KARNATAKA TRAVEL GUIDE · UPDATED OCTOBER 2026
Karnataka Trip Cost: Budgets, Fees and Sample Plans
What a Karnataka trip really costs per day, per couple and per family, with current entry fees, safari tariffs, transport fares and 3, 5 and 7-day budgets.
Quick answer: what a Karnataka trip costs
Plan on about ₹1,200–2,000 per person per day as a backpacker, ₹3,000–5,000 mid-range, and ₹7,000–13,000 comfortable. These are our own estimates for 2026, excluding flights and shopping. A couple travelling mid-range for 3 days spends roughly ₹15,400–25,400, and a 7-day north-to-south loop runs about ₹29,000–52,000.
Cheapest big-ticket costHampi ASI ticket ₹30–40Priciest recent changeBandipur and Nagarahole safaris, from 1 Sept 2026Petrol, Bengaluru₹111.68/litre (30 Oct 2026)
Karnataka is cheap on food and temples, moderate on stays, and expensive in only three places: wildlife safaris and lodges, Coorg and coastal resorts on peak weekends, and anywhere during Dasara. Distance is the other lever. Bengaluru to Hospet is roughly 287 km, so a Hampi leg costs a night bus and a day of travel before you spend a rupee on the ruins.
Every figure below is tagged. Where sources disagree we give a range and say confirm on site. Own estimates are labelled as such, with the assumptions beside them. For time of year, read the best time to visit Karnataka alongside the peak-versus-off-season section here.
Daily budget by travel style
Two published averages bracket the field. One long-running traveller survey (2017 prices, updated 2021) put all-in days at about ₹845 in Mysuru, ₹969 in Gokarna, ₹1,000 in Hampi and ₹1,454 in Bengaluru, assuming public buses. A current cost aggregator averages ₹1,241 for a bed, ₹891 for food and ₹409 for local transport, which adds to about ₹2,541 per person per day. Prices have moved since 2017, so we built the tiers below from today’s line items.
| Style (per person, per day) | Stay | Food | Local transport | Sights | Daily total (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | ₹400–900 (dorm or basic room, shared) | ₹300–500 | ₹100–250 (buses, shared autos) | ₹50–200 | ₹1,200–2,000 |
| Mid-range | ₹1,250–2,250 (half of a ₹2,500–4,500 double) | ₹700–1,200 | ₹500–900 (cab share, autos) | ₹200–500 | ₹3,000–5,000 |
| Comfortable | ₹3,500–7,500 (half of a ₹7,000–15,000 room) | ₹1,500–2,500 | ₹1,000–2,000 (private car with driver, shared) | ₹500–1,500 | ₹7,000–13,000 |
Assumptions: two people sharing a room, no flights, no alcohol, no shopping, intercity transport excluded (it is costed separately below). Totals are rounded and are our estimates, not published tariffs.
Couple and family versions
- Couple, mid-range: about ₹5,500–9,500 a day. The room is one cost, so two people cost less than double one.
- Family of four (two adults, two children), mid-range: about ₹10,000–17,000 a day with a hired car and driver (estimate). Rooms that sleep four are usually priced as a suite, and children above the age cut-off pay adult entry.
- Solo: add a single-occupancy premium. Hostels and homestays with shared tables soften it. See solo female travel in Karnataka for where to base yourself.
Getting around: bus, train, cab and self-drive
Intercity transport is the line that swings most between travellers. Use the table to price your own legs.
| Leg | Mode | Fare / cost | Time | Verified? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru–Mysuru | Private and state buses | From ₹199 (cheapest listed); ranges to several thousand for sleeper coaches | About 3 hours by state bus | Listed fares; check ksrtc.in |
| Bengaluru–Mysuru | Train, general/2S | ₹100 (2S, Wodeyar and Rajya Rani Express); ₹150–180 sleeper | 2h 25m–2h 55m | Single source, confirm on IRCTC |
| Bengaluru–Mysuru | Train, chair car | ₹315 (Shatabdi) to ₹570–725 (Vande Bharat); executive chair ₹910–1,220 | 2h 00m–2h 25m | Single source, confirm on IRCTC |
| Bengaluru–Hospet (for Hampi) | Bus | ₹399 to about ₹3,000+ depending on coach and booking date | Roughly 6–8 hours typical | Aggregator range, confirm |
| Bengaluru–Coorg | Direct state bus | ₹400–800 per person (one way) | Overnight or day | Single source, confirm |
| Hospet–Hampi | Shared auto / private auto | ₹20 to Kamalapura shared; ₹200 private | About 30 min | Single source, confirm |
State bus classes matter. Karnataka’s Shakti scheme gives free bus travel to women domiciled in Karnataka on ordinary services of the four state transport corporations, within the state only. It does not cover visitors from other states, inter-state buses, or premium classes such as Vayu Airavat, Airavat Club Class, Ambari and non-AC sleepers. Our KSRTC bus travel guide explains which coach is which and how to book.
