Peru Bolivia on $19/Day: 21-Day Shoestring Lima to La Paz

A backpacking bolivia and peru budget covering Lima, Cusco, Arequipa, and La Paz fits 4 cities across 2 countries into three weeks. That works out to roughly 5.2 days per stop, enough time to settle into each city without rushing to the next bus station. At the brokepackr level, daily costs average $19/day, covering the cheapest hostel dorm beds (averaging $5/night), street food and self-catering ($3/day), and local transport ($1/day). The price gap between the cheapest city (La Paz at $9.63/day) and the priciest (Lima at $12.28/day) is worth planning around. All prices on this page are in USD.

The cheapest dorm beds city by city: La Paz at $4.33/night, Cusco at $4.71/night, Arequipa at $4.86/night, Lima at $5.49/night. Street food and market meals average $3/day for the route. La Paz is the cheapest place to eat at $2.65/day, while Lima runs $3.40/day for street food and self-catering. Inter-city ground transport for the full route comes to $338 to $457, sticking to the cheapest bus options and booking in advance. Adding it up: 21 days of dorm beds, street food, local transport, and inter-city travel comes to roughly $407 to $863 before international flights, stretching every dollar.

Pairing Peru and Bolivia creates genuine variety. Each country brings different food traditions, transit systems, and price points, giving the route a sense of progression rather than repetition. The Cusco to Arequipa connection takes just 5 hours by shuttle, and the cheapest leg (Cusco to Arequipa) starts at $11 by bus. The route trends cheaper as it goes, starting at $12.28/day in Lima and dropping to $9.63/day by La Paz. All stops align for April through October travel, when drier conditions and moderate temperatures make each city more walkable and enjoyable.

April through October is the recommended window, balancing good weather with reasonable hostel availability. Avoid January when conditions are less favorable for overland travel. The cost table below breaks down exactly what each city costs per day, sorted so the cheapest stop (La Paz) stands out immediately. Below that, the transport section shows pricing and duration for every city-to-city connection on the route. Toggle between the brokepackr, backpackr, and flashpackr tiers to see how costs shift at each spending level.