Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂
This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and one 60-pound dog (we adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019). Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups and extensive care, we return to the US East Coast.
The first two weeks of December, Mark, Maya, and I still stayed in Airbnbs in Cartagena, like the majority of November, to wait for our camper’s arrival from Texas. This was followed by a night in a hotel close to the port where we picked up our truck camper, Thirsty Bella, on the evening of the 14th. Rule #1 in developing countries, “Do not drive at night,” was immediately disregarded. We didn’t have a choice. Luckily, nothing was hit or damaged on that first drive.
(As always, click on or hover over photos in the galleries to read their captions.)
We paid for all these nights with credit card points, depleting our account, leaving us with no buffer for a break from the road in the future. All because we had to wait two extra weeks for our vehicle. Oh well. We were beyond happy and relieved to be reunited with our home on wheels.
After spending the first night on a hot and humid parking lot, we put in many more miles to reach Mompox, a World Heritage Site, for another night at a hotel. It was too uncomfortable to sleep in the camper. The other accommodation expenses went to campsites without hookups (just parking, sometimes with the availability of showers, toilets, a shared kitchen, and a laundry machine), which seem to range between $2 and $4 a person per night. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but $8 a night does add up for us, so we try to combine free camping andcampgrounds.
December was the first decent expense month since Mexico in February. We stayed under $1,000 for the three of us. The highest categories, “groceries” and “car,” were close, but not that crazy.
What we saved in groceries, we spent in eating out, by the looks of it. Again, this pastime in Colombia is affordable, but $8 dinners also add up after a while. Another balancing act is needed.
We did cover a bit of ground in those first two weeks on the road, but with gasoline at $2 a gallon, we don’t worry too much. The $40 insurance (SOAT) cost covers our vehicle for liability for three months. Our cost for tolls was actually higher than stated – amazing how many toll roads (Northern) Colombia has, and they’re expensive all things considered – but we received a refund for our toll device and credit we returned to Massachusetts before leaving the country.
The gift category should fall away next month. As usual, I created and shipped calendars to my family in Belgium and the US. Each month of the year exhibits a photo of the two or three of us in a different location. This way, we are somewhat present in the households of our loved ones. And we bought small Christmas gifts for our new friends Sheri and Jeff, whom we met up with several times over the last two months.
Propane is cheaper in Colombia than in the States, but it is a pain to obtain nevertheless. That’s why we changed our propane fridge out for an electric one that efficiently works on our solar panels. This way, a full propane tank (20 pounds), used only for cooking and heating, should last months instead of weeks. For internet, we still use a Google Fi global data plan, but we already have been warned this will be suspended next month, so we will need to find another, local solution in each country. We’ve been working on that.
I’d say our alcohol consumption was average last month, despite it being the holidays. Beer and rum are cheaper than what we purchase in the US, wine is similar in price. The only reason there is a clothing expense is because Amazon messed up one of the refunds before we left. Therefore, we were recharged for a pair of jeans.
We didn’t plan on buying dog food for Maya in Cartagena, since we carried plenty of it with us on the plane, enough for the expected three weeks there, plus an extra Ziploc bag in case four weeks of waiting were required. Not five, though. Luckily, we found food that she wasn’t allergic to and once Thirsty Bella arrived, carrying heaps of dogfood, Maya could go back on her usual diet. The meds we bought are herbal drops that should calm her down during all the stress and anxiety from Colombia’s daily firecrackers, bottle rockets, and fireworks.
Our drinking out cost is negligible – we usually prefer to have happy hour at home – and the low entertainment amount went to the entrance fee of Los Estoraques National Park in Playa de Belen, where we camped for almost a week as well.
Last month, we managed to only pay $2 for water, a donation to a friendly and helpful family along the way, and do laundry for free at the Airbnbs we stayed at.
The total amount for shipping our truck camper from Texas to Colombia was $5,500, which is not included in this report as it is a one-time cost. Because moving our vehicle between continents was so expensive, we plan on making our time here worthwhile. A few years of slow travel should do it! 🙂
Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.
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January 13, 2023 at 16:47
Even with the snafus, you still managed an expense report under a thousand dollars. Perhaps the rate of exchange where you stayed was lower than in mainland USA.
