How Much Does a 3-Week Trip to Patagonia Cost?

We asked ourselves this question for a long time. Once we decided we wanted to explore Patagonia and that we had exactly three weeks for it (you can find our full itinerary here: 3 Weeks in Patagonia + Buenos Aires & Iguazu Falls – Our Travel Plan), the next step was figuring out the budget. Whenever we plan a big trip, we usually browse travel agency offers to get a rough idea of the costs. But this time, the prices shocked us — around 25,000 to 30,000 PLN per person, staying in hostels or campsites and traveling by bus. We knew Patagonia wasn’t a budget-friendly destination — after all, it’s literally “the end of the world” — but we didn’t expect it to be THAT expensive. And while we’re totally fine with staying in budget accommodations (we often do), renting a car is a convenience we never skip. It gives you total freedom when exploring, plus in a pinch, you can nap in the car or store all your things safely while sightseeing.
Since our priority is not traveling as cheaply as possible, but seeing as much as we can in a limited time, we were worried this trip might completely wreck our savings. But… it didn’t turn out as bad as we feared. It turns out that Patagonia is a destination where travel agencies apply a pretty high margin. Below, we share the actual costs of our trip. Could it be done cheaper? Of course! You could skip the rental car, hunt for cheaper flight deals (unfortunately, ours weren’t discounted), or even wait for a better exchange rate for the dollar. All these things can significantly lower your expenses. We simply want to give you a realistic idea of the costs and show you where you could potentially save some money. Treat this as a general guideline.

Argentina is much cheaper than Chile. So, if you want to save money, it’s better to spend more time on the Argentine side of Patagonia. However, flights from Europe are often cheaper to Santiago, Chile. So, if you’re not keen on visiting Buenos Aires, definitely search for flights to Santiago!

Below you’ll find a breakdown of our expenses — prices are for two people, in Polish zloty, for the period March–April 2023:

Was it expensive? Was it cheap? We’ll let you be the judge. 🙂 We’re happy with how it turned out — we managed to visit our dream destination for less than the amount we had saved for the trip. Want to plan your own Patagonia adventure? You’ll find all the details and practical tips in our e-book — 120 pages of useful information that will make organizing your trip so much easier!