UPDATED JULY 2023! The North Coast 500 was one of the most incredible trips I’ve ever done. During the shitshow that was 2020, it was a real highlight and I’m so glad I went! I’ve always wondered how much exactly it costs to do a trip like this – so in my true budget travel blogger style, I kept track of all of my expenses for the trip. This will depend largely on accommodation preferences, as there’s a lot to know about the North Coast 500 before you go. Here is my budget breakdown for doing the North Coast 500 in Scotland over a week!

EDIT: I took this trip in August-September 2020, and this post was written and ready to publish before my marriage ended. I have decided not to edit the original post.

I traveled with someone else (my husband) on my North Coast 500 trip. This meant that all of our accommodation, gas, and most of our food expenses were split between two people. This was a huge part of being able to keep costs low on this trip! We already had our gear for camping, a car, some food/groceries and we packed well (check out what to pack on the North Coast 500 here!).

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Resources For the North Coast 500

While of course blogs are amazing resources, there are a few websites to bookmark if you are doing the North Coast 500 around Scotland!

NC500 App – first of all, download the official NC500 app (Google Play // Apple Store). This has loads of information on things to see and do on the way! You can also check out the website.

OS Maps – I use the OS Maps app on pretty much every hike I do in the UK. You can download routes or areas in advance, and use them offline. There is a small annual fee for the subscription service – which I think is absolutely worth it – but you can also do a 7-day free trial.

Highlands Public Conveniences – this handy site has an interactive map to see all of the public toilets in the Highlands. This was simply a lifesaver! All of the toilets I went to on here were free, and ladies every single one had toilet paper praise be!

Scottish Outdoor Access Code – if you are planning on hiking or camping on the North Coast 500 (and I think you should!), make sure to read up on the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. This gives the guidelines for how to respect the outdoors – the important thing is to always remember leave no trace.

Walk Highlands – a fantastic website full of excellent walks around the Highlands, I used this site on pretty much every hike I did on the North Coast 500.

Google Maps (Offline) – we downloaded an offline version of Google Maps and it worked great for us, although we probably used our road atlas more. Keep in mind there isn’t phone signal (or wifi) for large parts of the North Coast 500 – this is a great chance to disconnect, so don’t plan on relying solely on your phone.

If you’re not wanting to drive the entire trip, here are a few options for group tours that you could join that take in the North Coast 500.

Category Breakdown

All of the expenses of my North Coast 500 are broken down into five categories: accommodation, food/drink, sightseeing, transportation, and miscellaneous. For this specific trip, all of my miscellaneous expenses were just souvenirs! All costs are listed per person. Here is a category breakdown for our North Coast 500 budget per person!

Accommodation: £27

Food/Drink: £139.15

Sightseeing: £10

Transportation: £65.45

Miscellaneous: £2.95

Our North Coast 500 trip was 8 days in total (one day driving up to Inverness, and 7 days doing the actual North Coast 500). This ended up being a cost of just £30.50 per person, per day, of our North Coast 500 trip. I was shocked at just how affordable this trip ended up being!

Cheapest Day: 1 September (£15.40pp)

Most Expensive Day: 28 August, where I spent £60.20pp. However, this was the day we paid for our B&B in Inverness, our only accommodation of the trip. So the next most expensive day was 4 September, where I spent £41.10.

Random Budget Breakdown: 3 September

Here’s how I spent my money on 3 September, to give an idea of costs. Expenses are listed as a total cost for two people, and per person.

Breakfast in Ullapool: £15 total or £7.50 per person ($19.25 total or $9.65 pp)

Gas in Ullapool: £31 total or £15.50 per person ($39.80 total or $19.90 pp)

Souvenirs: £3.50 total or £1.75 per person ($4.50 total or $2.25 pp)

How much does it cost to do the North Coast 500?!

Our total costs for the entire trip were £487.90, which were split between two people. This brought our total cost for the trip to just £243.95 per person!

