The bulk of the budget goes towards Food and Accommodation. Cities swallow loose change with their luxuries and temptations - the bakeries alone in Kathmandu will burn a sizeable hole in a 5 dollar bill. Just as camping in the wilderness of Tibet, amongst age old ruins, rekindles any leftovers into a small fortune. Some nights, home might be no more than a dusty bed at the back of a restaurant, and supper yet another a plate of chapatis and dahl. Just as for others it will be in the comforts of a satellite dished hotel room, intrigued by the local incarnation of a pizza.
Tolerance is a very personal matter.
In short, with a mixture of camping, small hotels and home invitations, the equation is balanced. As a cyclist, food is my fuel. Street stalls are the cheapest and often tastiest way to fill up. Rarely more than a dollar, these eateries exude life and character, and seem to me the very heartbeat of a country. In the backpacker haunts, Western food is expensive but the change is inevitably delicious.