Self-drive: fuel and tolls
Petrol in Bengaluru is ₹111.68 a litre (30 October 2026, unchanged for ten days). At 15 km per litre that is about ₹745 per 100 km, our estimate. At 12 km per litre it is about ₹930, and at 18 km per litre about ₹620.
On the Bengaluru–Mysuru Expressway, NHAI’s revised rate from 21 July 2026 is ₹185 for a car one way and ₹275 for a same-day return on the Bengaluru–Nidaghatta stretch. A one-way trip cost ₹135 when the road opened in 2023. Other national-highway plazas on routes to Hampi, Gokarna and Coorg add up. Budget ₹400–1,200 per long trip in tolls (estimate), paid by FASTag.
Cab with driver
Outstation cab prices vary by operator, so we do not quote a per-km rate. Get written quotes that state the per-day kilometre cap, driver allowance, night charge, and whether toll and parking are extra. In Coorg, a full-day local car or jeep is reported at ₹2,000–3,500 per vehicle, and weekend peak surges for transfers have been reported from ₹1,800 per person. Confirm on booking.
Entry fees for headline sights
Most Karnataka temples and many monuments are free. A few headline sights have a price that is easy to mis-plan, particularly for foreign visitors.
| Sight | Indian adult | Foreign visitor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mysore Palace | ₹120 (children 10–17 ₹70; students ₹50; under 10 free) | ₹1,000 | Fees were revised in late October 2024. Older pages still show ₹40–70 and ₹200, so confirm at the counter. Open 10:00–17:30; last entry about 17:00. |
| Hampi, Vittala Temple (ASI) | ₹30–40 | ₹500 | Children up to 15 free. The same ticket covers the Zenana Enclosure (Lotus Mahal, Elephant Stables) that day. Sources split on ₹30 vs ₹40. Virupaksha Temple has no listed entry ticket. |
| Bandipur and Nagarahole bus safari | ₹1,000 adult; ₹500 child under 12 | Not separately listed | From 1 Sept 2026, plus 18% GST, per reported tariff |
| Bandipur jeep safari | ₹1,500 adult; ₹750 child | Not separately listed | Reported by two outlets; old rate reported as ₹750 or ₹1,000. Confirm. |
Palace extras. Photography and video are not allowed inside the palace. Shoes come off at the door, and the palace board agreed to free footwear and luggage counters. On Sundays and public holidays the exterior is lit from about 19:00 to 20:00, and watching from outside costs nothing. Full timings and routes are in the Mysore Palace guide.
Hampi camera fees. A still camera at Virupaksha is ₹50, a movie camera ₹500, and a video camera at Vittala ₹25. A coracle crossing is ₹10, a private 30-minute coracle ride ₹100–200, and a bicycle ₹100 a day. A 50cc moped is ₹250 and a 100cc bike ₹400 (single source, confirm). Everything else about the site is in our Hampi trip cost breakdown.
For the Chalukyan group, the Hoysala temples and forts, ASI and state fees change often and sources conflict, so we do not print a number. Carry small change, ask at the ticket window, and read the Badami–Aihole–Pattadakal guide and the Hoysala temples guide for current opening hours.
Wildlife safari and jungle stay costs
Safaris are the only line where the government itself raised prices in 2026. From 1 September, the bus safari at Bandipur and Nagarahole went from ₹650 (one outlet says ₹600) to ₹1,000 for adults and from ₹350 to ₹500 for children. The jeep safari at Bandipur went to ₹1,500 for adults and ₹750 for children. Camera and parking charges were also revised, and 18% GST applies. Figures were reported from the forest department’s approved tariff, so confirm the day you book.
- Two adults, one bus safari each: ₹2,000 plus GST, about ₹2,360.
