Short answer: On the ground in Belize, plan on roughly $60–100 (BZ$120–200) per person per day on a hostel-and-street-food budget, $200–350 (BZ$400–700) in a beachfront or jungle hotel shared by two with a snorkel or cave tour most days, and from about $600 (BZ$1,200) for island resorts, jungle lodges and diving. A week therefore costs about $420–700, $1,400–2,450 or from about $4,200 per person, before flights. The Belize dollar is fixed at two to the US dollar, so converting is easy, and US dollars are accepted almost everywhere.
Belize is small, English-speaking and only two or three hours by air from the southern United States, but it is not a budget destination in the way its neighbors are. Much of what visitors come for, the reef, the cayes, the Maya caves and temples, is reached by boat or with a guide, and those tours are a big part of any budget. Island food and hotels also cost more than on the mainland. This guide breaks it all down with figures from official sources where they exist, so you can build a realistic budget for your own trip to Belize. All Belize dollar figures convert at the fixed rate of BZ$2 to US$1, set by the Central Bank of Belize, and our Money exchange tool converts them into any other currency.
Belize daily costs at a glance
These example days are built from the prices further down this page: one person, one day on Caye Caulker, Ambergris Caye or in the Cayo District. They leave out flights to Belize and souvenirs.
| Per person, per day | Budget | Mid-range | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed | Hostel dorm bed or a simple room on Caye Caulker or in San Ignacio: $20–40 | Half of a beachfront or jungle hotel double at $160–300: $80–150 | Half of an island resort or jungle lodge room: from about $300 |
| Food | Fry jacks, stew chicken with rice and beans, street food: $15–30 | Café lunch plus half of a BZ$100 ($50) dinner for two, and drinks: $50–80 | Resort dining with drinks: about $120 |
| Transport | Buses and a water taxi leg: $5–15 | Water taxis, taxis or a golf cart, or a share of an island flight: $15–40 | Island-hopper flights and private boats: about $80 |
| Sights | Swimming at the Split, a reserve with a small entry fee: $0–15 | A shared snorkel trip or cave tour: $55–80 | Diving, the Blue Hole or a private guide: from about $100 |
| Total | About $60–100 (BZ$120–200) | About $200–350 (BZ$400–700) | From about $600 (BZ$1,200) |
Reserve fees and tax rates are official; restaurant figures are typical October 2026 Belize City prices from the crowd-sourced Numbeo index, which has few reports for Belize; room, transport and tour figures are our typical ranges, the same ones used in our Belize guides. Treat them as typical ranges, not quotes, and check whether a price includes tax.
What visitors actually spend in Belize
The Belize Tourism Board counts visitors carefully, but its recent spending figures are published only in an interactive digest that we could not verify, so we do not quote one here. Its preliminary figures show 551,698 overnight visitors in 2025, up 0.8% on 2024, plus about 967,000 cruise passengers. For a small country of about 410,000 people, that is a lot of visitors, and prices in the main tourist areas reflect it.
On our Travel costs by country scale, which compares hotel, restaurant and transport prices with the United States (US = 100), Belize scores 59. In plain words, a typical room, meal or bus ride costs about 40% less than in the United States, more than in Guatemala (35) and less than in Mexico (69) on the same scale. In practice, island hotels, tours and imported goods often feel closer to US prices than the national average suggests, while mainland towns and buses are much cheaper.
Accommodation costs
Where you sleep sets most of your budget. As typical ranges:
- Hostels and simple guesthouses: about $20–40 for a dorm bed or basic room, most common on Caye Caulker and in San Ignacio.
- Mid-range hotels: about $160–300 for a double near the beach on the cayes or in Placencia, often less in San Ignacio.
- Resorts and jungle lodges: from several hundred dollars a night, often with meals, transfers or tours in packages.
Hotel rooms carry a 9% accommodation tax, collected for the Belize Tourism Board, and many hotels quote rates before it, so compare totals. Prices are highest from mid-December to April, especially at Christmas, New Year and Easter, and lowest from September to November.
Food and drink costs
Belizean home cooking is filling and good value: stew chicken with rice and beans, fry jacks for breakfast, panades and garnaches from street stands, and fresh seafood, with lobster in season from July to February. Numbeo’s October 2026 figures for Belize City show a meal at an inexpensive restaurant at about BZ$12.65 ($6.30) and a three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant, without drinks, at about BZ$100 ($50). A half-liter of local beer costs about BZ$5 ($2.50). Expect higher prices on Ambergris Caye and at resort restaurants, where much of the food is brought in.
Restaurant bills carry the 12.5% general sales tax (GST), and some restaurants add a service charge, so check the bill before tipping.
Getting around: water taxis, island flights and buses
- Water taxis: the main link between Belize City and the cayes, about 45 minutes to Caye Caulker and 1 hour 30 minutes to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, according to the San Pedro Belize Express. The same company runs a shuttle from the international airport to its Belize City terminal, about 25 minutes, for $25 per person plus $10 for each extra person.
- Island flights: Tropic Air flies from Belize City to San Pedro and Caye Caulker about every hour, and daily to Placencia, Dangriga and Punta Gorda; Maya Island Air also flies local routes. They cost more than boats but save hours on longer trips south.