I’m guessing your next expense report will more accurately reflect what it takes to live in Colombia. By the way, your menus look appetizing, the scenery wonderful! 😀
January 14, 2023 at 14:44
Hi Marian,
Mark and I eat pretty well. We actually stopped eating out for a bit, because what we cook is usually much healthier than the local fare. I’ll be curious to see the expenses for January, once the month is over. It should, indeed, be more accurate about the price of Colombian life and camping.
In Colombia the currency is COP or Colombian pesos, at a rate of 5,000 to 1. I probably should have mentioned that in the post. The currency has devaluated quite a bit lately. Only six months ago, it was 3,500 pesos to 1 dollar. Therefore, prices are going up a bit here, but it’s still a very affordable country for us.
January 13, 2023 at 17:53
I think it’s miraculous that your accommodations were so cheap (I’m embarrassed to tell you the price of the last Airbnb we stayed at.) and $8.00 for camping or food also sounds like a bargain to me. Of course, as you say, when you’re used to boondocking, those expenses can add up.
January 14, 2023 at 14:52
The price for our Airbnb rentals in Cartagena were between $10 and $40 a night. These included airco in one room and cold showers. Although the owner of the $10 apartment has raised her price to $15/night now. The hotel we stayed at in Mompox, with AC and cold showers, cost $10 a night but my guess is that most tourists would prefer something less basic and more comfortable. 🙂
We are okay paying $8/night for camping once in a while, especially when there is an extra benefit, like staying close to hiking trails or an interesting town or attraction. Mind you that hotel rooms in small villages cost the same.
If it’s just to take a day off from traveling, we’d rather not pay anything for camping. Thing is that we are self-contained as well and don’t need the usual facilities at campgrounds (toilets, showers, communal kitchen) except the occasional washing machine.
Just to put things in perspective: paying $8/night for camping for a month (which is just a spot to park our vehicle) would cost us $248, while you can rent a small house for $200 a month.
January 13, 2023 at 20:20
I am so glad your camper arrived and you are back to ‘normal’. Now the real excitement begins, doesn’t it?
January 14, 2023 at 14:53
Oh yes, Jacqui, the excitement has began! In good and not so good ways. But that’s the life of an adventurer. 🙂
January 14, 2023 at 00:25
Hi, Liesbet, Mark and Maya – The three of you continue to have my full admiration. Your Christmas meals look especially wonderful! I look forward to following your adventures ahead!
January 14, 2023 at 14:54
Thanks for the continued interest and excitement about our journey, Donna. Our home-cooked meals have been amazing – tasty, healthy, and filling – but for a moment there, we thought the entire Christmas period would be a flop… (See my Facebook posts.)
January 14, 2023 at 00:56
Wow! Great read and all I can feel to say is WELL DONE!! Be Hapoy❣️❣️❣️❣️
January 14, 2023 at 14:56
Thanks, Carol. We are happy campers in Colombia at the moment. Apart from the stray bottle rockets and firecrackers still. Soon… peace and tranquility will return. Or so we have been told. 🙂
January 14, 2023 at 03:54
Impressive how you managed to stay under one thousand dollars, even with all the extra weeks waiting and paying for accommodation. You guys are amazing.
I am fascinated by your travels in SA, very exciting to follow along.
January 14, 2023 at 14:57
Hi Gilda,
We are hoping to get the monthly amount down quite a bit. We will see what January brings. I can’t believe we are two weeks in already. I’m glad you enjoy following along!
January 14, 2023 at 09:16
Liesbet, looks like you guys are off like a herd of turtles – take it slow and easy. I don’t want to miss a thing!
January 14, 2023 at 15:00
Haha. Maybe we should have named our camper “Thirsty Turtle.” 🙂 When you travel like we do, it’s important to take things slowly and stop to rest once in a while. As you know, being constantly on the go is extremely exhausting. I’ve had travel burnout once and I hope to not repeat that.
January 14, 2023 at 13:13
Wow, under $1,000 – you did it! That’s amazing. You must be so relieved to be back in your “home on wheels”.
The rock formations in that national park are spectacular! Does most of the local landscape look like that, or is it an unusual landform?
January 14, 2023 at 15:03
Hi Diane,
In the town surrounding this national park, there were many rock formations like these, but more spread out. The park had them concentrated in bigger groups.
The scenery in Colombia has been quite diverse. Most of the country is lush and mountainous, which we are experiencing now. The drives are pretty, but very windy, so I get car sick a lot. I really ought to crank out more blog posts, so I can start posting photos of our sights and attractions here. It’s a gorgeous region.
