Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂
This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and one 60-pound dog (we adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019). Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups and extensive care, we return to the US East Coast. Other health issues are resolved locally and out of pocket where needed.
In May, Mark, Maya, and I traveled throughout Argentina (one week) and Paraguay (three weeks) in our truck camper, Thirsty Bella and we enjoyed a ten-day break from the road with our friends Duwan and Greg, who rented two Airbnbs and generously shared their space with us.
Thirsty Bella parked by our first Airbnb
It was another expensive month with our car leading the charts again. Fuel still cost over $400, but the real culprit was a maintenance job that we performed ourselves: we replaced the transmission oil in the engine for $323.
(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)
To our pleasant surprise, we not only found the correct Ford oil in Encarnación, Paraguay, but the filter as well. And that in a country where our truck is not produced or sold. While hoping that labor was cheap, as we’d never performed this job before, we bolted at the extra $400 this project would cost at a Ford dealer. We picked a quiet parking lot and a dry afternoon to swap the oil and dropped the used liquid off at Ford for recycling.
We paid for toll roads in Argentina as well as Paraguay, but we also made a few detours on lesser roads to save money. I’m happy to report that the condition of most paved roads in Paraguay so far has been great! Worth the tolls. 😊 We also paid a dollar to park at the botanical gardens of Asunción.
Our monthly grocery bill fluctuates between $300 and $400 in South America. We ate out quite a lot in Paraguay, but we cooked many meals as well.
Shopping is much more affordable here than in Argentina and we found specialty foods that we’d been craving a while, so we are okay with our total of $331. As you can see, we buy and eat a lot of bread!
We couldn’t wait to enter Paraguay, because we’d been looking forward to its international cuisine and we knew the cost of living was much lower than in its neighbors. So, we took advantage of the many restaurants, diverse meals, affordable menus, and friendly service. It made us happy and satisfied our taste buds to splurge on sushi, ramen, Korean and Mexican food, and some local dishes.
The current US political climate and reciprocal policies introduced the necessity for Americans to apply for and purchase a visa for Brazil, starting this past April. Right in time for Mark to follow the application process and hand over $81. While we thought this step would take five business days, in actuality we waited two weeks in total, before we could cross the border.
We paid $70 for alcohol in May (wine, beer, rum), which seems average. We drank more than usual during our friends’ ten-day visit and we bought a couple of bottles of local rum in Paraguay, which we haven’t tried yet.
Mark with a local beer
The utility category was similar to last month. The other half of our Starlink subscription is paid by our business, so the $40 underneath represents only half of the total cost. Getting propane before leaving Argentina proved to be a hassle and unpleasant, which I wrote about in the previous blog post.
A bit of thought, planning, waiting, and creativity had to go into obtaining another international permit for Maya, with crossings into Brazil in mind. While the cost is not that high at $16 for a health certificate at a vet (who never even looked at or touched our dog) and a mere $2 for the agricultural department to make it official, the time investment and inconvenience every 60 days has been taxing. And the cost adds up after a year.
Mark bought a discounted Seresto flea & tick collar for our dog online as well ($32), which he will pick up in the US soon. This should give Maya protection for another eight months.
Once we reached Paraguay, we spent a few nights at paid campgrounds just to be able to sleep. We had a great experience at a German-owned facility and a blah one in a city park.
Most of our camping in May was free and “wild”, as always.
Paraguay doesn’t have high-profile or famous sights, but it does offer a few interesting attractions, like its mission district, waterfalls, and museums. Entrance fees remain affordable, so we enjoyed visiting every site we had in mind. More about that in the next blog.
Also on the to-do list once we crossed into this country were a few non-car projects. We bought a new mirror for the camper, which a company cut and installed for $12. We had our outside ladder repainted for $20. And Mark found a switch and resistor for a couple of dollars to adjust our fridge temperature.
At one of the missions, our astronomy guide showed us reproductions of celestial instruments which he creates out of metal. We couldn’t resist buying our own armillary sphere.
