Senegal Travel Cost: My Complete Budget Breakdown [2026]

Senegal Travel Cost: My Complete Budget Breakdown

Wondering how much it costs to travel Senegal? This Senegal Travel Cost Guide is here to help!

Before arriving in Senegal, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. After spending the previous week in Mauritania, where transport made up a huge chunk of my budget, I was curious to sesehow prices would compare further south.

So, as with every country on my West Africa overland trip, I tracked every single expense.

After nearly two weeks travelling independently through Senegal, I spent £312.14 in total. That includes absolutely everything: accommodation, transport, food, activities, internet and even my (now-worthless) Senegal ‘Champions of Africa’ 2026 football kit!

That works out at £39.02 per day.

In this guide, I’ll break down exactly what I spent, where my money went, and how much you should realistically budget for a trip to Senegal.

Senegal Budget Summary

Trip Overview

NOTE: These figures are based on my own independent travel around Senegal in 2026. The trip spanned 9 calendar days, but given timings, all the daily averages in this guide are based on an 8-day trip.

Where My Money Went

Across 8 days in Senegal, here’s how I spent my money:

At a glance:

• Backpacker budget: £30-45 per day
• Mid-range budget: £45-80 per day
• Comfortable budget: £80+ per day

For most backpackers travelling independently, using local transport, and staying in budget accommodation, I’d recommend budgeting around £35-£45 per day.

My Actual Travel Budget Breakdown

Before diving into each category, it’s worth explaining exactly what these figures include.

Throughout my time in Senegal, I travelled with two friends, so we split the cost of accommodation equally. Everything else, including food, transport, activities, is my individual spending!

One thing I’ve learnt from tracking my expenses across West Africa is that the headline daily average doesn’t always tell the full story. A couple of expensive travel days or one-off purchases can quickly skew the numbers, even if everyday life on the road is much cheaper. Meanwhile, slowing down and spending more time somewhere (which is very possible in Senegal) will save you money.

That’s why I’ve provided a recommended backpacker budget as well. Based on my experience, I’d feel comfortable recommending £35-45 per day for most independent travellers in Senegal. Although, your own budget will obviously depend on your travel style, accommodation choices and how many activities you include.

In the sections below, I’ll break down each category in detail, showing exactly what I spent and where you might be able to save a little money.

Accommodation Costs

I expected accommodation prices to be noticeably higher than neighbouring Mauritania. They were slightly, but not by much!

Before arriving, I’d assumed Dakar would be expensive as it’s one of West Africa’s largest cities. But it turned out to offer some of the best value accommodation of the trip!

Throughout Senegal, I stayed in a mixture of an Airbnbs and budget accommodation. Both offered great value for money, especially considering the quality and locations.

During my time in Senegal (8 nights), I spent a total of £99.35 on accommodation, averaging £12.42 per night. Given one night was spent on a ferry, the average accommodation spend was probably more like £14.19/night).

My Accommodation Costs

*I travelled from Dakar to Ziguinchor on the overnight ferry, where I booked a four-person cabin. Although you technically sleep on board, I’ve included the £25 ferry ticket under transport rather than accommodation.

The most expensive place I stayed was in Dakar. We found an amazing Airbnb for the three of us! It could hold 8 people, but it meant we all got our own double room to rest.

The biggest surprise was just how comfortable our accommodation was for the price. Neither stay felt particularly “budget”, yet accommodation still accounted for less than a third of my overall spending.

Transport Costs

Getting around Senegal is pretty simple. There are multiple transport options, the roads are largely good, and travelling between destinations is surprisingly affordable.

During my trip, I spent £77.72 on transport, averaging £11.10 per day.

My biggest transport expense was the overnight ferry from Dakar to Ziguinchor. It cost £25, but because my 4-person cabin replaced a night’s accommodation, it was great value! Plus, seeing dolphins at sunrise as we arrived in Ziguinchor made it one of my favourite journeys!

My transport costs

The only transport cost I’d describe as optional was the bike rental in Cap Skirring. I hired one to explore the surrounding beaches and villages, but you could skip this if you’re trying to keep costs to a minimum.

For longer journeys, I highly recommend using shared transport. It’s significantly cheaper than hiring private taxis, and comfort is manageable.

Food Costs

Food was one of my favourite parts of travelling Senegal. After a week in Mauritania (during Ramadan), where eating out was fairly limited, arriving in Dakar to indulge in fresh seafood and street food was amazing!

Not only was it affordable, but it was also some of the best food I ate during my entire journey through West Africa.

Over eight days, I spent a total of £108.35 on food and drinks, averaging £13.55 per day.

My spending was slightly higher than in some neighbouring countries because I treated myself a little more often, enjoying seafood, the occasional beer, and stocking up on snacks for longer travel days. I also did a larger supermarket shop so I could cook in the Airbnb!

If I exclude snacks, supermarket shops and beers, my average meal cost came to around 4300 CFA (£5.66).

But here’s the breakdown:

Overall, I thought Senegal offered excellent value for money if you eat where the locals do. Portions were generous, seafood was incredibly fresh, and it was easy to find filling meals without spending very much.

That said, many of the restaurants specifically for tourists felt overpriced (e.g. Western cafes serving avocado toast and bougee lattes)!

