Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
like
comedores
in Guatemala or
sodas
in Costa Rica. Basically, these are local restaurants serving up local
dishes that almost always include meat, rice, lots of fresh vegetables, and a fruit drink. You can eat that for
lunch and dinner easily every day.”
If you want really cheap food, you can find empanadas (fried pastries usually filled with meat, cheese,
or potatoes) for 50 cents USD. Not only are they cheap, but they are tasty—they were a staple on my trip
throughout Costa Rica. As Dani and Jessica continue to say, “In El Salvador,
pupusas
(similar to empanadas)
are a cheap and delicious meal to subsist on for budget travelers. Essentially they are stuffed corn tortillas
with either meat or beans and cheese, and then you load piles of a sort of pickled cabbage salad on top. Each
one costs 40 cents and you easily fill up on three.”
Additionally, premade plates of food (usually chicken or beef, rice, and tortillas) are often sold on local
buses during stops on longer trips, for about $2 USD.
If you want to cook your own food, you can head down to the local market and pick up enough fruit,
vegetables, meats, and dairy for around $15 USD per week. Many of the larger hostels and guesthouses have
kitchens for you to use, but it's not something I would always count on. Be sure to double-check with your
hostel/hotel before you book if you want to cook your own meals.
If you are looking to sit down at a restaurant that is slightly better than the local
sodas
, you can expect
to pay at least 25 percent more money for that food. A typical meal in a restaurant with table service costs
$6-10 USD for a main dish and a drink. A very nice meal in a tourist area will cost $12 USD and up.
As Marina Villatoro from travelexperta.com says, “Every single country has their own delicious and super-
cheap eateries. You can literally be fully fed with a fresh juice, salad, and a hearty meal and sometimes
dessert for less than $8 per person.”
Moving beyond the budget restaurant selection, you can still find very nice and inexpensive meals for
around $15 USD and up. I once spent $45 USD for a meal in Panama City. It was delicious, gourmet, and
filling, but it was also more money than I'd spent on food in the previous week.
If you are looking for Western food, you are going to pay a lot more. That burger, pasta, or pizza will
cost about three times as much as the local dishes. If you are craving a burger or pizza, expect to pay around
$10 USD for a meal with drink. As Dani and Jess from globetrottergirls.com both state, “In Central America
you can get your hands on anything you want from home—Swiss chocolate, German beer, French cheese,
Italian wine—but you'll have to pay for it.” As in Southeast Asia, the local cuisine here is so delicious and
filling that it's not worth spending the money on a bad and expensive version of what you can get back
home.
Central American food vendors and markets will save you all the money you need on eating. Stick to
them and you'll rarely spend more than $10 USD per day on food.
TRANSPORTATION
In the cities, city public buses are the cheapest and most convenient way to get around. Fares are less than a
dollar everywhere within the city limits.
Trains
Trains are not a method of travel in Central America. Though there are some freight trains that move cargo
in the region, you won't find an extensive passenger train network in any country (Belize doesn't even have
a train line of any kind). If there are trains, they usually run from the capital to one other major city and are
generally commuter trains. Trains to farther destinations are spotty and infrequent. For example, in Costa
