Splitting costs: a sample ABC budget
A worksheet for splitting the cost of the 7-day Annapurna Base Camp trek between two, four or six people: which lines are shared, which are personal and how the saving works, with hypothetical inputs you replace with real quotes.
How much do you save by trekking Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) in a group? This page gives you a worksheet to find out. It uses the standard 7-day ABC itinerary from Pokhara, tells you which lines are shared and which are personal, and works through the arithmetic with hypothetical inputs that are not price quotes. Replace them with real written quotes from registered agencies and the official permit pages before you decide anything.
The principle is simple: lines charged per day or per trip (guide, porter, private jeep) shrink per person as the group grows, while permits, food and rooms stay the same for each person. That is why trekking with partners lowers your bill but never halves it.
Trip terbuka di Annapurna Base Camp Trek
Trip sebenar yang disiarkan oleh pendaki yang mencari rakan.
The trek the worksheet is built on
The route runs from Pokhara by road to the trailhead at Siwai, then up via Jhinu Danda (1,780 m), Chhomrong, Bamboo (2,310 m) and Deurali (3,230 m) to Annapurna Base Camp at 4,130 m, with Machapuchhre Base Camp on the way. You come back down the same valley, with the hot springs at Jhinu on the return, and drive to Pokhara on day 7. Day by day, see the Annapurna Base Camp itinerary. That is six nights on the trail, which sets how many rooms and meal days you pay for.
What is shared and what is personal
| Line | Basis | Changes with group size? |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed guide | Per day for the group | Yes, falls per person |
| Porter | Per day, usually one per two trekkers | Partly: one per two people keeps the per-person cost flat |
| Private jeep Pokhara to Siwai and back | Per vehicle | Yes, until the vehicle is full |
| Conservation area permit | Per person | No |
| TIMS card, if asked for | Per person | No |
| Rooms | Per person or per room | No, unless two share a room |
| Food and drink | Per person | No |
| Showers, charging, wifi | Per person | No |
| Tips | Per person | No |
The formula
Per-person cost = (guide per day x days + porter per day x days x porters + jeep) / N + permits + (rooms + food + extras) + tips
where N is the number of trekkers sharing. Write that formula in a spreadsheet and put one real quote in each cell.
Worked example with hypothetical inputs
Suppose, purely for the arithmetic, that an agency quotes a guide at 40 per day, a porter at 25 per day and a jeep at 90 for the round trip, all in the same currency. Over 7 days:
| Group size (N) | Guide (40 x 7) | Porters (one per two trekkers, 25 x 7 each) | Jeep (90) | Shared lines per person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 280 | 175 | 90 | 545 |
| 2 | 280 | 175 | 90 | 272.5 |
| 4 | 280 | 350 | 90 | 180 |
| 6 | 280 | 525 | 90 | 149 |
Notice what happens. Going from one trekker to two nearly halves the shared lines. Going from four to six saves much less, because porters are added in step with the group while the guide and jeep are already well spread. The first partner you find is worth far more than the fifth. This matches what the figures from your own quotes will show, whatever the actual rates.
The same table with real numbers, as of October 2026
The inputs above are made up so the arithmetic is easy to follow. For Annapurna Base Camp, our dated cost data gives real ones, converted at NPR 134 to the dollar. Guides in the Annapurna region are quoted at NPR 2,700 to 4,000 a day and porters at NPR 2,100 to 3,400, so seven days is NPR 18,900 to 28,000 for the guide and NPR 14,700 to 23,800 for each porter. The Annapurna Conservation Area permit is NPR 3,000 per foreigner (children under 10 free). The Siwai jeep fare has no published figure in our sources, so it is left out, as is the TIMS card, which the Nepal Tourism Board lists at NPR 2,000 for foreigners (SAARC nationals NPR 1,000).
| Group size | Guide and porter shared lines, per person | Permit | Lodging and food, mid-range, per person | Total per person (USD, rounded out) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NPR 33,600 to 51,800 (USD 250 to 390) | NPR 3,000 | NPR 21,800 to 32,300 | USD 430 to 650 |
| 2 | NPR 16,800 to 25,900 (USD 125 to 195) | NPR 3,000 | NPR 21,800 to 32,300 | USD 310 to 460 |
| 4 | NPR 12,075 to 18,900 (USD 90 to 141) | NPR 3,000 | NPR 21,800 to 32,300 | USD 270 to 410 |
The pattern matches the hypothetical table: the first partner roughly halves the guide and porter lines, and going from two to four saves much less, because two porters are needed for four people. The lodging figure is four nights below 2,500 m, one between 2,500 and 3,800 m and one above 3,800 m. Lodging does not change with group size, which is why the jump from a lone trekker to a pair is the one to chase. The "What it costs" section of the Annapurna Base Camp route page shows the same ranges for budget and comfort styles, and our permits page lists the permit.
Where the personal lines go
- Food is usually the biggest personal cost. Prices rise with altitude because everything is carried up. Dal bhat with free refills is the best value on the menu.
- Rooms are cheap if you eat where you sleep. Many teahouses expect it, and the price of the room is often low because the meals are where they earn.
- Boiling or filtering water is cheaper than buying bottles and avoids plastic. Carry purification tablets or a filter.
- Showers and charging add up at higher stops, so charge a power bank in a lower village.
How to get real prices for each line
- Email three registered agencies the same route, dates and group size and ask for a line-by-line written quote.
- Check permit amounts on the NTNC e-permit page rather than a blog (NPR 3,000 for ACAP as of October 2026).
- In Pokhara, ask a teahouse association or two lodges for current menu prices at Chhomrong and above.
- Ask your agency what is included (guide's food and lodging, insurance for staff, jeep) and what is not.
Ways to cut the bill without cutting safety
- Share rooms. Two people in a twin room usually pay little more than one, so pair up with someone of the same comfort level.
- Skip the extras early. Charge your devices in Pokhara and carry a power bank. Save hot showers for Jhinu Danda, where the natural hot springs are a short walk below the village.
- Do not cut the guide or the acclimatisation. ABC reaches 4,130 m in four walking days from the road, a faster profile than the Everest route, so the guide's judgement is worth the money. Our altitude sickness guide explains why.
- Pick the season for the price. Shoulder months are quieter and rooms are easier to find, though spring and autumn have the clearest weather.
- Ask what a porter really adds. If you carry a light pack and your partner does too, one porter between four may be enough, but ask the agency about the weight limit.
What to avoid
Do not agree a fixed price with a stranger you have not met, do not leave the budget "to be sorted out later" and do not pay for a trek in cash to an unregistered person. If a quote is far lower than the others, ask what has been left out: it is usually the guide's insurance, the permits or the transport.
Splitting the shared lines fairly
Decide three things before anyone pays: who pays the agency, who collects reimbursements and by when. Keep a shared note with the quote and each person's share. If someone leaves early, the guide and porter lines do not shrink for the remaining people, so agree in advance how that is handled. Never send money to a stranger before you have met, and pay agencies directly.
How our cost splitter does this for you
When you post a trip, FindTrekkingPartner fills in a cost plan from the region's data. Permits are calculated per member by nationality group and trip dates, guide and porter costs are split between the members who use them, transport is split for jeeps, and food and accommodation are per person. You can switch currency, and the plan recalculates when someone joins or leaves. These are estimates only; the platform does not collect or hold any money.
Next steps
Read the Nepal trekking cost guide for the full list of cost lines on any trek, the permits explainer for what to buy, and the Annapurna region guide for seasons. If you are looking for people to share with, start with how to find a trekking partner safely.
