Budget/Backpacker Travel Guide: Port-au-Prince

Experience authentic local culture on a shoestring budget with hostels, street food, and public transport

Daily Budget: $31-80 per day

Complete breakdown of costs for budget/backpacker travel in Port-au-Prince

$15-35 per night

Basic guesthouses, shared rooms, budget hotels in residential areas, hostels with shared facilities

$8-20 per day

Street food, local markets, small neighborhood restaurants, griot and rice from local vendors

$3-10 per day

Tap-taps (shared minibuses), public buses, walking, occasional moto-taxi for short distances

$5-15 per day

Free walking tours, public beaches, local markets, occasional museum entry, cultural sites

Currency: HTG Haitian Gourde (though USD widely accepted)

Curated experiences perfect for your budget/backpacker travel style

Eat at local markets and street vendors instead of tourist restaurants (typically 60-80% cheaper)

Use tap-taps and public transport instead of private taxis (usually 70-85% savings on transportation)

Stay in residential neighborhoods rather than tourist zones (generally 30-50% lower accommodation costs)

Buy bottled water in bulk from local stores rather than hotels (typically 200-400% markup at hotels)

Book accommodation directly with properties rather than through international booking sites (often 10-20% cheaper)

Travel during rainy season for significantly lower rates across all categories (usually 25-40% savings)

Only eating in hotel restaurants and tourist areas (typically doubles your food budget unnecessarily)

Taking private taxis for all transportation instead of learning the tap-tap system (can triple transport costs)

Not carrying small bills for local vendors and transport (often results in paying inflated 'no change' prices)

Booking last-minute accommodation during peak periods (usually 50-100% higher than advance booking)