Our own souvenir armillary sphere
I needed more birth control pills and we bought a couple of souvenirs when visiting the information center of a Japanese town, ran by a super friendly lady. She had allowed us to camp in the back the previous night, which we were thankful for.
Camped behind the information center in Yguazu
Our last expense bill of the month goes to transportation. I took a train back into Argentina to pick up Maya’s permit and we used an Uber with our friends to go out to dinner one evening.
I would like to mention two free categories as well. No money went to laundry in May! The reason: I did most of it by hand in buckets and one of the Airbnbs our friends rented had a washing machine. I spent two days running loads of clothes, linen, and dog paraphernalia and hanging everything to dry outside.
Mark and I did go out for a few drinks, at a beach bar in Encarnación twice and with our friends at a trendy bar in Areguá on our last evening together. This totaled $15, but a donation of our follower MD took care of that. And we have some of those funds left for this month. Thank you!
(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)
Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend, check out the blogs of our nomad friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.
Next up: Paraguay!
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June 8, 2025 at 14:29
How neat to relax with friends in an Airbnb, especially one with a washer. It was strange to see you bundled up in Paraguay but enjoyed some lower prices.
June 13, 2025 at 10:21
Hi Marian,
I think winter came early in Paraguay. We shouldn’t complain about the cold spells and long clothes, though, as that is more comfortable that hot and humid weather in the 100s, as it is in their summers. That being said, we are struggling with condensation and mold again, due to the cold nights.
June 8, 2025 at 16:04
Mmm, your food photos made my mouth water! For me, good food can make up for a lot of other travel inconveniences. 🙂
June 13, 2025 at 10:23
Hi Diane,
If there is something we do well, it’s cooking and eating! I love food, and eating!!! 🙂 We are super happy to be able to afford eating out again in Paraguay – and from our first taste of Brazil, that country is affordable as well. Let’s hope our dollar grows stronger again, so life on the road becomes ever cheaper. 🙂
June 8, 2025 at 16:35
Under $1,700. You always amaze me. Jim
June 10, 2025 at 00:07
Liesbet, Mark and Maya – You always amaze me too!
June 13, 2025 at 10:34
Thanks, Donna! I promise we will try to do better this month, though, as May’s expenses were on the high side. 🙂
June 13, 2025 at 10:25
Thanks for the compliment, Jim. That $1,700 is actually quite high for us, as we used to average $1,300 a month for the last ten years or more! I think it is time to adjust our expectations and budget, though, because sticking to $1,300 proves to be too challenging. Unfortunately. If only inflation would affect our wages too!
June 8, 2025 at 19:28
It’s funny to realize that I’ve followed you long enough that I’m nor recognizing your friends. Overall, sounds like a pretty good month
June 13, 2025 at 10:27
Hi Pete!
That’s quite funny – and flattering – that you are recognizing our friends (like I recognize some of the characters you’ve blogged about over the years :-)), but what is even more incredible and nice to me, is that we can keep meeting these friends, even though we are in South America for many years. Have a great weekend, my friend!
June 8, 2025 at 20:19
I’m always amazed by your ability to spend so little. I also like seeing the gas prices. Such a big deal to this Californian!
June 13, 2025 at 10:30
Hi Jacqui,
You and Pete – and some other followers – are both from California and I am fully aware of the high fuel prices there. When we complain about high prices here to Europeans, they scoff at us, since the prices in Europe are even higher than California – and therefore – here.
For us, those prices play such an important role because “all we do” is drive. As you’ve noticed, it always takes the biggest chunk out of our budget and, honestly, we can’t wait to get a camper with better fuel mileage, despite Thirsty Bella being awesome, reliable, and perfect for South America.
June 9, 2025 at 07:36
Bet the washing machine was a treat.
The green cocktail looks wild.
