20, while a drinkable local white wine is still $13 – $15.

Bintang beer is nothing to write home about, but it’s budget-friendly at around $1.50 – $3 at a beach bar or restaurant and imported beer is around twice the price.

Enjoying sunset and some corn on the cob from a street vendor in Bali

Out of all the countries we’ve travelled to and kept track of our budgets, Indonesia is absolutely amongst the top 3 best value for money, and with a stronger dollar / weaker rupiah, this has never been truer than it is today.

Unfortunately, Indonesia has been closed to tourism or tough to enter considering that 2020. For those who are able to travel here and are ready to undergo the needed quarantine and measurements in place, you’ll find enormous discounts on accommodations and very grateful service owners.

Plus, you’ll have the stunning archipelago pretty much to yourself.

Don’t miss the islands of Raja Ampat, Bali, Sumatra, Sumbawa, Lombok,Gili Islands, Flores, Komodo national Park, Alor…and more!

2. Mexico (one of the least expensive countries to check out for North Americans)

A diverse and delicious cuisine, friendly local people, world-class beaches, all the amenities you could hope for and an intoxicating vibe make Mexico a place that we return to time and time again.

It’s one of our much-loved countries to travel to and one of the few destinations where we could see ourselves living long-term. There are so lots of extraordinary places to check out in Mexico, and things to do that you could spend years here and not see it all.

Mexico is budget-friendly these days thanks to a struggling peso added to an already low cost of living. At the time of writing, the us dollar is at 20.5 pesos — which is incredible.

We’ve been to Mexico many times, but when we travelled here way back in 2014, the dollar was at just 12.8 pesos and even then we thought it was good value for money. 

UPDATE 2022: While Mexico can absolutely be a very low-cost country to travel to, you’ll save a lot more money by avoiding the main vacationer spots, such as Puerto Vallarta, Playa del Carmen, Cancun and Tulum.

Tacos are tasty and budget-friendly in Mexico

If you want to really save money while checking out Mexico, avoid coming here during height season (November – March) when accommodation prices can skyrocket (especially in December) and lots of of the best places are booked out.

No matter when you travel here, Mexico will shock you with its terrific value.

Tacos for 30 cents each, a kilo of fresh prawns from the fish market for $3, Coronas with a slice of lime for $1.50 and strong margaritas served to you while your feet are buried in the sand for just $1 each.

You’ll find budget-friendly internal flights with Viva Aerobus and Aeromexico, and low-cost long-distance bus rides.

The stunning streets of Guanajuato. If you really want to save money, try to check out the less-popular destinations in Mexico
On top of the terrific prices for food and booze gotten in restaurants and bars, Mexico has lots of shops that North Americans love, like Sams Club, Costco in the major cities, and Walmart.

Mexico also has its own brand of grocery stores like La Comer, Mega and Soriana. purchasing your own groceries and cooking for yourself is a terrific way to save money (and make a healthy meal) as the food in the grocery stores here is very reasonable. 

Mexico may be one of the least expensive countries to visit, but it’s also a popular destination for digital nomads and retirees seeking to spend a longer period of time in the country.

Given current travel restrictions around the world, Mexico is also one of the easiest countries to enter in 2022

See a lot more of Our Mexico articles Here:

21 best things To do in Puerto Vallarta 

Backpacking Mexico: top 8 reasons to travel Mexico 

Mexico – the best digital Nomad spot for North Americans

21 best things To do in Cabo San Lucas

33 best places to check out in Mexico 

15 best beaches in Mexico 

3. India

India is one of the most exhilarating travel destinations on earth.

Chaotic and tranquil. excellent and filthy. friendly and furious. complimentary and frustrating. India is the epitome of all the oxymoronic experiences that make travel so amazing.

While India is likely the most exciting and bewildering place to travel to, it’s also probably the cheapest.

Thanks to the Indian Rupee currently trading at nearly 75 rupees to the dollar (which is 5 rupees a lot more per dollar than you would have received in 2021), India is likely the best place to travel if you want to stretch your dollars, euros or pounds.

