Planning a honeymoon on a strict budget felt like an impossible puzzle when my partner and I first sat down to do it. We had exactly $1,500 to our names. Our credit cards were practically smoking from paying the wedding vendors. We definitely did not want to spend our first week as a married couple panicking about the price of a dinner menu. People keep this a secret. Some of the best honeymoon destinations for budget couples on the planet cost barely anything to visit. You simply need to know where to point your compass. We did the exhausting research. Now you get the cheat sheet.
1. Bali, Indonesia
Bali basically invented the affordable romantic getaway. You can rent a private villa with a private plunge pool for maybe $40 to $60 a night on Booking.com or Airbnb. Eating out is equally cheap. A full meal for two people at a neighborhood warung will run you about $5 to $8. I promise that is not a typo.
Ubud is the spot to pick if you want green rice terraces and deeply relaxing couples massages. Those spa treatments actually cost less than a trip to Chipotle. Seminyak offers a louder beach club scene.
We stayed ten days in Bali. Our total came in well under $1,000 for every single thing except the plane tickets. You want to visit between April and June or wait until September. Prices drop significantly during those months.
2. Portugal’s Algarve Coast
Southern Portugal delivered the European trip we assumed was completely out of reach. The Algarve features massive golden cliffs dropping right into clear blue water. It looks like a computer background. A proper sit-down dinner with a bottle of local wine usually costs around $25 to $35 for two people.
Lagos and Albufeira make perfect base camps for watching your wallet. Small boutique guesthouses run around $50 to $80 a night.
Renting a car is the smartest move you can make here. We paid about $15 a day for ours. We grabbed some grocery store bread and local cheese before driving to Praia da Marinha. That simple afternoon by the water felt incredibly special. Portugal simply gives you high-end European charm on a backpacker budget.
3. Tulum, Mexico
Tulum offers that boho-chic aesthetic without a ridiculous Maldives price tag attached. The main hotel zone right on the water is expensive. Ignore it. Stay in Tulum Pueblo instead. This is the actual downtown area about ten minutes inland. Doing this instantly cuts your lodging expenses in half.
We found a beautiful little room for $45 a night. We just rented bikes and rode down to the sand each morning. Street tacos cost a single dollar.
A massive cup of fresh market ceviche was just $4. You can walk through the oceanfront Mayan ruins for roughly $4 a person. Those famous natural limestone sinkholes called cenotes charge between $10 and $20 to enter. Just fly into Cancún. Hop on the ADO bus for $15. You will get a very high-end vacation feel on a normal person’s salary.
4. Sri Lanka
People heavily underrate Sri Lanka for romantic trips. This tiny island packs in wild beaches and heavy jungles. It is physically smaller than Ireland. A very comfortable private room at a local guesthouse usually costs $20 to $40 a night. Getting around is cheap too.
You must take the famous train ride from Kandy down to Ella. The journey takes nine hours. You pass through foggy mountain passes that rival the Swiss Alps. A second-class ticket will set you back less than $2. Hiring a private safari jeep in Yala National Park runs about $40 to $50 per couple.
The local food is cheap and heavily spiced. A massive plate of rice and curry is rarely more than $5. Here is a piece of advice I stand by. Book a night in a treehouse when you reach Ella. You can easily find them for under $50. Waking up high in the jungle canopy next to your new spouse is a very cool experience.
5. Greece (Skip Santorini, Hit the Lesser-Known Islands)
Santorini is the default answer for a Greek honeymoon. Going there in July will instantly empty your savings account. Shift your focus to smaller islands like Naxos or Paros. You still get those iconic white buildings with blue roofs. The water is still that perfect clear blue. You just pay a lot less for it.
We booked a room on Naxos with a full ocean view for $55 a night. A hot gyro cost $3. Ordering a half-liter of house wine at dinner set us back exactly $4.
Moving between islands on the ferry network costs $15 to $40 a ticket. These quieter islands feel much more intimate. That is honestly what you want for this kind of trip. Fighting thousands of cruise ship passengers for a sidewalk photo gets old quickly. September is the absolute best time to go. The water is still warm but the huge crowds have gone home.
6. Colombia
The walled old city of Cartagena looks like a movie set. Bright yellow colonial buildings line the narrow streets. Pink flowers spill over every wooden balcony. You can sit at a rooftop bar and watch the sun drop into the ocean. The low cost of living makes all of this very accessible.
Renting a boutique hotel room inside the wall costs $50 to $80 a night. You have to eat the street food while you are there. A hot arepa de huevo is usually just a dollar.
Booking a boat out to the Rosario Islands costs around $30 a person for the whole day. Check out the coffee region if you have the time. Flights to Salento are cheap. Hiking the Cocora Valley through those massive wax palm trees is totally free. Colombia ended up being the biggest surprise of our travel lives. It is cheap and deeply charming.
7. Thailand
Thailand is famous among budget travel fans for a very good reason. A couple can easily pull off a two-week trip here for under $1,500 total. That includes your flights around the country.
Start your trip with two nights in Bangkok. Drinks at a nice rooftop bar usually cost $4 to $6. Book a cheap flight down south to Krabi for the beach portion of the trip. I highly recommend taking a ferry over to Koh Lanta. It has a very relaxed feel.
