Categories: Must ReadUnique Places to Visit

How to Eat Well and Cheap While Traveling

Traveling opens up a world of experiences, and food is one of the most unforgettable parts of the journey. But eating out for every meal can quickly drain your travel budget — especially in tourist-heavy destinations. The good news? You don’t have to sacrifice taste, quality, or cultural experience just to save money. With the right strategies, you can eat deliciously, nutritiously, and affordably anywhere in the world.

Key Takeaways

Street food offers some of the best value and flavor
Markets and supermarkets are budget-friendly meal solutions
Accommodations with kitchens can save hundreds
Eating like a local often costs less and tastes better
Digital tools can guide you to affordable hidden gems

Why Budget Eating Matters on the Road

For most travelers, food is one of the top three trip expenses — along with accommodation and transportation. But food is also central to cultural immersion. The dishes, ingredients, and meal customs of a place reveal as much about its identity as museums or monuments.

Eating well on a budget isn’t about cutting corners — it’s about spending smarter. The goal is to enjoy each meal while avoiding overpriced tourist traps or low-quality fast food. Whether you’re backpacking on $30 a day or just looking to make your vacation money go further, eating cheap and well is an essential travel skill.

Start by Thinking Like a Local

Tourists often eat differently than locals. While visitors line up at the main square restaurants, locals go to neighborhood joints, cook at home, or grab quick meals from markets.

To eat well and cheap, you have to look where locals look:

Residential street cafés
Food courts in non-touristy malls
Market stalls
Grocery stores
Corner bakeries
University canteens

Learn a few basic phrases to ask about local dishes, check daily specials, and see where the crowds go. If a place is full of locals — especially during lunchtime — it’s usually a sign of good value.

Embrace the World of Street Food

Street food isn’t just cheap — it’s vibrant, flavorful, and incredibly diverse. In places like Thailand, Mexico, Vietnam, and Morocco, it’s where the real culinary magic happens.

Advantages of eating street food:

Freshly made right in front of you
Portion sizes are customizable
Great way to try new things without committing to full dishes
Often under $5 per meal

Tips for safe street food eating:

Look for busy stalls (high turnover = fresh food)
Observe cleanliness — vendors using gloves or tongs are a good sign
Avoid items that sit uncovered in the sun
Choose hot over cold foods
If unsure, stick to cooked meats and avoid raw seafood or unpeeled fruits

Visit Local Markets

Markets are some of the most exciting places to explore, both visually and gastronomically. In most cities, markets offer:

Fresh produce
Baked goods
Cheese and meats
Prepared meals
Local snacks and delicacies

You can assemble an entire meal at the market for a fraction of the restaurant price. For example, a baguette, local cheese, fruit, and a drink in Paris might cost under €5 and be far more satisfying than a tourist café lunch.

Pro tip: Visit toward closing time when vendors are more likely to offer discounts to clear out remaining stock.

Book Accommodations with Kitchens

Having access to a kitchen — or at least a microwave and fridge — completely changes the way you eat while traveling. Instead of eating out three times a day, you can cook basic meals or prep snacks.

Good options include:

Hostels with communal kitchens
Airbnb apartments
Budget guesthouses or extended-stay hotels
Co-living spaces

Simple meals you can prepare:

Breakfast: eggs, toast, fruit
Lunch: sandwiches, pasta, stir-fry
Dinner: rice and beans, local vegetables, curry or soup
Snacks: trail mix, boiled eggs, fresh fruit

Cooking one or two meals per day can save you $15–$40 daily depending on location.

Use Grocery Stores and Convenience Shops

Grocery stores abroad are cultural adventures of their own. You’ll find unique snacks, drinks, and ready-to-eat meals at much lower prices than restaurants.

Great items to look for:

Pre-made sandwiches
Instant noodles or rice bowls
Fresh or dried fruit
Bakery items
Yogurt, cheese, cured meats
Local sodas or juices

In countries like Japan or South Korea, convenience stores like 7-Eleven or FamilyMart are famous for high-quality, affordable meals — perfect for travelers on the move.

Leverage Food Apps and Local Review Sites

Technology makes it easy to eat well on a budget. With the right apps, you can find cheap, well-rated spots that locals love — and skip overpriced traps.

Recommended tools:

Google Maps – Filter by price, rating, and type of cuisine
HappyCow – Great for finding vegetarian or vegan spots
TripAdvisor – For menus and user-submitted prices
Yelp – Especially useful in the US
Too Good To Go – Get end-of-day surplus food from bakeries and cafés at 50–70% off
Zomato – Popular in India and the Middle East

Also, browse Facebook travel groups and Reddit communities for insider recommendations in your destination.

Eat More at Lunch Than Dinner

In many countries, lunch is the main meal of the day — and also the most economical. Restaurants often offer:

Prix fixe menus
“Menu del día” combos
Larger portions for less than dinner prices

Eating your big meal at lunchtime and having a light dinner — like a market snack or sandwich — can easily cut your food spending by 30–50%.

Avoid Tourist Restaurants

This might seem obvious, but it happens often: tired, hungry, and surrounded by overpriced menus in the city center. Tourist traps usually share these red flags:

Photos of every dish
Menus in 10 languages
Hosts aggressively inviting you in
Prices double those just two blocks away

Better options:

Follow office workers and students during lunch hours
Ask your host or hotel staff where they eat
Use street view on Google Maps to preview menus before walking over

Join a Local Cooking Class or Food Tour

If you want to combine food, culture, and budget-saving skills, consider joining a local cooking class. You’ll learn to make traditional dishes, get a meal out of it, and often bring home recipes that let you recreate those meals affordably.

Food tours also give you access to multiple small bites across a neighborhood — without the guesswork. Prices vary, but they’re often cheaper than a full dinner out and packed with value.

Stay Healthy Without Overspending

Budget eating shouldn’t mean poor nutrition. Here’s how to stay healthy while spending less:

Eat at least one serving of fruit and vegetables daily
Choose grilled, baked, or steamed foods when possible
Watch the sugar in packaged snacks and drinks
Drink water — bring a reusable bottle to refill
Balance carbs and protein to avoid energy crashes

If you’re traveling long-term, you’ll feel better physically and mentally when you eat balanced meals — even if they’re simple.

Travel Hacks for Cheaper Meals

Carry reusable containers for leftovers or packing meals
Share large portions or order multiple appetizers instead of entrees
Look for happy hour deals on drinks and food
Visit student districts — prices tend to be lower
Bring your own coffee or tea gear to save on drinks

Your Ideal Day of Budget Eating

Here’s what a day of affordable, tasty eating might look like in a city like Lisbon or Bangkok:

Breakfast – Coffee and pastel de nata from a corner bakery ($1.50)
Lunch – Daily special at a local café with soup, main, and drink ($5–6)
Snack – Fresh fruit or roasted peanuts from a market ($1)
Dinner – Stir-fried noodles from a night market stall ($2.50)
Total food spend: $10–12 — and you ate like royalty

Main Takeaways