June 13, 2025 at 10:31
Alex,
I love, love, love, being able to use a real washing machine, but those chances are super limited in our lifestyle. Currently anyway. To be honest, that cocktail looked better than it tasted! 🙂
June 9, 2025 at 21:29
Looks like you had a great time and did amazing with $$ in Paraguay. I saw a Youtube video today saying many countries are making Americans have visas to enter – as a retaliation on tariffs and newly banned countries by the American king. <3
June 13, 2025 at 10:34
Debby,
Yup! Not only will the king’s attitude and policy changes hurt the US economy, because nobody wants to visit a country with such a dictator when there are more welcoming countries to visit, but his changes also affect Americans abroad, for the reasons you mention and because the dollar is losing its status, power, and international value…
June 10, 2025 at 14:31
I hate that I missed the missions – and those empanadas! I’m glad you splurged a lot with the eating out. And drinking! You will have to report on that $3 bottle of rum.
It is becoming expensive to be an American.
Those onion rings were good. Thank you!
June 13, 2025 at 10:37
Hi Duwan,
Yeah, it really sucked that you were not feeling well. I wish we could have taken you to the missions as I feel those are the highlight of Paraguay. Luckily, you saw some cool and new birds. That’s worth something, too.
I take it that prices in the US have risen a lot in the year that you were gone? I remember many people complaining about that last spring as well but when we got there over the summer, it didn’t seem too bad. If you stick to the more affordable grocery chains.
June 13, 2025 at 07:01
Please give me one of those king mojitos now! It looks amazing. How long did it take Mark to drink it?
Well done on getting all that laundry done at the AB&B. Washing machines must be a luxury.
June 13, 2025 at 10:43
Hi Hugh,
That king mojito looked much better than it tasted. Mark had seen it on a menu on Google when he checked reviews for that restaurant and ever since, he wanted to try it.
I had a sip as well and have to agree with him that it tasted very artificial, nothing like a real mojito and even much sweeter than one. Since I’m not a beer fan either, I was much happier with my drink of choice – sangria with fresh fruits. To answer your question, it took Mark the entire evening (about two hours) to finish this one drink before and with his dinner.
In most South American countries, travelers get their laundry done by dropping it off at laundromats and this is pricey, which is why I have been doing most of it by hand the last few years. Finding a machine to use is, indeed, rare but I am happy when it happens, like in one of those Airbnbs and at some campgrounds.
June 18, 2025 at 13:30
Having spent a couple of weeks in Paraguay and loving our time touring missions with a driver/guide, I’m always amazed never to have found anyone else who’s been there. Glad you made it there – looking forward to your posts!
June 27, 2025 at 20:58
Hi Annie,
Paraguay was a nice surprise but very much off the tourist track, as you know. You and Steve have been everywhere! 🙂
I first hear about Paraguay when meeting other sailors on our path in the Caribbean. They told us that they built their incredible motorboat “Domino” in Paraguay, which struck us as odd, since it is a landlocked country. They built it along the Paraguay River. We still remembered their stories when we arrived, but we were in doubt, after all these years, if they had been talking about Paraguay or Uruguay. Those two countries often get mixed up.
I’m working on my Paraguay blog at the moment and hope to post the two parts soon!
June 28, 2025 at 06:06
This is so relatable! Living a nomad life means every expense matters, just like trekking to Everest Base Camp. As a mountain travel blogger, I know how important it is to be clear about every cost—from permits to gear—so travelers can plan well and avoid surprises. Being transparent about trekking expenses is our duty to help others enjoy the journey fully. Thanks for sharing this—it’s a great reminder that understanding costs is key whether you’re on the road or in the mountains!
June 29, 2025 at 14:50
Thanks for swinging by and leaving a comment! You’d be surprised about how many people don’t know what their budget or monthly expenses are. They don’t check or track receipts and don’t realize how much they spend, partly because they are not keeping track and therefore can’t adjust their expectations, desires, or budget.
And, yes, being transparant is super helpful for readers, followers, fellow travelers, and clients!
June 30, 2025 at 00:54
Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts. It’s so true — a lot of people don’t realize how much they’re spending simply because they’re not tracking it. Without that awareness, it’s hard to make any real changes.
And yes, being open and transparent really does help others — whether they’re readers, travelers, or clients.
If you ever need a break to reset and recharge, take a look at this Luxury Tour in Nepal. It’s the kind of trip that gives you space to breathe, reflect, and come back with a fresh perspective.