MTCBudget guide
How to plan a trip with friends who have different budgets
The short answer
Start from each person's own spending limit, not the group average. Ask everyone for their limit privately, price every option for each traveller on the same cost basis, and treat a destination as a fit only if it works for the person with the tightest limit. If nothing fits everyone, say so and change the dates, length or destination rather than stretching one person's budget.
An average hides the problem. If three friends can spend a lot and one can spend little, the average looks comfortable while one person is priced out. Comparing each option against every individual limit shows that straight away.
As general budgeting advice, split required costs (getting there, a bed, basic food) from optional ones (a splurge dinner, a paid tour): the required part decides whether a trip is affordable, and optional spending can differ from person to person. This split is your own planning step; the costs MTC's estimate actually includes are listed under the table.
Keeping limits private matters. People often agree to a plan they cannot afford rather than say a number out loud. In an MTC Decision Room each person enters their budget band privately, and the group sees which destinations fit, not who entered what. That per-person assessment is separate from the shared whole-group estimate shown in this guide.
How to do it
- Agree the shared basics first: one departure city, rough dates and the currency you will compare in.
- Ask each person for their own limit privately, for the required costs only.
- Price each shortlisted destination on the same basis for every traveller.
- Keep only options that fit the tightest limit; if none do, shorten the trip, change the month or look elsewhere.
Worked example
An illustrative whole-group scenario: three destinations priced for the same four friends on the same basis. Each figure is the total for the whole group, so use it to compare destinations with each other, not to judge whether one person can afford the trip. For individual affordability, each person enters a private budget band in a Decision Room, which assesses it separately.
Scenario: Georgia · departing Riyadh · April · 7 days · 4 travellers · Mid-range · SAR · flights included
| Destination | Getting there | Ground spending | Whole-trip total |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeorgiaSeasonal price level: Shoulder | 5,100–7,950 SAR | 7,200–11,450 SAR | 12,300–19,400 SAR |
| EgyptSeasonal price level: Shoulder | 4,300–6,700 SAR | 8,050–12,700 SAR | 12,350–19,400 SAR |
| ThailandSeasonal price level: Shoulder | 8,650–13,550 SAR | 8,450–13,400 SAR | 17,100–26,950 SAR |
What this example assumes
- On-the-ground costs come from the site's cost bands, whose data reference is 2026-08-23. Loading this page does not refresh that data.
- Rooms are one room per two travellers. There is no children's pricing and no age-based discount anywhere in the model.
- Airfare is modelled from the departure metro and the travel month. It is not a quote, and if you already hold a real fare you should enter it in the calculator so it replaces the modelled one.
Cost data reference: 2026-08-23. Opening this page does not refresh it.
Where this goes wrong
- Using the average budget, which looks fine while one person cannot afford the trip.
- Asking for budgets in the group chat, where people round up to avoid embarrassment.
- Mixing optional extras into the comparison, so a destination looks unaffordable for the wrong reason.
- Pricing each person differently (one with flights, one without), so the comparison is not like for like.
What this guide does not do
- Every figure on this page is a modelled estimate built from typical costs for the stated scenario. It is not a live fare, not a live room rate, not an offer and not a booking.
- MTC compares destinations for one shared departure city, dates and currency. It does not split costs, find dates everyone is free, plan routes from several cities, build an itinerary or book anything.
Where to go next
Sources
External documentation, paraphrased. The date is the day the page was read.
- My Travel Choices methodology: how rooms, party size, airfare and on-the-ground costs are modelledMy Travel Choices · 2026-09-29