Holiday budget calculator
Add up the real cost of a trip, including the transfers, insurance and spending money that never make it into the original budget.
How this is calculated
Flights are multiplied by the number of travellers. Accommodation is multiplied by nights, since you are usually paying for the room rather than the person.
Food and activities are per person per day, multiplied by both travellers and nights.
Transfers, insurance and extras are treated as whole-trip costs and added once.
The per-day figure divides the total by nights, which is the number worth comparing between destinations. Two cheap weeks somewhere expensive is often dearer than one week somewhere cheap.
Rates used · 2026/27
| Accommodation | per night, whole property |
| Food and activities | per person, per day |
| Transfers and insurance | once per trip |
| Currency conversion | not included, budget 2 to 3% on card spending |
Last checked July 2026. Source: HMRC and gov.uk.
Worked example
Two people for seven nights: £440 of flights, £770 of accommodation, £630 of food, £280 of activities and £255 of transfers, insurance and extras. That is £2,375 in total, £1,188 per person and £339 a day. The £255 of fixed costs is the part most people leave out of the original budget.
Common questions
What do people most often leave out?
Airport parking, hold luggage, seat selection, transfers at both ends, and the cost of eating at the airport before the flight. Together they routinely add a couple of hundred pounds to a family trip.
Should I add a contingency?
Ten per cent on top is a sensible cushion for a trip that is already fully costed. If the figures here are rough estimates rather than real quotes, make it twenty.
Does this handle currency conversion?
No. Enter everything in pounds. If you are paying in another currency, add two to three per cent for card and exchange fees.
How do I compare two destinations?
Use the per-day figure rather than the total. It strips out trip length and shows you which place is actually more expensive to be in.