January 14, 2023 at 13:38
You are living on the cheap. Yes, might as well stay as long as possible. Is it impossible to drive back or just not safe?
January 14, 2023 at 15:05
Hi Alex,
There is no road connecting Central and South America. The infamous and impassible (by vehicle) Darien Gap is in between. So, driving back to the US is not an option. And we doubt we want to go through the shipping process and cost again…
January 14, 2023 at 14:16
Coming in under $1,000, even in Columbia, is amazing. I hope that those herbal drops wok for Maya… maybe I should take them the next time I’m in Mexico 🙂
January 14, 2023 at 15:09
Haha, Janis. I can tell you what the product is called. The liquid comes in small bottles and in Colombia their cost is $1.50 a piece. We are still on our first bottle, after giving her ten drops twice a day for a month. There are still stray fireworks happening and three days ago, they lasted all night again, just from private residences around us. There wasn’t even a town close by. Sigh.
Tonight, we are parked around a small square in a sleepy village. But, when visiting the cute church, we saw people were decorating the pews. So, I asked: “Will there be a wedding tonight?” “Yes!” But they assured me there won’t be any fireworks. Another choice to make and a risky preposition to stay!
January 15, 2023 at 09:04
Well done with your budget, Liesbet. A few years in SA would give you time to explore SA in depth. I really enjoyed my time when I was there. Look forward to following your adventures.
January 19, 2023 at 16:54
Hi Natalie,
We are looking forward to experiencing South America in depth, but it will all depend on how long our visas and car paperwork are valid for each country. So far, we are making the most out of Colombia and are in the midst of applying for a three-month extension. 🙂
January 15, 2023 at 12:18
Things are seriously cheap in Columbia! Good job! I can’t believe how cheap gas is. As you know gas is one of the most expensive things about Mexico.
We are spending a lot more here in Mexico for convenience and peace of mind. Tolls can be really expensive here but sometimes we have no choice and sometimes we are in a hurry. I’d almost always rather take the non-toll roads – but we are a bit smaller than you and it easier to get through little towns.
Is there no place to buy water in Columbia besides from local people?
I love that National Park! What a great place to camp.
We were in a campground with a woman from the Netherlands who makes a calender for her family every year. Of course, it made me think of you.
I hate it about Google Fi. They may cut us off too. I haven’t gotten an email but when I went on to the app there was a big warning. I’m not going to worry about it until I get an email. It’s a big disappointment after I’ve been with them for over 5 years. We can certainly get a Telcel card but I’m going to miss that 50 gigs of data.
I need to go finish my expense report.
Que vayan bien!
January 19, 2023 at 17:03
Hi Duwan,
When we were in Mexico, we rarely took toll roads and even though the distances weren’t that long, it took forever to get somewhere due to the road conditions, traffic, and topes. Here in Colombia it’s hit or miss. But if we put our minds around a slow day of driving on dirt or mountain roads, it’s easier to deal with. 🙂
The water situation here is different than Mexico. There are no agua purificada places. We need to find a town where the water is potable and then find a spigot where we can fill our tanks. Sometimes, this is possible at a campground. Other times, like last time, we hunted for a fuel station until we found a tap that we were comfortable with (water from a cistern) and filled up there, with water and fuel.
We try to top off whenever we can, so we still haven’t figured out how long we can actually go with our two tanks (48 gallons) full. Also, we have been sloped when filling up, meaning the tank wasn’t totally full. It’s tricky business, but water is the only commodity we need to do some effort for.
Yep, a bummer about Google Fi, especially for you guys. We have not found it very effective here in Colombia. Very slow most of the time. We now have a Claro SIM card and the service is faster and cheaper. We will probably suspend our Fi account in a week or so, since they won’t give any refunds. So, we will keep using it for Netflix to not chew through our Colombian data.
Looking forward to reading your expense report.
January 15, 2023 at 15:46
I’m glad to hear you’re all reunited with your home and everything you need to be comfortable and happy. And it sounds like, once the initial crazy expenses smooth out, things will be much easier. Moving and starting over is always pricey, but once you really get settled, things should stabilize. The firecrackers would be super problematic for us too. Definitely a downside, but a very solvable problem when you live in a home that has wheels!
January 19, 2023 at 17:09
Hi Laura,
We are hoping that throughout this year, we can get the expenses down to about $800 a month, to eventually account for the transportation costs.
