Let’s face it, we’d all love to travel to and surf the Mentawais, the Maldives, Costa Rica, and Hawaii. But these places are more often than not, expensive to get to, and not cheap to stay in.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive to achieve those dreams, but maybe we are meant to explore other destinations for the time being.

Luckily, there are some amazing spots out there with epic waves, and low costs of living. Here, we’ll explore some of these places as the most affordable surfing destinations in the world.

Indonesia

Even though staying in the Mentawais or getting a charter boat through the islands can be costly, most of Indonesia is actually insanely affordable in terms of daily life. Basically, the more remote the surf destination, the more it will cost you to get there and be there.

The difference between staying in the Ments or taking a scooter around West Sumbawa for example, can mean a difference in spending 400$ a day to 40$ a day.

So if you’re on a budget, check out places like West Sumbawa, Kuta Lombok, or the southern coastline of Java. You might not be surfing world-renowned waves like Uluwatu, but you also wont be surfing with 50 other people in the lineup, and paying extra for the hype of Bali (though if you can afford it, for sure try it!).

Sri Lanka

An up-and-coming affordable surf destination is Sri Lanka. There are many budget friendly surf hostels available and so much amazing local food that you wouldn’t dream of vacationing here in any other style.

The public transport system can be overwhelming when looking towards riding the buses as they can be a bit tight, hot, and sketchy (in terms of swervy drivers), but are extremely affordable and doable - It’s also all about adventure, right?

There is also a train system here that runs along the entire southern coastline which is fairly low-cost. This will get you to all the best surf destinations from Hikkaduwa to Arugam Bay.

Mexico

The go-to budget surf destination for those residing in the states is Southern Baja. The coastline here is littered with secret spots and empty line-ups. All you need is a 4x4 to access everything and explore the coastline and the epic waves.

On the other hand, there is also an overnight bus system that runs through the mainland Mexican region. So this could really be used as a 2 in 1 accommodation and transport, saving you some extra bucks which you could later spend on more tacos and more tequilas.

South America

For those of you in the America’s region, South America can also be an amazing low-cost travel destination for surfing. Flights may be a bit more on the expensive side, but once you get there, camping or cheap rentals are in abundance, as well as vast arrays of coastlines to explore without another soul in sight.

Ecuador, Chile, and Peru are the places to go. From December to April, they receive the best swells from the Pacific and are the ideal surf destinations for goofy footers.

There is a low cost of living in these regions, as well as affordable public transport such as buses and taxis. The beach towns are quite small, such as Montanita in Ecuador, and so it’s relatively easy to walk to different places, even with a surfboard.

It does get a bit more pricey however when aiming to explore remote beaches as the cost of renting a car isn’t cheap. So it's best to get a friend or two to join you on the trip to help you share the cost of fuel, rent, and insurance when planning to go on a road trip.

Written by Kayli Wouters

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