The last time we were in India, I purchased the least expensive (yet filling) meal I’ve ever had while travelling. 20 cents gotten me a pile of puris (fluffy fried bread) and two different types of curries served to me from a street cart. The meal was delicious and completely filled me up… amazing.

While the cost of that meal was remarkably low, we typically ate all you can eat thali meals for as little as $1.50 and drank fresh lime juice squeezed on the street for 15 cents a glass.

We had complimentary accommodation in ashrams (it doesn’t get much more affordable than that) and when paying for our hotels, we had respectable but basic double rooms for around $5 per night.

The stunning blue city of Jodhpur, India
Depending on what class of train and bus you take, getting around India can be done on a budget, with a train from Mumbai to Kolkata covering 1,968 km and taking over 30 hours costing around $11!

In my opinion, India is one of the best countries to visit, and it’s also one of the least expensive countries as well.

See a lot more of Our India articles Here:

Budget Backpacking guide to India

Guide to transportation in India

Top ideas For preparing for a trip to India

4. Colombia

After backpacking Colombia in late 2016, it swiftly set itself amongst our much-loved countries we’ve ever been to.

Friendly people, exceptionally excellent and lush jungles, sensational Spanish colonial cities and breathtaking beaches, Colombia is a traveller’s dream.

The Colombian peso saw a enormous drop in recent years which regrettably isn’t good for local economies and Colombians seeking to travel, but it does give budget travellers an added incentive to check out this extraordinary country.

Lush and beautiful, this is Colombia
We met a couple in Medellin who made a decision to step to Colombia to retire in 2014. considering that their arrival the peso went from 1,800 to the us dollar, all the way to 4,065, an extraordinary 125% drop, essentially giving their retirement a enormous boost.

Luckily the peso has started to stabilize again slightly and at the time of writing it’s sitting at around 4,065 pesos to the us dollar. 

This indicates that everything in Colombia is of terrific value for travellers. Whether you’re checking out with a dollar, pound, euro, yen or yuan, Colombia is a better deal now than it’s ever been.

update 2022: The Colombian peso has gone up 17% this year. This indicates that Colombia is even more affordable than before and makes it an exceptional option for those seeking to check out low-cost countries in 2021 and beyond. Colombia is also one of the countries that has been relatively easy to check out when it pertains to current guidelines and entrance requirements.

Enjoying a meal in Cartagena, Colombia – a beautiful, budget-friendly destination for travellers

We were eating delicious seafood meals on the beach for just a few dollars, stunning Spanish style guest houses only cost around $30 / night and you can take pleasure in scuba diving in the Caribbean here for as little as $24 / dive when getting a 10 dive package.

We stayed in some of the best hostels we’ve ever seen in Colombia, with rooftop pools, funky bars and glamorous rooms (one even had a jacuzzi in it).

The cost of excursions and experiences is also exceptional in Colombia.

We highly recommend doing the 4 day Ciudad Perdida trek and a coffee excursion in Salento (the latter is only $2). Colombia is one of the least expensive countries to check out this year, and it uses exceptional value for money.

There are limitless fantastic things to do in Colombia.  

See Also: 21 things To do in Cartagena

5. Cuba

If you’re trying to find a low-cost destination to check out in the Caribbean, then Cuba tops the list!

You can travel here on an all-inclusive, but if you choose to travel to Cuba independently, you’ll have a far richer experience and it’ll cost you less. For low-cost countries, Cuba is one of your best bets.

Stunning beaches, a special Caribbean and Spanish vibe, tasty cooking (contrary to belief), friendly people and extraordinary landscapes, Cuba is a diverse country that needs to be on your list.

For Americans, it’s possible to travel to Cuba if you travel under one of the allowed categories. support For The Cuban people is what a lot of people choose to travel under. But, it’s still a confusing process for our American friends.

You’ll need to build an travel plan consisting of activities that meet the criteria for Support For The Cuban people category.

We spent a month backpacking Cuba and it was a highlight of all our travel experiences. meeting the Cuban people, dancing in the streets, lazing on essentially empty beaches, partying in Havana and hiking to tobacco farms were our a lot of memorable moments.