Counter 09 · Cost of Living
Verified 06 Aug 2026
Price of Travel (Backpacker Index)
PRDaily backpacker costs ranked across 130+ cities
Price of Travel prices out a fixed basket of hostel, food, transport and drink costs in over 130 cities, then ranks them from cheapest to most expensive in US dollars. The Backpacker Index updates yearly and is one of the most cited budget-travel benchmarks online, useful for picking a next base on a tight budget.
Price of Travel's Backpacker Index is a free annual ranking of more than 130 cities worldwide. For each city it prices the same fixed daily budget (a hostel dorm bed, three meals, local transport, one paid attraction, and a few beers) and sorts the totals in US dollars from cheapest to most expensive.
How the index works
Roger Wade launched Price of Travel in 2010 and added the Backpacker Index in 2011 to give budget travelers one comparable number per city. The same basket is priced in every city and summed into a single daily figure in USD. It updates once a year, so a city's rank reflects that year's data collection, not real-time pricing. Between updates, a currency swing can move a city up or down the list more than local prices actually changed.
Is it useful for digital nomads?
Use it as a first filter when you're scouting a new base on a tight budget. The world index plus the regional breakdowns (Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa/Middle East) let you see quickly which cities are genuinely cheap and which only look cheap because of that week's exchange rate. The caveat: the basket is built for backpackers (hostel bed, street food, one museum ticket, a couple of beers). It skips the monthly apartment, coworking desk, and SIM plan most working nomads budget around, so a city that ranks well here can still cost more than expected once you're renting instead of sleeping in a dorm. Cross-check it against Numbeo or Nomad List before you commit to a flight.
Pricing
Free. You don't need an account or an app, and there's no paywall. The site runs on display ads rather than subscriptions, so there's nothing to sign up for.
What works
- Covers more than 130 cities worldwide, plus regional indexes for Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa/Middle East
- Prices one fixed basket per city, so rankings compare like for like instead of self-reported averages
- Free, no account and no app needed
- Running since 2010 under travel writer Roger Wade, a longer track record than most crowd-sourced cost sites
What to watch
- Updates once a year, so rankings can lag real inflation or currency moves for months
- The basket models backpacker spending (hostel, street food, one attraction), not the monthly rent and coworking costs nomads actually pay
- No live data, filters, or personal budget calculator, just static annual index pages
Questions at the counter
What is the Price of Travel Backpacker Index?
A free annual ranking that prices a fixed daily basket (hostel, food, transport, one attraction, and drinks) across 130+ cities and sorts them cheapest to most expensive in US dollars. Price of Travel, run by travel writer Roger Wade, has been live since 2010.
Is Price of Travel accurate?
The methodology stays consistent (the same basket priced in every city), which makes city-to-city comparisons reasonably fair, but the data is a once-a-year snapshot, not live pricing. Between updates, exchange-rate swings can move a city's ranking more than actual local prices did.
How often is the Backpacker Index updated?
Annually. The current version reflects that year's data collection, so treat it as a general cheap-to-expensive guide rather than an up-to-the-week budget tool.
Is the Backpacker Index good for digital nomads or just backpackers?
It works as a first-pass filter for picking a cheap base, but the basket is built around hostel and street-food spending, not the monthly rent and coworking costs nomads actually pay. Pair it with Numbeo or Nomad List for a fuller monthly-budget picture.