Even travelling as a couple it's difficult to survive on less than US$18 a day per person - though it can be done - but US$25 a day will cover a decent budget hotel, meals and drinks, bus travel and a short taxi ride, for example. For a simple room you can expect to pay at least US$9 single, US$15 double, whereas a night in an upmarket lodge will set you back anything from US$65 to US$150 (though it's always worth asking for a discount out of season). Food and drink are fairly pricey too, with an average breakfast costing around US$4-5, lunch US$5-7, and dinner US$6-8. A small bottle of Belikin beer , the only local brew, costs at least US$1.60; imported cans cost twice as much.

Bus travel is much more reasonable, with the longest journey in the country, from Belize City to Punta Gorda, costing US$12. A taxi ride within a town costs US$2.50 for one or two people; for more passengers and longer rides agree a price beforehand.

Hotel rooms are subject to a seven percent tax , usually added separately (and many of the more expensive places will also impose a service charge of around ten percent). There's also an eight percent sales tax , which applies to most goods and services (including meals in restaurants, though not to drinks). It doesn't apply to hotel rooms, though some package operators may slap it on anyway; check carefully to see what you're paying.

Leaving Belize you must pay a US$10 exit tax , plus the PACT conservation fee of US$3.75, at all departure points.