Enter your trip budget, home and destination currencies, and trip length to see your converted budget and daily spending allowance.
This tool converts your trip budget to your destination currency using a live exchange rate, then divides it by your trip length to show a daily spending allowance.
Trip budget: From:
Destination currency:
Number of days:
How It Works
This tool converts your trip budget to your destination currency using a live exchange rate, then divides it by your trip length to show a daily spending allowance.
How to Use This Tool
- Enter your total trip budget.
- Choose your home currency and destination currency.
- Enter the number of days for your trip.
- Click Calculate to see your converted budget and daily allowance.
Live rates are pulled from public exchange-rate data at the moment you click Calculate; your bank or card issuer will likely apply a different rate plus their own fees.
The formulas: converted budget = trip budget × exchange rate, and daily allowance = converted budget ÷ number of days.
Worked example (rate is for illustration only): you plan to spend 1,500 US dollars on a 10-day trip to a country that uses euros, and 1 dollar buys 0.92 euros. Your converted budget is 1,500 × 0.92 = 1,380 euros, and your daily allowance is 1,380 ÷ 10 = 138 euros a day.
How to Build a Realistic Trip Budget
A daily allowance works best when the total behind it is realistic. Before you enter your number, decide what the budget covers. Flights are usually paid in advance, so many travelers leave them out and budget only for spending at the destination. Then split the rest into categories:
- Lodging: Often the largest single cost, so price it first.
- Food and drink: Estimate a daily amount, and remember that restaurant prices vary widely between neighborhoods.
- Local transport: Trains, buses, taxis, and airport transfers.
- Activities and souvenirs: Tickets, tours, and gifts.
- A buffer: Setting aside roughly 10% to 15% for surprises is a common rule of thumb.
Once you have the daily allowance in local currency, it becomes much easier to judge prices on the spot. A 25 euro lunch means something different when you know your daily food target is 40.
Did You Know?
- The mid-market exchange rate (the one shown by tools like this) is typically better than the rate offered by airport currency exchanges or many banks.
- Setting a daily spending allowance before a trip is a common budgeting technique to avoid overspending in an unfamiliar currency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this include bank or card fees?
No, this shows the live mid-market rate only; actual fees vary by bank, card network, and payment method.
Can I use this for more than one destination currency?
Run the calculation again with a different destination currency for each leg of a multi-country trip.
Should I pay with cash or a card abroad?
It depends on where you are going and the fees involved. Cards are widely accepted in many places, but small vendors and some regions still prefer cash. Check your card's foreign transaction fees and your bank's ATM fees before you leave, and use the Exchange Rate Fee Checker afterward to see what you actually paid.
What if the exchange rate changes before my trip?
Rates move daily. If your trip is weeks or months away, recalculate closer to your departure date, and consider adding a small buffer to your budget in case the rate moves against you.
Does the daily allowance include lodging?
Only if you included lodging in the budget you entered. If your accommodation is already paid, subtract it from the budget first so the daily figure shows only what is left to spend.