After the aisle
How Much Does a Honeymoon Cost?
By Jared Waterworth · Updated June 10, 2026 · 5 min read
The honeymoon is the one wedding expense you actually get to relax into — but only if you funded it before the wedding drained the account. Here's how to size the trip and save for it.
Ballpark
A U.S. honeymoon averages roughly $4,000–$8,000, driven mostly by flights, lodging, and daily spend. Estimate flights + (nightly lodging × nights) + (daily spend × days), add a 10–15% buffer, then divide by the months you have to save.
Skip to the numbers
Use the honeymoon calculator for your wedding.
A honeymoon budget is easy to pin down once you break the trip into four parts: getting there, staying there, spending while you're there, and the one-off splurges. Add a buffer for the unexpected and you have a realistic number to save toward. The honeymoon budget calculator totals it all up; here's the formula behind it.
Four buckets and a buffer
Total cost is the sum of four buckets, plus a buffer:
- Flights: price per person × number of travelers.
- Lodging: price per night × number of nights.
- Daily spend: per person, per day × travelers × nights (food, local transport, small activities).
- One-time costs: excursions, a special dinner, transfers, travel insurance.
Then add a buffer percentage for surprises. From the total you can get two useful figures: per person = total ÷ travelers, and monthly savings = total ÷ months until the trip.
Sample trip: 7 nights for two
Say two of you take a 7-night trip with a 10% buffer:
- Flights: $600 × 2 = $1,200
- Lodging: $200 × 7 = $1,400
- Daily spend: $100 × 2 × 7 = $1,400
- Excursions: $500
Subtotal = $4,500. Adding a 10% buffer brings it to $4,950 total, or about $2,475 per person. Spread over 10 months, that's roughly $495 a month to save. If the total makes you flinch, cut nights before you cut the destination; a shorter version of the trip you want beats a longer version of one you don't.
Ways to bring the cost down
- Book early. Flights and desirable lodging tend to rise as dates fill in, so locking them in months ahead usually pays off.
- Use travel rewards. Points and miles from everyday spending (and from the wedding itself) can cover flights or hotel nights.
- Open a honeymoon fund. A honeymoon registry lets guests chip in toward experiences instead of physical gifts, which can offset a meaningful share of the trip.
Fit it into the bigger picture
The honeymoon is part of your overall wedding spending, so once you have a total, fold it into your full plan with the wedding budget calculator to make sure the trip and the day stay in balance.
Book with real quotes
Flight prices, nightly rates, and daily costs swing widely by destination and season, so use real quotes for your trip and keep the buffer generous; currency, tips, and last-minute plans add up. Re-run the figures as you book.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a honeymoon cost?
Add up flights (per person × travelers), lodging (per night × nights), daily spend (per person × travelers × nights), and one-time extras, then add a buffer. A 7-night trip for two with $600 flights each, $200/night lodging, $100/day each, and $500 in excursions comes to $4,500; a 10% buffer brings it to $4,950.
How do I split a honeymoon cost per person?
Divide the total by the number of travelers. A $4,950 trip for two works out to about $2,475 per person.
How much should we save each month for a honeymoon?
Divide the total by the months until the trip. Saving for a $4,950 honeymoon over 10 months is about $495 per month.
How can we lower honeymoon costs?
Book flights and lodging early, put travel rewards and points toward the trip, and consider a honeymoon registry fund so guests can contribute to experiences instead of physical gifts.
Sources
Last reviewed June 2026 by Jared Waterworth. Estimates use widely accepted wedding-planning rules of thumb — see how we estimate. Numbers vary by region, season, and vendor, so verify before you book or buy.