Budget/Backpacker Travel Guide: Jordan
Experience authentic local culture on a shoestring budget with hostels, street food, and public transport
Daily Budget: 20-45 JOD ($281-63) per day
Complete breakdown of costs for budget/backpacker travel in Jordan
Accommodation
8-15 JOD ($11-21) per night
Dorm beds in hostels, in the Rainbow Street area of Amman or in Wadi Musa near Petra, are the bedrock of budget travel in Jordan. These are often simple but sociable, with shared bathrooms and cool tile floors. The air in the dorm can carry the scent of backpacker laundry and faint notes of cardamom from a shared kitchen.
Browse budget/backpacker accommodation →Food & Dining
5-10 JOD ($7-14) per day
Your day revolves around street food and local bakeries. Breakfast is mana'eesh, a flatbread baked in a stone oven until its edges are crisp, often topped with za'atar that releases an earthy, herbal smell. Lunch might be a falafel wrap from a street cart, where you'll hear the sizzle of chickpea fritters in hot oil, wrapped in warm bread with tangy pickles. Dinner could be a plate of hummus and ful medames from a simple restaurant, its surface glistening with olive oil.
Transportation
2-5 JOD ($3-7) per day
You'll be riding public minibuses, known as servees, which crisscross Amman and connect major towns. These are often crowded, with the murmur of Arabic and the rumble of the engine filling the air. For longer routes like Amman to Aqaba, the public JETT bus is a more comfortable, air-conditioned option. Within cities, walking is key, your feet feeling the sun-warmed pavement of Amman's hills.
Activities
5-15 JOD ($7-21) per day
This style focuses on free or low-cost exploration. Hiking the many trails in Wadi Rum, where you'll feel the crunch of red sand underfoot and see towering sandstone jebels, costs little beyond transport. Exploring the Roman Theater in Amman, hearing echoes in its stone steps, is a modest fee. A day might include wandering the spice-scented lanes of downtown Amman's souqs.
Currency: JOD (Jordanian Dinar). 1 JOD is roughly $1.41 USD. Prices often list in dinar. Many tourist businesses accept USD and Euros.
Money-Saving Tips
Eat where locals eat in downtown Amman, around Hashemite Street. The falafel and hummus spots there are often half the cost of restaurants in more polished neighborhoods, and you'll smell the cumin and frying oil from the street.
Use the public JETT bus for long-distance travel between major cities like Amman, Aqaba, and Petra. It's a fraction of the price of a private taxi and you'll see the dusty landscape roll by the window.
Carry a reusable water bottle and refill it. Buying small bottles of water constantly in Jordan's heat adds up quickly. Many hotels and restaurants will refill it for you.
Consider the Jordan Pass if you plan to visit Petra and other major sites. It covers the visa fee and entry to many attractions, typically working out cheaper than paying for each separately.
Book accommodation in Wadi Musa (Petra) a short walk from the visitor center, not right next to it. The rates tend to drop noticeably just a few blocks away, and the morning walk is pleasant.
Travel in a small group and share costs for taxis and private drivers. Splitting the fare for a day trip to the Dead Sea or Jerash makes it comparable to, or even cheaper than, organized group tours.
Common Budget Mistakes to Avoid
Paying for bottled water with every meal instead of refilling a bottle. This can easily double your daily drink costs in the Jordanian climate.
Taking a taxi from Amman's Queen Alia International Airport without agreeing on a rate first. The meter fare is fine, but a pre-negotiated fixed price is often cheaper than an un-metered ride.
Eating all meals in hotel restaurants or right by the Petra entrance. Walk ten minutes into Wadi Musa town. Your food costs drop by a third or more.
Booking the priciest 'by-night' tour package for Wadi Rum. Many mid-range camps deliver the same core experience. You get the 4x4 tour, meals, and accommodation. Pay significantly less than the top-tier operators.