How much does it cost to eat on the Camino de Santiago?

Mercado de Abastos (Santiago de Compostela) - kateafter/iStock

If some people still do not decide to do the Camino de Santiago, it is because they do not know the exact amount of money they need to complete it. To solve this uncertainty we have to analyze different aspects of the path itself, such as the distance or the time we have to do it, as well as other aspects such as food and its price in each town that we are going to cross.

How much does it cost to eat on the Camino de Santiago?

The cost of meals is, together with the cost of accommodation, the most important part of the budget to take into account. To calculate it, we must first know the different options that we have in addition to taking into account that there are three minimum meals that we will have to eat along the way and that they can be adapted according to the needs of each one.

If we focus on breakfast, we have 2 options to choose from: buy breakfast at the supermarket or go to a cafeteria for breakfast. The first option is more profitable if we are a somewhat large group since we will be able to distribute, however not if one goes alone since it will waste much of the food. Buying a liter of milk for one person does not make up for the budget, so it is better to have breakfast in the cafeteria for the average 2 euros it costs per person.

With regard to food, we must know that in any Jacobean route there are inns, taverns, bars and restaurants where we can stop to gather strength to continue with the stage. Each of them will have a different price average so it is better to compare a little before finding the most suitable for us. In most of them there is the popular menu of the day or even the pilgrim's menu, of approximately 10 euros in both cases.

The last meal of the day would be dinner, in which we have many more options when it comes to saving money. On the one hand we can go to a supermarket and buy something light for dinner, while on the other we can buy something simple like a sandwich in an establishment. In the latter case we can set about 8 euros of expense since there are many simple dishes available for that price. This amount may be less if we buy dinner in a supermarket, however we must bear in mind that we will also need some snack, so it is better to establish 10 euros on average.

Once we have analyzed the average cost of daily meals, we will know that we will need approximately 22 euros a day to be able to eat correctly on the Camino de Santiago. If we plan to do the Camino de Santiago in a week it would mean a total of approximately 154 euros per person.

Can you bring food to the Camino de Santiago?

Pilgrims can take the food they want to the Camino de Santiago, however they will have to take some aspects into account. When carrying a large amount of food in the backpack, this can weigh more, which will pose a risk to our health and will make us more tired. In the case of carrying little food or smaller foods such as nuts, we would not have this problem, however we should analyze if we really need them for the Camino.

Another factor to take into account is the expiration of the food. It makes no sense to bring food that we know we will have to throw away the next day, so it is best to analyze what we really need for the journey. A bottle for water, for example, is something necessary to go through each stage and will even help us regain strength when it comes to overcoming them.

Can I eat at the hostels?

In most of the hostels on the Camino de Santiago we will not find a food service as if it were an inn or a restaurant, however there are other services at our disposal. In almost all public hostels there is a space for cooking, something that many pilgrims take advantage of to save on the budget.

If we want to take advantage of this service, especially in the case of dinner, we must bear in mind that these spaces will not have all the equipment or electronic devices to which we are used. In most cases, you will have the right things to make quick meals, such as sandwiches, pasta or salads, and we will be the ones who will have to bring our own utensils. A saucepan and some biodegradable cutlery are the best option for these cases.