- Two adults, one jeep safari each: ₹3,000 plus GST, about ₹3,540 (our arithmetic on the reported fees).
- Stay: forest-fringe lodges start around ₹2,000 a night for the simplest rooms, and jungle resorts cost many times that. One three-day Kabini plan for two was costed at ₹10,000–17,000 with a Bengaluru cab, which is consistent with our mid-range estimate.
Pick the park, the vehicle and the season in the Kabini, Nagarhole and Bandipur safari guide, and compare other reserves in wildlife safaris and national parks in Karnataka.
Sample budgets: 3, 5 and 7 days
These routes are priced for a couple, mid-range, excluding flights. Each line is an estimate built from the fares and tariffs above. Scale down to roughly 50–60% for a backpacker version, and up to about 2–2.5 times for a comfortable one (estimates).
| Route | Stay | Food | Transport | Sights and activities | Total (couple) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days: Bengaluru, Mysuru, Bandipur by train and local cabs | ₹6,000–10,000 (2 nights) | ₹3,000–4,500 | ₹3,300–6,400 (train return plus local cabs) | ₹3,100–4,540 (bus or jeep safari with GST, palace, extras) | ₹15,400–25,400 |
| 5 days: Bengaluru, Mysuru, Coorg, Bengaluru in own car | ₹16,000–24,000 (4 nights) | ₹8,000–15,000 | ₹4,400–6,700 (fuel about 600 km plus tolls) | ₹1,000–2,500 | ₹29,400–48,200 |
| 7 days: Bengaluru, Hampi, Badami, Gokarna, return by bus | ₹8,500–17,000 (5 hotel nights, 1 night bus) | ₹9,800–16,800 | ₹9,000–15,000 (intercity buses plus local autos and rentals) | ₹1,500–3,000 | ₹28,800–51,800 |
How each was built. The 3-day trip uses chair-car train fares of ₹315–725 each way per person, a palace ticket of ₹120 per person, and a bus or jeep safari plus 18% GST. The 5-day trip uses petrol at ₹111.68 and a 12–18 km/l range over roughly 550–650 km, an estimate of the loop distance. Coorg rooms are taken at the reported mid-range ₹4,500–6,500 a night and one Mysuru night at ₹2,500–4,500. The 7-day trip prices 5 hotel nights at ₹1,500–4,000 each, with intercity legs at our estimate because fares for Badami and Gokarna sectors vary.
For the day-by-day plans behind these totals, use the Karnataka 5-day itinerary and the 7-day itinerary. For a Coorg-only stay, the Coorg 3-day itinerary has its own spend plan.
Peak versus off-season price swings
| Destination | Expensive | Cheaper | Reported swing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mysuru | Dasara, with hotel occupancy touching 100% on 18–21 Oct 2026 | Most non-festival weeks | Hoteliers planned +20–25% for the final four days; some Sayyaji Rao Road hotels reportedly doubled. About 70% of rooms were booked days ahead. |
| Hampi | Peak season | April–September | Peak stays rise 25–50% (single source). In the off-season auto fares fall about 40% and rentals about 50% (single source). |
| Coorg | October–February, and any weekend | Weekdays; monsoon weekdays | Weekend cab surges from ₹1,800. Monsoon getaways can also push prices up, so book weekdays. |
| Gokarna | December and long weekends | July–August | Villas and homestays often cost considerably less in July–August. Some shacks close and water sports pause. |
| Bengaluru–Mysuru by bus | Dasara | Normal weeks | State fares rose by ₹20–30 on express and premium services during Dasara 2025. |
The sensible trade is weekday travel in shoulder months. Read the Dasara 2026 guide if you plan to time a trip around the festival. For the cheaper, greener weeks, see Karnataka in monsoon and the 2027 long weekends, which are the dates to avoid or book early.
- GST on safaris. 18% on the reported tariff, charged on top of the fee.
- Camera and parking fees. Safari camera and parking charges were revised along with the tariff, and a charge for lenses above 200 mm was added. Amounts were not published in the reports we found.
- Foreigner pricing. ₹1,000 at Mysore Palace and ₹500 at Vittala Temple versus ₹30–120 for Indians. Plan this for every ASI site.
- Bottled water. About ₹25 a litre at Hampi, and more at remote stays (single source).
