1. 🇱🇦 Laos — The cheapest country in Southeast Asia
Laos is the cheapest country in a region famous for being cheap. At €28/day you get a guesthouse bed, three meals, local transport and a Beer Lao at sunset over the Mekong. The country is deliberately slow: Luang Prabang's Buddhist temples, the Kuang Si waterfalls and the 4,000 Islands in the south reward those who take their time. Tourism infrastructure is improving but Laos remains refreshingly uncommercialised.
2. 🇰🇭 Cambodia — Ancient wonders on a shoestring
Cambodia offers one of the world's great travel experiences — Angkor Wat and its surrounding temple complex — at budget prices. A €30/day budget covers a comfortable guesthouse, tuk-tuk transport, excellent Khmer food and a three-day Angkor pass. Beyond the temples, Phnom Penh's riverfront cafes and the south coast's quiet beaches make Cambodia a genuinely well-rounded destination.
3. 🇻🇳 Vietnam — The world's best food for €32/day
Vietnam may be the world's best-value food destination. A bowl of pho costs €1. A full banh mi costs €0.50. A fresh coffee with condensed milk is €0.80. And the quality is extraordinary. Beyond the food, Vietnam packs incredible variety into one north-to-south trip: rice terraces in Sapa, the bay of Halong, the ancient streets of Hoi An, the Mekong Delta. At €32/day it's one of the world's great travel bargains.
4. 🇬🇪 Georgia — Europe's cheapest country
Georgia is the standout budget destination in Europe or its immediate neighbourhood. At €35/day you can eat extraordinarily well (khinkali dumplings, churchkhela, freshly baked shoti bread), stay in a comfortable guesthouse and explore a country that has Caucasus mountain scenery, ancient cave cities, Black Sea beaches and a wine culture that predates the Roman Empire — all visa-free for 95+ nationalities.
5. 🇦🇱 Albania — Riviera beaches at €35/day
Albania is remarkable for what you get at this price: Adriatic and Ionian beaches that rival Greece and Croatia, a UNESCO-listed Ottoman old town in Gjirokastër, the Blue Eye spring, and the Albanian Alps which are among Europe's most dramatic mountain landscapes. The country is rapidly improving its infrastructure while keeping prices at a level that makes its neighbours look expensive. A rare combination.
6. 🇧🇴 Bolivia — South America's best-value adventure
Bolivia is South America's cheapest country and one of its most dramatic. The Salar de Uyuni salt flats are one of earth's most surreal landscapes. Lake Titicaca sits at 3,800m and feels like the roof of the world. La Paz's urban chaos at 3,640m altitude is genuinely memorable. Budget travellers can cover all of this comfortably at €35/day. The altitude takes adjustment — give yourself time.
7. 🇮🇳 India — The subcontinent on a shoestring
India is one of the world's most complex and rewarding travel destinations, and at €38/day it remains accessible to almost any budget. The range is staggering: Rajasthan's desert forts, Kerala's backwaters, Himalayan trekking in Ladakh, the beaches of Goa, the chaos and colour of Varanasi. India is not always easy, but it is always unforgettable. Start with one region rather than trying to cover everything.
8. 🇵🇭 Philippines — 7,641 islands, €35/day
The Philippines offers some of the world's best island scenery — Palawan's El Nido, the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, the white sand of Boracay, world-class diving in Tubbataha — at prices that make it extraordinary value. The main challenge is inter-island travel (domestic flights or ferries), but once you're where you want to be, a €35/day budget covers you very comfortably.
9. 🇲🇦 Morocco — North Africa, one hour from Europe
Morocco is the most accessible budget destination for European travellers: a 2-hour flight from most major cities, no visa required, and a daily cost of ~€40. The medinas of Marrakech, Fez and Chefchaouen are among the most atmospheric urban environments in the world. The Sahara is a short bus ride from Merzouga. The Atlas Mountains offer excellent trekking. And the food — tagine, couscous, pastilla — is extraordinary.
10. 🇨🇴 Colombia — South America's rising star
Colombia's transformation over the past two decades is one of travel's great stories. Medellín — once one of the world's most dangerous cities — is now a byword for urban innovation. Cartagena's walled old city is among Latin America's most beautiful. The coffee region (Eje Cafetero) is lush and welcoming. At €40/day Colombia offers an exceptional quality-to-cost ratio for the South America first-timer.
How to keep costs down anywhere
- Eat where locals eat — street food and local restaurants are almost always cheaper and better than tourist spots
- Use overnight trains or buses to combine transport with accommodation costs
- Travel in shoulder season (one month before/after peak) for lower prices on flights and hotels
- Get a local eSIM instead of international roaming — data abroad is one of the most overpaid travel expenses
- Use Destio's daily cost per country to plan your total trip budget before booking