- Buses: the cheapest way to cover the mainland, from Belize City west to San Ignacio and south to Dangriga and Punta Gorda. They are slow but very cheap.
- Golf carts and bikes: the way to get around Ambergris Caye; Caye Caulker is small enough to walk.
- Car hire: useful for Cayo and the south, with a few good highways; a 4×4 helps on unpaved roads to places such as the Cockscomb Basin.
Reef, park and site fees, and free things to do
Belize’s protected areas are run by government departments and co-managed by nonprofits such as the Belize Audubon Society. Reef and park fees are usually included in tour prices, but ask. As of October 2026:
| Place | Non-national fee | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Great Blue Hole Natural Monument | BZ$60 ($30) per day | Daily 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; day trips by boat from the cayes, Hopkins and Placencia |
| Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | BZ$10 ($5) per day | The world’s first jaguar preserve, with trails and waterfalls; daily 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. |
| Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley | Fee charged; usually included in snorkel tour prices | Belize’s first marine reserve, about 4 miles south of San Pedro |
| Xunantunich, Caracol and other Maya sites | Entry fees charged at the gate | Check current prices with the Institute of Archaeology |
The guided tours that take you there are the bigger cost: shared snorkel trips to Hol Chan, cave tubing, the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave, which can only be visited with a licensed guide, dive trips to the Blue Hole, and whale shark tours from Placencia between March and June. A simple way to budget is to list the two or three tours you most want first, ask operators for current prices including park fees and lunch, and then fill the rest of your days with cheaper beach, town and swimming time. For free fun, swim at the Split on Caye Caulker, walk Placencia’s sandy Sidewalk, and watch the sunset from a dock.
Taxes and visitor fees
- Hotel tax: 9% on accommodation.
- GST: the general sales tax is 12.5% on most goods and services.
- Exit fee: when you leave by air, departure taxes and fees are usually included in your ticket. Leaving by land or water to Mexico or Guatemala, you pay BZ$40 or $20 in cash at the border or port.
- Longer stays: visitors are normally given 30 days; each extra 30 days costs BZ$200 ($100) at an immigration office, according to the Immigration and Nationality Department.
- Reserve and park fees: see the table above.
Tipping in Belize
Tipping is customary in tourist areas. If the bill has no service charge, about 10% in restaurants is usual, and tour guides, boat captains and dive crews are commonly tipped at the end of the day. Our tip calculator does the sums for you, in Belize or US dollars.
Money-saving tips for Belize
- Stay on Caye Caulker rather than Ambergris for cheaper rooms and food on the same reef.
- Split your time between the cayes and the mainland, where San Ignacio’s hotels, food and buses cost much less. Our Belize itinerary shows how to combine them.
- Travel just after Easter or in early December, when prices start to fall but the weather is still good. See our best time to visit Belize guide.
- Take the water taxi rather than an island flight to the northern cayes, and the bus on the mainland.
- Choose shared tours and book them locally; pick one or two big trips, such as the Blue Hole or the ATM cave, rather than a tour every day.
- Know which dollar you are paying in. Prices may be in Belize or US dollars, and change is usually given in Belize dollars.
For help choosing where to go, see our list of the top places to visit in Belize, and if you want to add Tikal across the border, our Tikal National Park guide.
Plan your trip: our free trip planner can build a day-by-day plan for Belize from our guides, including Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker and Placencia. Then use the Money exchange tool to convert Belize dollars, and the Destination weather tool to pick your dates.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need for a week in Belize?
Using the example days above, seven days on the ground cost roughly $420–700 (BZ$840–1,400) per person on a tight budget, $1,400–2,450 (BZ$2,800–4,900) mid-range, and from about $4,200 (BZ$8,400) in comfort, before flights. Tours are the biggest variable, so decide early which ones you want.
Is Belize expensive?
For Central America, yes, on the islands. On our cost scale Belize scores 59 against 100 for the United States, but island hotels, food and boat tours can feel close to US prices. The mainland, especially San Ignacio, is much cheaper.
Do I need cash in Belize?
Yes, some. Cards work in most hotels, dive shops and larger restaurants, but street food, buses, small shops and tips are paid in cash. US dollars are accepted almost everywhere at two Belize dollars each, and change usually comes in Belize dollars.
Is there a departure tax in Belize?
If you fly out, departure taxes and fees are normally included in your ticket. If you leave by land or water to Mexico or Guatemala, you pay an exit fee of BZ$40 ($20) in cash.
What is the cheapest month to visit Belize?
September to November is the low season, with the lowest hotel rates and fewest visitors, but it is also the wettest time and the peak of hurricane season, and some businesses close for a few weeks. Late May and June, after the Easter rush, are a good compromise.
How much does it cost to visit the Great Blue Hole?
The entry fee for non-nationals is BZ$60 ($30) per day as of October 2026, set by the Belize Audubon Society, which co-manages the monument. Almost everyone goes on a full-day boat trip for diving or snorkeling, which costs much more; the fee is usually included in the tour price, so ask when you book.