In other cases, I tend to agree with you – when there’s a place we don’t like or is uncomfortable, we can drive elsewhere. Certainly an advantage of having a home on wheels.
In the case of fireworks, firecrackers, and bottle rockets, however this is not the solution. Unlike in western countries, where one can anticipate fireworks (national holiday, Independence Day, New Year’s Eve), here in Colombia, they are prominent every day between December 15th and January 15th.
Outside of those dates, and all the other holidays and saint celebrations, they are also present during weddings, birthdays, other personal celebrations, and just for fun. The bottom line is that the booms and bangs can happen anywhere at any time. Crazy stuff…
But, right now we are at a record time of 72 hours without any explosions! Maya is a happy camper again. 🙂
January 16, 2023 at 18:07
You guys are the amazing budgeters, even in a world where everything has become so ridiculously expensive. I should think your money will go a much longer way in Colombia. Kudos to you both! <3
January 19, 2023 at 17:11
Hi Debby,
Yes, Colombia is very affordable for us. Especially when it comes to fuel and splurging more often with a meal out. 🙂 The trick is to keep it local as well and eat/go what and where the Colombians eat.
January 19, 2023 at 17:24
Excellent plan. Follow the locals! 🙂 xx
January 18, 2023 at 06:47
I hope you guys find some good wi-fi deals before the current one expires. I hate to think we won’t be hearing from you because of no wi-fi, although I guess you could use public wi-fi (if available and safe to do so?)
So am I right in saying that fireworks go off all night and day? My two dogs are terrified of the noise of fireworks. I’ve tried herbal drops and comfort blankets, but they don’t seem to work. Good to hear that the herbal drops work for calming down Maya.
Some of the food position sizes look huge. they remind me of the position sizes for meals while in the states. I was surprised to hear that wine is similarly priced to that in the USA. But good to hear that it won’t be as expensive to fill up thirty Bella.
Good to hear you’re off to a great South American journey. Happy travels, Liesbet.
January 19, 2023 at 17:19
Hi Hugh,
Thanks for the travel wishes.
We finally managed to get a local SIM card (and have someone register our phones, which is a requirement in Colombia), which provides us with faster and cheaper data service. I think it’s probably possible to go to libraries and use their WiFi, but we’ve gotten spoiled by getting online from the comfort of our home. 🙂
During December and January, it’s not so much that the fireworks go off all day and night, except on the big days like Christmas, NYE, and New Year’s Day, yes they go off constantly then, launched by different families, cities, churches… which is why we usually avoid towns during that time of the year. On other days, private parties just shoot them off whenever they feel like it. Sometimes, there are salvos, sometimes there are hours in between launches. Sometimes it comes from close by and sometimes further away.
Also, fireworks are popular during weddings, birthdays, celebrations of patron saints, … so the noise can happen at any time and anywhere throughout the year. It’s hard to avoid those moments as they are unpredictable.
Wine is the same price here as what we paid in the US, because we only bought bottles of our favorite red blend and Chardonnay there at a store called Trader Joe’s and at $3.99 or $4.99. 🙂
January 18, 2023 at 17:39
Your budget will be dramatically less in Colombia as in the rest of South America. What are you doing for health care? You can do pay as you go as the cost verses the US is incredibly cheaper and excellent quality. See you soon!
January 19, 2023 at 17:21
We are looking forward to some affordable months and years down here, Susan. We only have our Massachusetts healthcare, which is free, so we will have to fly back for something serious. Otherwise, we will just use local services as we have done in other countries like Mexico and French Polynesia.
See you in two or three weeks!
January 19, 2023 at 17:47
We have been using Assist Card for all our International Health Coverage Travels. Colombia based company. We have a yearly policy. Only good for 30 days in a calendar year for US. Other countries no time limit. We used them once and got reimbursed within 48 hours. We can set you up with our Colombian Insurance agent or you can buy direct. Totally recommend Assist Card, https://www.assistcard.com/co, and our agent.
January 19, 2023 at 18:08
Thanks, Susan! We will have a look at that. Another topic to talk about in person. 🙂
January 21, 2023 at 12:43
This was a very interesting insight into the cost of nomad lift. Thanks for sharing 🙂
January 22, 2023 at 10:24
You are very welcome. Soon, I’ll post our annual expense report for 2022.