GRAND TOTAL: £244 // €267 // $314 per person

North Coast 500 Budget: The Takeaway

This is an extremely low budget for doing the North Coast 500. We could have spent a lot more money on this trip. We also could have been a bit better about our food/drink expenses, and saved a bit more. If you’re planning on doing the North Coast 500, accommodation and transportation will probably be the most important things to factor into your budget. Here’s a (very rough) estimate for additional costs on the North Coast 500.

Campsites: extra £10-15pppn (7 nights would be an additional £70-105pp for the trip)

B&Bs/guest houses/Airbnbs: extra £30-50pppn (7 nights would be an additional £210-£350pp for the trip)

Hotels: extra £50-70pppn (7 nights would be an additional £350-£490pp for the trip)

Car rental: about an extra £150 for 8 days (breaking it down, it would be approx. £20 per day, split between 2 people is about an extra £75pp or approx. £10pp per day)

By far the biggest impact on my budget for this trip was accommodation. We were wild camping throughout the entirety of the North Coast 500. Wild camping is legal everywhere in Scotland (except the byelaws on Loch Lomond) provided you follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, and this meant we only paid for 1 night of accommodation in Inverness at the start of our trip. We saved so much money doing this!! I understand not everyone will want to wild camp (sans toilets/showers) or camp in general, and people like the comfort of a bed and a roof and their own space. However, if you want to do the North Coast 500 on the cheap, I genuinely cannot recommend wild camping enough. You can check out my outdoor gear guide here. Looking for somewhere to stay? Check the map below!

Booking.com

The biggest expense on our trip was actually food and drink. While we weren’t spending money on accommodation, we spent a lot of money in restaurants, pubs, and cafes as we did the North Coast 500. We bought easy camp meals to eat at least once a day (pot noodles or ready meals where you just need to add boiling water are great!). However, we did eat out more than we intended, and we did end up with a fair amount of leftover store-bought food at the end. I loved everything I ate on the North Coast 500 though, and have absolutely no regrets!

Our sightseeing costs for this trip are very low: we only paid for admission at Dunrobin Castle. However, this would have been much different if we had been going in non-pandemic times. Some of the excursions like Cape Wrath and Handa Island were either not running, or had already finished for the season. We both would have loved to do these (especially Cape Wrath!!), but as we couldn’t go, we ended up saving a lot of money on attractions and sightseeing. I also would have loved to extend the trip and visit Orkney – I ended up going here for over a week on another trip! You can visit as a daytrip, but I really recommend spending more time here, at least 3 days, but ideally 5-7 days.

Of course, I kept costs low on this trip due in part to the fact that I’m a seasoned budget traveler. I have been traveling on a budget for nearly a decade – I know how to cut costs, I know how to save money, I know how to be a brutal budgeter. As my travel style has changed here and there over the years, I now know what I think is worth spending extra money, and what I want to splurge on. A lot of people wouldn’t have wanted to camp (and/or wild camp) for a week. For me, the freedom of turning up essentially wherever and sleeping there that night was worth so much more than a toilet and shower when it came down to the savings involved.
We didn’t need to pay for car rental or flights, as we drove up from York in our own car. Inverness is the closest airport for doing the NC500 – I use Skyscanner to book flights. Unfortunately, things can and do go wrong when you travel. World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

The North Coast 500 is really a trip that can be tailored to any budget. You can splurge, or you can cut costs. It really comes down to what your personal preference is, and how you like to travel. I hope this gives a realistic idea of how much it costs to do the North Coast 500 in Scotland, and how to do the NC500 on a budget!

Have you done the North Coast 500 before? What were your travel costs like? Any budget-friendly tips to share for other travelers?!

You might also like my posts:

What You Need to Know About the North Coast 500 in Scotland Before You Go

A 7-Day Itinerary For Scotland’s North Coast 500 Road Trip

What to Pack For the North Coast 500 in Scotland

The Best Beaches on Scotland’s North Coast 500 Route

My Outdoor Gear Guide For Hiking and Camping in the UK

Hiking Ben Hope: Scotland’s Most Northern Munro

Sandwood Bay: Hiking to Britain’s Most Beautiful Beach

What to Do and See in And Around Inverness

How Much Does it Cost to Visit Orkney on a Budget?

All of my budgeting posts!

All of my Scotland posts!

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