I'm a lazy economist when it comes to factoring my leisure expenses, but I've easily done my tours with 20 dollars a day for covering all food and daily expenses including a lunch out and beverages during the day (soda, coffee once or twice as travelling interlude/ gas station stop courtesy purchase, etc..)

I cook dinner and breakfast, usually.

I can include a occasional campground and keep it in the 20/day by scrimping the budget, but if campgrounds are regular stops i will factor another 10 bucks a day for campground camping so campground trips would be more like 30 bucks a day in NA.

I haven't done europe by bike yet but have expectations of it to be perhaps a third more to twice as expensive, just from the lanugage barrrier/ clueless / local 'taxes'

bikepacking trips can be slightly less expensive but watch out for those foraging purchases when you ride by the supermarket....all of a sudden you''ve bought a watermelon 'because it looked tasty' and no place to carry it in your framebags....

I always find my first time getting to a place that sells food after a backcountry bike or ski or mountaineering trip is akin to a being a caveman in a candy store - sometimes the foraging is utterly barbaric, and can scare young children.

Think of all those times YOU may have that barbarian in the convenience store -


who else has caught themself simultaneously inhaling a packet of beef jerky, a doughnut, and a quart of chocolate milk waiting in line, all the while giving some kid looking at you agape the 'that's right, i'm an out of control adult' staredown?