Hajj & Umrah Budget Calculator
Plan a realistic Hajj or Umrah budget: what each cost line covers, how package tiers differ, when prices peak, and a month-by-month savings plan.
وَأَذِّن فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالًا
"And proclaim to the people the Hajj; they will come to you on foot."
— Surah Al-Hajj (22:27)
Trip Details
Total Estimated Cost
$9,055
Daily Average
$906
Umrah • 10 days • 1 traveler • Standard package
Cost Breakdown
Click to include/exclude items. Adjust amounts as needed.
Package
$6,000Hajj/Umrah Package
Group package with accommodation
Travel
$1,750International Flight
Round trip to Saudi Arabia
Visa Fee
Hajj/Umrah visa processing
Travel Insurance
Medical and trip protection
Essentials
$130Ihram Clothing
Ihram sheets and belt
Luggage & Bags
Suitcase and day bag
Modest Clothing
Prayer clothes, abayas
Comfortable Shoes
Walking shoes and sandals
Health
$225Vaccinations
Required immunizations
Medications & First Aid
Personal medicine kit
Toiletries
Unscented personal care items
Daily
$450Daily Food Budget
Per day food expenses
Local Transport
Taxi/bus within cities
Miscellaneous Daily
Water, snacks, small items
Contingency
$500Emergency Fund
10-15% buffer for unexpected
Money-Saving Tips
💰 Budget Tips
- • Book 6-12 months in advance for better rates
- • Travel in off-peak season (avoid Ramadan peak)
- • Consider group packages for discounts
- • Stay further from Haram to save on hotels
- • Bring snacks from home to reduce food costs
⚠️ Hidden Costs to Consider
- • Airport parking or transport from home
- • Excess baggage fees (Zamzam water!)
- • Currency exchange fees
- • Laundry services during trip
- • Mobile/data roaming charges
📋 Financial Checklist
- ✓ Start saving early - set up a dedicated Hajj/Umrah fund
- ✓ Compare multiple travel agencies and packages
- ✓ Check what's included in package (meals, transport, Qurbani)
- ✓ Inform your bank about travel dates to avoid card blocks
- ✓ Carry mix of cash and cards for flexibility
- ✓ Keep emergency fund separate and accessible
A pilgrimage budget fails for one of two reasons: the traveller budgets the package price and forgets everything outside it, or the traveller books late into peak season and pays a multiple of what the same trip cost a few months earlier. This page breaks the total cost into the lines that actually appear on an invoice, shows how the tiers differ, and turns the target into a monthly figure you can actually save against. Use the calculator above for your own numbers, then read the sections below for what belongs in each line.
What the total is actually made of
Package prices bundle some of these lines and leave others out. The table sets out the lines to price individually, whether a typical package covers them, and where the money is really going. The figures are planning ranges for travellers departing from North America or Europe, not quotes — your agent's invoice and your departure city decide the real number.
| Cost line | In a package? | Typical range | What drives it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights | Usually | $900 – $2,500 | Season, stopovers, how early you book |
| Visa and service fees | Sometimes | Varies by nationality | Set by the Saudi authorities — confirm on visa.mofa.gov.sa |
| Makkah accommodation | Usually | 40–60% of the package | Walking distance to the Haram, dates, star rating |
| Madinah accommodation | Usually | Shorter stay than Makkah | Distance to Masjid an-Nabawi, nights included |
| Mina and Arafat (Hajj only) | Yes | Tent tier sets the price | Standard vs upgraded camps, distance to Jamarat |
| Ground transport | Usually | $100 – $400 | Internal transfers, Jeddah/Makkah rail, airport pickups |
| Food and incidentals | Rarely | $30 – $50 per day | Whether meals are included; bottled water; SIM data |
| Qurbani / hady | Sometimes | Separate purchase | Whether you arrange it through the package or a charity |
| Travel insurance | Sometimes | $40 – $150 | Age, trip length, medical cover level |
| Vaccination and medical | No | $80 – $250 | Meningococcal ACWY is required; see the checklist |
Package tiers and what actually changes
Tier names vary between agents, but almost every price difference comes down to two variables: distance from the Haram and how many people share the room. Both move the price faster than the star rating does. For Hajj specifically, the official Saudi service route for international pilgrims runs through Nusuk Hajj, which is worth checking against whatever an agent quotes you.
| Tier | Accommodation | Distance from Haram | Planning range (US departure) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 2–3 star, shared rooms | 15–20 min walk or shuttle | $5,000 – $7,000 |
| Standard | 3–4 star hotels | 10–15 min walk | $7,000 – $10,000 |
| Premium | 4–5 star, near Haram | 5–10 min walk | $10,000 – $15,000 |
| Luxury | 5 star, Haram view | Direct access | $15,000 – $25,000+ |
Why Hajj costs more than Umrah
Three structural differences explain most of the gap, and none of them is about comfort:
- • Fixed dates, fixed supply. Hajj happens on set days of Dhul Hijjah, so every pilgrim in the world competes for the same beds and tents in the same week. Umrah can be performed any day of the year.