- Fuel in remote spots. Bottled petrol at Hampi is reported at ₹100 a litre against ₹65 at the pump in Kamalapura in that source’s figures, so fill up before the ruins.
- Cab extras. Toll, parking, night halt and driver allowance can add ₹500–1,500 to a multi-day hire (estimate).
- Weekend premiums. Resorts in hill and coastal areas price weekends and long weekends sharply higher.
- Guides. Badami guides are reported at ₹200–300, and Hampi guides are quoted per half-day, so agree before you start.
Ways to save without losing the trip
- Take the train for Mysuru. At ₹100–725 a head it undercuts a cab by a wide margin and is quicker than most buses. Book on IRCTC.
- Use state buses, but know the class. Ordinary services are cheapest, and Karnataka-domiciled women ride most of them free. Check classes and routes on ksrtc.in.
- Book weekdays. Coorg and coastal rates drop midweek in every season.
- Bus safari over jeep. You save ₹500 per person at Bandipur and the experience is similar in the main seasons.
- Stay in Hospet, not Hampi, on busy weekends. Shared autos run to Kamalapura for about ₹20.
- Eat where locals eat. A South Indian breakfast is about ₹50 at Hampi (single source), and meals-style lunches stay cheap statewide. See food to try in Karnataka.
- Pair sights. One Vittala ticket covers the Zenana Enclosure the same day.
- Short trips from Bengaluru. Weekend getaways from Bangalore removes the biggest cost, which is long-distance transport.
Karnataka Trip Cost: frequently asked questions
How much does a Karnataka trip cost per person per day?
Our estimates are ₹1,200–2,000 for a backpacker, ₹3,000–5,000 mid-range and ₹7,000–13,000 comfortable, excluding flights and shopping. A published aggregate average adds to about ₹2,541 per person a day.
How much for a 3-day mid-range trip for a couple?
About ₹15,400–25,400 for Bengaluru, Mysuru and Bandipur using trains and local cabs, including a bus or jeep safari with GST. This is an estimate built from reported fares and tariffs.
What are the Bandipur and Nagarahole safari fees now?
From 1 September 2026 the reported tariff is ₹1,000 for adults and ₹500 for children on the bus safari. The Bandipur jeep safari is reported at ₹1,500 for adults and ₹750 for children. 18% GST applies. Confirm when you book.
What is the Mysore Palace entry fee?
After the late-October 2024 revision, reported fees are ₹120 for Indian adults, ₹70 for children aged 10–17, ₹50 for students and ₹1,000 for foreigners. Children under 10 are free. Some older pages show lower prices, so confirm at the counter.
How much is the ASI ticket at Hampi?
The Vittala Temple ticket is reported at ₹30–40 for Indians and ₹500 for foreigners, with children up to 15 free. It also covers the Zenana Enclosure on the same day. Sources split on ₹30 versus ₹40, so confirm on site.
Is it cheaper to drive or take the bus in Karnataka?
For one or two people the train or state bus is cheaper. For four people on a multi-stop loop, a car often wins. Petrol is ₹111.68 a litre in Bengaluru, roughly ₹745 per 100 km at 15 km/l, plus tolls such as ₹185 one way on the Bengaluru–Mysuru Expressway.
Is Karnataka expensive during Dasara?
Yes in Mysuru. Hotels planned 20–25% hikes for the final four days in 2026 and some central rooms reportedly doubled, with occupancy near 100% on 18–21 October. Book months ahead or stay in Bengaluru or Srirangapatna.
Do women get free bus travel in Karnataka?
Women domiciled in Karnataka ride most ordinary state buses free within the state. It does not apply to inter-state services, visitors from other states, or premium classes such as Vayu Airavat, Airavat Club Class and Ambari.
When is the cheapest time to visit?
Weekdays outside festivals and long weekends. In Hampi the off-season runs April–September, and in Gokarna July–August has the biggest discounts, though some shacks and water sports close.
Keep exploring Karnataka
Plan the rest of the trip with the best places to visit in Karnataka, then pick a route in the 5-day or 7-day itinerary. Break down a single stop with Hampi trip cost or Coorg in 3 days, and time it with the best time to visit. Coastal travellers should read the Gokarna beaches guide and KSRTC bus travel for transfers.
Distances, fees, timings and rules are approximate and can change. Confirm with the place or the local authority before you travel.