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Jordan is one of the most expensive countries to travel in the world. And there are very few budget travel guides to Jordan. Maybe that’s why most people spend only 5-7 days in the country. The Jordan Dinar is actually stronger than both the dollar and the Euro so traveling through this Middle Eastern desert country is much like traveling back home in the states. So, are budget travelers’ dreams of climbing mountains in Wadi Rum or wandering the Lost City of Petra permanently dashed? Definitely not.
You absolutely can travel to Jordan on a budget— if you know a few things beforehand. Here’s how you can see the highlights in Jordan while on a backpacker’s budget.
How Much We Spent in Jordan
Before writing this budget travel guide to Jordan we traveled in Jordan independently for 10 days. During that time we spent $950 for the two of us & we could have spent far less. But we chose to splurge on a few once-in-a-lifetime experiences like sleeping in a Bedouin Cave inside Petra and a 2-day camping excursion inside the Wadi Rum desert.
Here’s a quick breakdown of our expenses:
$29 on average per day in restaurants.
$23 per night on accommodation.
$253 on tours + excursions in Wadi Rum + Petra
$140 on transportation throughout the country.
Another hot tip for saving money: Unless you plan to visit both Jerash and the Dead Sea in the North of Jordan or Aqaba in the South you don’t need to spend 10 days in the country. 7 days is plenty for Amman, Petra, and Wadi Rum.
Tips for Saving Money in Jordan
Let’s look at some concrete ways you can save money in Jordan.
1. Always use the Yellow Taxis
These are the ones that will charge by the meter. A meter should begin at $0.35 JD and a typical 10-15 min ride is usually $1.5 JD. Don’t bother with the taxis that want to haggle with you for a ride.
When we first arrived in Jordan a taxi tried to tell us that the meter was “too expensive”. He was lying. Don’t be fooled by cunning cab drivers.
2. Double Check the Bill
At restaurants in Jordan, we noticed they have this annoying habit of dropping off plastic water bottles when you first sit down. They are not free despite that you never ordered them. We always use our Lifestraw Bottles so we don’t need them. Be sure to confirm that they aren’t on the final bill if you didn’t drink them.
3. Confirm the price before ordering street food.
Jordan isn’t a country with a ton of scams so it’s easy to be lulled into complacency. But street food vendors *sometimes* inflate the price for tourists. Just ask the cost before you order so you’re not surprised. It’s much easier to negotiate before they have made your food.
4. If you want to try Jordanian Wine, Amman is not the place to do it.
Most hostels in Petra offer wine far cheaper than the bars of Amman. & the fancy 2,000-year-old cave bar in Petra even served wine at the same price as shitty bars in Amman.
5. It’s not always warm here, pack accordingly.
We arrived without a single sweater or scarf in late March expecting warm desert weather. But we were met with freezing (literally) temps and rain. It was only for a few days but we still had to buy gear in Jordan which was pricey. Unless you’re visiting in the dead of summer, bring at least one warm outfit for bad weather days.
Is the Jordan Pass Worth it?
Absolutely.
Basically, if you come from a country that requires a visa for Jordan (USA, UK, Australia, Canada, etc.) the Jordan Pass saves you money.
The Jordan Pass has 3 different tiers depending on how many days in Petra you want. (We chose 2 days & don’t regret it but if you’re on a tight budget you could get away with one carefully planned day.) This pass covers your Visa Fee, entrance tickets to Petra, & 30+ other sites in the country including Amman’s Citadel and Roman Theatre.
A Jordan entrance visa on its own costs $56 for most nationalities.
And Petra passes cost…
1-day: $70
2-day: $77
3-day: $85
While the all-inclusive Jordan pass costs:
1- Day Petra: $99
2-Day Petra: $106
3-Day Petra: $113
You can purchase the pass here.
Note: The Jordan Pass does not cover the Dead Sea, however— another reason we skipped it. But it pretty much covers every single other attraction in the country.
How to Get Around Jordan on a Budget
Rule 1: The bus is always the best & cheapest option.
I’m talking about the public mini-buses, not the Jett Tourist buses. The Jett is an ok option if you are on a very strict time schedule but you’ll end up spending almost twice as much per ride.
Rule 2: Don’t travel on Fridays
Friday is the Holiday Sunday in the Arab world. Nothing is open and local transport barely runs. Even from Amman to Petra there is often only one bus all day on Fridays.
Rule 3: The South Bus Station or Wihdat Station is where you’ll catch the local bus to Petra or Wadi Rum.
Try to get there early. Buses leave when full and there are many throughout the day.
Rule 4: Minibuses will leave early but you’ll have to pay more.
Instead of the typical $7 from Amman to Petra expect to pay $10 or more per person if they can’t fill the bus. This is typically only a problem on Fridays.
Rule 5: Use the Airport Shuttle
It costs 3.3 JD per person and runs every 20 minutes until 6 PM. After 6 PM it’s every hour. The closest “station” to downtown (where you’ll likely stay) is 4th Circle.
Rule 6: Always ask for the next day’s bus times.
It really helps to plan ahead with this one. Especially coming from Wadi Rum back to Amman there are limited buses. Sometimes only 1 all day. Just ask your hostel when you need to be at the bus station and make it work.
Here’s a quick look at some prices and bus schedules
Amman to Petra
Minibus: $7-$10 JD (multiple times per day from Wihdat South Bus Station)
Jett Bus: $17 JD (6 AM)
Taxi (can be shared with others): $35
Petra to Wadi Rum
Minibus: $8 (6 AM is the only departure all day!)