- • Mina and Arafat. Hajj adds nights in tent cities that have no Umrah equivalent — a cost line that scales with the camp tier you choose.
- • Longer stay. A typical Umrah trip is 10–14 days and can be shorter; Hajj itineraries usually run longer because of the ritual timetable and group fixed dates.
The practical consequence: if cost is the binding constraint, an off-peak Umrah in the low season can often be done for less than a third of a standard Hajj package in the same year.
When prices peak, and when they don't
Demand is the single biggest lever on price after distance from the Haram. The pattern below repeats every year, with exact dates shifting because the Islamic calendar is lunar — check which month falls where with our Ramadan calendar (Ramadan 2026 begins 18 February) and the Islamic date converter. Entry rules and any seasonal travel warnings for the Kingdom are maintained on GOV.UK's Saudi Arabia travel advice.
| Period | Demand | Effect on price |
|---|---|---|
| Ramadan, especially the last ten nights | Peak | Highest of the year for Umrah; book 6+ months out or pay the market rate |
| Hajj season and the weeks either side | Peak | Makkah hotel rates spike across the whole period, not just the ritual days |
| Summer school holidays | High | Family demand lifts flights most of all |
| December holidays | High | Short window, limited seats from Europe and North America |
| Late September – November | Low | Consistently the cheapest Umrah window outside Ramadan |
| January – early February | Low | Mild weather and thin demand; good value before the Ramadan run-up |
Turning the target into a monthly number
A pilgrimage fund works the same way any sinking fund does: fix the target, fix the horizon, divide. The table below shows the arithmetic for three common combinations — the same figures the savings card further down uses.
| Target | Horizon | Per month | Per week | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $7,000 (economy Hajj) | 2 years | $291.67 | $67.31 | $9.59 |
| $10,000 (standard Hajj) | 3 years | $277.78 | $64.10 | $9.13 |
| $15,000 (premium Hajj) | 5 years | $250.00 | $57.69 | $8.22 |
💵 Hajj savings plan ($10,000 over 3 years)
$278
per month
$64
per week
$9.13
per day
Arithmetic: target ÷ 36 months, ÷ 156 weeks, ÷ 1,095 days. Keep the fund in a separate account so it does not compete with monthly spending — and remember zakat applies to wealth you hold for a lunar year, which our zakat calculator covers.
Currency and spending money
- • Saudi riyal: the riyal is pegged to the US dollar at a fixed rate of 3.75 SAR per USD, so the exchange rate you see is not a market that moves — only the fees charged on top of it are worth shopping around for.
- • Cards: Visa and Mastercard are accepted at hotels, malls and larger restaurants. Tell your bank you are travelling so the first transaction is not declined.
- • Cash: carry a small amount of riyals for taxis, small shops and donations. ATMs are widely available in Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah.
- • Avoid airport exchange desks: the spread is the worst you will find anywhere on the trip. Use an ATM on arrival or exchange before departure.
- • Daily budget: plan $30–50 per day for food, local transport and incidentals if meals are not included in your package.
- • Confirm the fee schedule yourself: visa and service fees are set by the Saudi authorities, not by agents — the authoritative source is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs e-Visa portal.
Where budgets usually go wrong
- • Booking late. The largest single saving available is booking 4–6 months ahead; late bookings into peak season are why two neighbours pay very different amounts for the same trip.
- • Pricing only the package. Food, local transport, SIM data, Qurbani and insurance routinely add 10–20% above the headline price.
- • Assuming "Haram view" is the only upgrade. A room 10–15 minutes' walk away with a shuttle can be a third cheaper for the same nights. See halal hotel finder for what to check in a Muslim-friendly property.
- • Forgetting the pre-travel medical line. Meningococcal ACWY vaccination is mandatory for pilgrims and is not bundled into packages — budget it separately from the Hajj & Umrah checklist.
- • Not comparing agents. Two or three written quotes for the same itinerary exposes both the bundle padding and the hidden service fees.
Sources: Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs e-Visa portal (visa.mofa.gov.sa) for visa fees and eligibility; Nusuk Hajj official platform (hajj.nusuk.sa) for Hajj services; GOV.UK travel advice for Saudi Arabia for entry-rule context. The cost ranges and tier table on this page are planning estimates for budgeting, not quotations, and the savings figures are arithmetic on the stated target and horizon.