Activity Costs

Senegal offers plenty to do, but compared to many popular travel destinations, activity costs are still relatively low. Whether you’re exploring the historic streets of Gorée Island, floating in the pink waters of Lac Retba, or simply relaxing on the beaches of Casamance, you don’t need a massive budget to have an incredible trip.

In total, I spent £9.88 on activities during my time in Senegal, which might seem surprising, but it’s because most of the costs were on getting there!

There are the only activities in my first week in Senegal that I spent money on:

*I’ve included my bike hire in Cap Skirring under transport rather than activities, as I mainly used it to get around rather than as an organised excursion.

One thing I loved about Senegal is that many of its best experiences don’t cost anything at all. Walking around Dakar, relaxing on the beaches of Cap Skirring, watching the fishing boats come and go, exploring local markets and wandering through colourful neighbourhoods were all completely free.

Unless you’re booking organised wildlife safaris or multi-day tours, activity costs in Senegal are fairly modest.

Miscellaneous Costs

Aside from accommodation, transport and food, there were only a handful of additional expenses during my time in Senegal.

I found there were very few unavoidable one-off costs here. In fact, as a UK passport holder, entering Senegal was completely visa-free.

My Miscellaneous Costs

My biggest miscellaneous purchase was probably the Senegal football shirt. Was it essential? Absolutely not. But I couldn’t resist picking one up while I was there, and it has become one of my favourite souvenirs from the trip.

The only practical expense was topping up my mobile data. Conveniently, I was able to swap my Mauritanian SIM card for a Senegalese one at the border (for no extra cost). Unfortunately, I don’t think this is something I’d expect every traveller to be able to do, so I’d budget a little extra just in case.

One cost that I’ve deliberately excluded is my Guinea-Bissau visa, which I arranged in Ziguinchor before crossing the border. Although I paid for it while I was in Senegal, it’s really part of my Guinea-Bissau travel budget rather than this one.

One thing I didn’t spend any money on was laundry. Given it was Ramadan, it was a bit tricky to find open businesses! Instead I waited until I reached Dakar in Senegal.

Cost of getting to Senegal

I have kept the cost of getting to Senegal separate because this varies from person to person, and there’s no ‘right’ way.

I was overlanding across West Africa, so I crossed from the land border with Mauritania after spending 1 week there. This was convenient for me and saved some money, but obviously won’t work for everyone.

If you are flying directly to Senegal, costs will vary depending where you’re coming from. From Paris to Dakar, you can get return flights for sometimes as cheap as £300. Meanwhile, from London to Dakar, you’re looking at more like £450 upwards (maybe even £900 depending on the season).

Typical Prices in Senegal

To help you plan your own budget, here are some of the prices I came across while travelling Senegal in 2026.

FAQs

How much does it cost to travel Senegal?

Based on my experience travelling more than a 1 week in Senegal without a guide, I’d recommend budgeting around £35-45 per day.

For a 1 week trip in Senegal, works out at around £300 in total.

Of course, exact costs will vary depending on your group size, and preferences for food, transport and accommodation.

Is Senegal expensive?

No – not compared with most destinations other than Southeast Asia!

A daily budget of around £35-45 per day, makes Senegal one of the more affordable countries to travel in North and West Africa.

It’s a little more than I spent in Mauritania, but given how much more developed it it, that’s not a surprise!

How to travel Senegal on a budget

Senegal has something for every type of traveller! So if you’re on a budget, here are a few things that I did, to help stick to it!

• Using public transport: Public transport, particularly around cities, is good and extremely cheap!
• Browse accommodation across all booking platforms: Senegal has hostels, hotels and Airbnbs spread across a mixture of booking sites. Make sure to check out all of them for the best deal!
• Eating the local food: Local restaurants are much cheaper than anything included with your accommodation. I also found them to be some of the best food going!
• Use the Wave app: Wave is a money app used widely across West Africa for transferring money. It makes payments easier and can avoid you having to use cash.

What surprised me about travel costs in Senegal

• I assumed Dakar would be expensive before arriving, but splitting an Airbnb between three people worked out incredibly good value.
• Western places felt particularly expensive! I went to a (lovely) cafe in Dakar, but ended up spending as much as I would’ve done in the UK!
• Public transport was surprisingly good
• Senegal felt slightly more expensive than Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau, but pretty similar to The Gambia.
• Cap Skirring felt cheaper than Dakar. Now maybe that shouldn’t surprise you given Dakar is the capital, but Cap Skirring is known to have a fair few resorts, so I was expecting inflation because of that. What I found was a pleasant mix between expensive and fancy beach bars with more authentic and cheap roadside cuisine!

What I’d do differently?

If I were to go back and travel Senegal all over again, there are only two things I’d change.

• Firstly, I’d avoid Ramadan. The food scene and nightlife is meant to be part of what makes Senegal so special!
• I’d try to get Yango working before I entered the country. The app is Senegal’s main taxi-hailing app, but whilst I was there I just couldn’t get it working… This meant bartering for every single taxi which I’m sure increased how much I paid.

My Verdict: Senegal Travel Cost

• Is Senegal cheap? ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
• Recommended budget: £35-45/day
• Biggest expense: Food
• Best value: Accommodation
• Worth travelling on a budget? Yes

Before you go

Thank you for reading my breakdown of how much I spent in Senegal and overview of general Senegal travel cost. If guides, itineraries and travel content like this interest you, head over to my Homepage to find out more.

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Please comment below and let me know your thoughts and experiences, or if there is anything else you want information on.

Happy travelling!