Jett Bus: $14
Taxi: $40 JD
Wadi Rum to Aqaba
Minibus: $8
Jett Bus (Express): $21
Taxi: $25 JD
Other Taxi Routes
Amman to the Dead Sea: $17 JD round trip with Cliff Hostel ($12 JD pp in a group of 4)
There is also a minibus to the Dead Sea several times per day. We chose to skip the Dead Sea because we visited Jordan during a cold spell and a dip in the world’s saltiest ocean sounded extra unappealing.
Best Budget Accommodation in Jordan
I won’t fuss around and give you options on this one. These are the two hostels in the country I highly recommend for budget travelers.
Best Budget Hostel in Amman
Cliff Hostel
This place is right downtown. It’s walking distance to all the best eats and attractions in Amman. The host is incredibly kind, the rooms are comfy and warm even on cold nights, and the prices he offers for Dead Sea tours and Airport transfers are fair.
Also, it’s the cheapest option in the city aside from Mansour Hotel which we HATED and actually left after one night.
Best Budget Hostel in Petra (Wadi Musa)
Petra Cabin Hostel
Walking distance from the park entrance. Great breakfast buffet for Petra prices. But the real reason to stay is the incredibly cheap and incredibly comfortable dorms. They have double bed sleeping pods with windows overlooking the landscape.
Eating on a Budget in Jordan
Jordanian food is lovely. My favorite meal of the trip was actually in Jordan. Beit Sitti. But at $25 JD for one massive helping, it wasn’t exactly budget-friendly. (Still, go if you love food.) But here are the best cheap places in Jordan.
Best Cheap Food in Amman
Like most, we weren’t in Amman long so these places were all recommended by fellow bloggers. I can confirm they are excellent and worth a visit.
Hashem Restaurant.
The most famous restaurant in all of Amman. Get the Stuffed Falafel, regular hummus, and the Fetteh.
Al Quds.
They only serve one thing here. Excellent falafel sandwiches. The best in the city.
Street Food.
Shawarma, corn, baklava, fresh juice. There’s lots to eat in Jordan. Street food is incredibly safe here.
Habibas Sweets.
The world-famous Kunafe. This cheese-filled pistachio dessert is questionable to me but it’s a favorite and definitely worth a taste.
Best Cheap Food in Petra (Wadi Musa)
Cheap food is hard to come by in Wadi Musa. If you started your Jordan journey in Amman you’ll be dissatisfied with the prices here for sure.
Beit al-Barakah
This restaurant really offers the best bang for your buck. Order one dish and it’s large enough to share. It also comes with loads of appetizers like hummus and eggplant dip as well as free tea and baklava after the meal. Makes it well worth your 10 JD.
How to Visit Petra on a Budget
I wrote an entire guide on how to make the most of your visit to Petra. But here are a few budget-specific tips.
Snag a packed lunch from Restaurant on Tourism Street
Just look for the sign near Palm Court Restaurant. For 3-5 JD this is hands down the cheapest food option for your day in Petra. The park restaurants are super overpriced.
Plan to eat dinner at the Monastery.
This is the cheapest and tastiest place to get a sandwich or two and tea. For 3 JD you get a toasty warm wrap with a view of one of Petra’s best sights.
Walk.
Don’t get the mules or camels just get your steps in. This will save you tons of money.
Skip the Instagram famous viewpoint.
The Bedouin people make a living inside the park and you should 100% support their small businesses. But skip the Instagram tourism. Hike to the free viewpoint from the tea shop at the end of Khumbta trail instead of paying 10-20 JD for a guided 5-min climb to the Insta-famous stop.
Petra can be done in one long day if you need to.
But this is the coolest place in Jordan. And if you stay two days I highly recommend spending one night in a Bedouin cave.
Best Budget Wadi Rum Camp
I actually have two options for you.
Option 1: Fera’s Traditional Bedouin Camp with Coulture Trips.
Feras is a Bedouin who lives inside a traditional cave dwelling in Petra. We stayed with him during our time in the Lost City. He also runs a camp in the desert of Wadi Rum. Here’s an example of his prices and what he offers.
You can also contact him directly on Instagram for extra savings.
You should read my experience camping with the Bedouins (specifically Feras).
Option 2: Arabian Nights Camp
We stayed with this camp because the timing with Feras did not work out. Although it was a touch more expensive, the quality of the facilities was fantastic.
For $45 JD you get a double bed for two in a traditional tent + dinner for two + breakfast for two.
Then you can add on a 4×4 tour half day or full day, white desert tour, camel rides, etc.
This is the link to their website.
Here are a few budget-savvy tips we used in Wadi Rum.
1. Skip the Camel Rides.
Wadi Rum is not a dune-filled desert. And riding camels is extraordinarily expensive. Not worth it to really just walk slowly across the flat landscape.
2. You should do one 4×4 tour. & you’ll save by linking up with other people.
Especially at this camp, there will be other travelers so you can band together to share a tour. We did a half-day tour in the afternoon that ended at sunset. It cost 20 JD per person.
3. One night in Wadi Rum is enough.
Unless you arrive very late or plan on splurging on all the activities— one full day is good in this desert.
4. Beware of Super Cheap Booking.com camps.
Those camps are fine. Most are very similar in the desert. But be warned that $5 JD price tag DOES NOT include a pick-up in Wadi Rum Village (where the bus drops you off), your meals, or any activities in the desert. Every camp charges very comparable prices which means you’ll think you’re signing up for a $5 bed but as the extra costs add up you’ll spend about the same price as we did in the long run.
4. Stock up on Snacks.
That way you can skip lunch. And since you’ll be way out in the wilderness it never hurts to have a few extra snacks around.
And there you have a budget travel guide to Jordan! Although Jordan is the most expensive country we have ever visited we still managed to only spend around $100 per day as a couple. Obviously, if you want to travel cheaper you can! Hitchhike, tent camp, cook meals, etc. But for most travelers, this is a reasonable budget-friendly plan to help you save the most money possible while still getting the full Jordan experience.
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