You avoid the loud party scene of Koh Phi Phi. Renting a simple bungalow on the sand costs $30 to $50 a night. Getting a Thai massage together runs about $15. Street food pad thai is a dollar fifty. Book a private longtail boat out of Krabi if you want to spend a little extra money. It is roughly $20 per person. That boat ride is worth every single penny.
8. Montenegro
A lot of folks have never even Googled Montenegro. That is exactly why you need to go there. It sits right next door to Croatia on the Adriatic coast. You get the same massive stone mountains dropping into clear water. The difference is you pay half the price for your meals.
The old town of Kotor is the main draw. Huge medieval walls wrap completely around the city. Renting a local apartment starts around $40 a night. Eating a huge plate of fresh seafood with wine is about $25 to $30 for two people. Hiking the stone fortress steps above the town costs nothing. The view looking down at the bay is wild. Drive twenty minutes down the coast to Budva if you want a sandy beach. This is where clever couples go for a Mediterranean trip on a tight budget. It is arguably the prettiest corner of Europe that nobody mentions.
9. Vietnam
Our dollars went further in Vietnam than anywhere else on earth. A hot bowl of morning pho costs a dollar fifty. Grabbing a cold beer on a plastic stool is fifty cents. Booking a modern hotel room with a nice pool runs $25 to $45 a night. The math is just heavily on your side.
You have to visit Hoi An. Thousands of silk lanterns light up the streets at night. You can ride a bike to the beach in fifteen minutes. Paying for an overnight cruise through Ha Long Bay starts near $80 a person. That price includes all your meals on the boat. Buying a ticket for the overnight sleeper train costs $15 to $25. Taking the night train saves you the cost of a hotel room. Three weeks in Vietnam genuinely costs less than a single week in Hawaii. I am not exaggerating the price difference.
10. Costa Rica (Caribbean Side)
The Pacific side of Costa Rica gets most of the heavy tourist traffic. Head over to the Caribbean coast near Puerto Viejo instead. The vibe is very different over there. You will find small reggae bars and completely empty stretches of sand. Sloths sleep in the trees right next to the road.
Small wooden cabins near the water cost $35 to $60 a night. We loved renting beach cruisers. Riding the flat dirt road down to Punta Uva is a great way to spend a Tuesday. A giant plate of traditional rice and beans costs about $5. Swimming at Cahuita National Park just requires a small donation at the gate. The jungle grows right up to the sand. The water is very warm. It really feels like a private hideaway.
How to Stretch Your Honeymoon Budget Even Further
Book Flights Strategically
Start tracking airfare on Google Flights a few months out. Flying out on a Tuesday is usually the cheapest way to go. The calendar view feature will show you the exact price drops. We moved our departure date by just 48 hours. That tiny change saved us $300.
Travel During Shoulder Season
Avoid peak tourist months entirely. The gap right before or right after high season is where you want to aim. You still get warm weather. You just avoid the massive crowds. This usually falls in May or September for tropical spots. You save a ton of money on hotels this way.
Use Credit Card Points
Get a travel rewards card before you start paying wedding vendors. Use it to pay for the caterer or the florist. The sign-up bonus points alone will often cover a round-trip flight. We paid for our long haul to Bali using points we earned buying wedding food. Using wedding debt to fund a free vacation feels like a massive win.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the cheapest countries for a honeymoon in 2025?
Vietnam and Sri Lanka are extremely cheap right now. You can easily get by on $50 to $80 a day as a couple. That covers your room and all your meals. Thailand is another great option for keeping costs low. You just need to pick a country where the exchange rate is strong.
Can you really have a romantic honeymoon on a tight budget?
Yes. Spending money does not equal romance. Sitting on a cheap balcony in Bali watching the sun go down feels exactly the same as doing it from a luxury resort. Our favorite memories cost basically nothing. We took a cheap train ride in the mountains. We ate grocery store cheese by the ocean. Having less money actually forced us to be more creative.
How much should budget couples expect to spend on a honeymoon?
Plan to spend between $1,000 and $3,000 for a solid two-week trip. That number leaves out your plane tickets. It covers a clean place to sleep and lots of good food. Flight prices change wildly based on where you live. Try to use points to cover that part of the expense.
Are the best honeymoon destinations for budget couples safe to visit?
The places I listed are heavily traveled by tourists. They are very safe if you pay attention to your surroundings. Lock your passport in the room safe. Read recent reviews before booking a guesthouse. Places like Portugal or Greece are very easy for beginners to navigate.
Is it better to book a honeymoon package or plan independently?
Do the planning yourself. Travel agents and resort packages charge a premium for doing the typing for you. Booking your own Airbnb rooms and flights takes more time. It also saves you thousands of dollars. You also get to pick exactly what you want to eat and do each day.
Conclusion
Your first trip as a married couple should be highly memorable. It should not kick off a year of credit card anxiety. You can find beautiful corners of the world for very little cash. You just have to skip the obvious tourist traps. Sit down with your partner this weekend. Look at a world map together. Figure out which cheap plane ticket makes the most sense for you.
