Winter 2016: Cost Breakdown

Whenever I travel, one of the first things friends will ask is how much it cost me. The misconception is that travelling is very expensive. No doubt, it is expensive, but with proper budgeting that is carefully tailored to your own needs and capability, travelling is possible without burning a large hole in the pocket.

So I decided to share couple of numbers on how much my recent 3 night trip to Tokyo cost. Based on my pictures, how much would you think it has cost me? Make a guess.

So here's a pie chart on the break down of stuff I have spent on, categorised under six different categories - Transport, Food, Shopping, Accommodation, Flight and Miscellaneous.

The answer to my earlier question is S$1,229.49. And yes, its all in, including flight, accommodation and tax.

I did mention that my Flight on Delta was $540.00. That takes up 43.9% of the total cost (almost half!) Don't forget that this is for a 3 night trip. Should it be a week stay, the same $540.00 may end up taking up only 30% of the pie or even lesser.

Naturally, Accommodation takes up the next highest share of the pie. At 21.7%, it is almost similar to that of Shopping. Accommodation is almost always lower when you travel in pairs and share the room as well as its cost. I don't usually spend a lot on shopping. But this time around, I spend a little bit on shopping for trading purposes.

Similarly, most places I go to, I do not spend much on Food because most cities I go to do not have Halal food readily. Which is why, Food only takes up 8.9% of the pie. If you are a foodie, your percentage for food will potentially be higher.

The smallest (miscellaneous not included) here happens to be Transport. At 4.6%, it is only S$56.81. Note that this is not always the case. As I was only in the immediate Tokyo area, transport is not costly. Should there be inter-city trains or rail passes involved, this category will naturally take up a bigger percentage.

So why again am I sharing the cost breakdown? Other than to say that travelling may not necessarily burn a hole in your pocket, it is also to share how much money goes to what in a typical trip. And if you know which segment takes up a big portion of your expenses, you will do well in keeping that particular cost down.

Good luck budgeting and have fun travelling!