15 Cheapest Countries to Fly to From the US (2026)

Everybody’s searching for cheap flights, but most deal sites throw round-trip prices at you. If you’re a nomad, backpacker, or anyone who doesn’t know when they’re coming back — you need one-way prices.

Here are the 15 cheapest countries to fly to from the US, ranked by realistic one-way fares you can actually book.

The top 15, ranked

1. Mexico — $29-80 one-way

The undisputed champion. Spirit, Frontier, Volaris, and VivaAerobus compete aggressively on US-Mexico routes. Cancun and Mexico City are the cheapest gateways, but Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and Monterrey all see sub-$100 one-way fares regularly.

• Best from: Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, Dallas
• Budget carriers: Spirit ($29-50), Frontier ($39-60), Volaris ($45-70), VivaAerobus ($40-65)
• Visa: No visa needed for US citizens. 180 days on arrival.

2. Colombia — $80-150 one-way

Bogota is the cheapest entry point, with Spirit running $80-120 one-ways from Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. JetBlue also competes hard on this route. From Bogota, you can fly domestically on Wingo or VivaAir for $20-40 to Medellin or Cartagena.

• Best from: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, New York
• Budget carriers: Spirit ($80-120), JetBlue ($100-140), Avianca ($110-150)
• Visa: No visa needed. 90 days on arrival.

3. Guatemala — $90-160 one-way

Underrated. Spirit flies to Guatemala City for $90-130 from Fort Lauderdale. Once you’re there, you’re a cheap bus ride from Antigua, Lake Atitlan, and the rest of Central America.

• Best from: Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles
• Budget carriers: Spirit ($90-130), Avianca ($120-160)
• Visa: No visa needed. 90 days (extendable).

4. Peru — $120-200 one-way

Lima gets aggressive pricing from Spirit, JetBlue, and LATAM. One-way fares dip to $120 during sales, and hover around $150-180 normally. Lima is also a phenomenal gateway to Ecuador and Bolivia on budget carriers.

• Best from: Fort Lauderdale, Miami, New York
• Budget carriers: Spirit ($120-170), JetBlue ($140-190), LATAM ($150-200)
• Visa: No visa needed. 183 days on arrival.

5. Iceland — $99-180 one-way

PLAY Airlines changed the game. One-way fares from the East Coast to Reykjavik start at $99 during sales, and regularly sit around $130-160. Iceland also works as a gateway to mainland Europe — PLAY flies onward to London, Paris, Berlin, and Barcelona.

• Best from: New York (JFK/EWR), Boston, Baltimore
• Budget carriers: PLAY ($99-160), Icelandair ($130-180)
• Visa: No visa needed for US citizens. 90 days in Schengen.

6. Portugal — $150-250 one-way

Lisbon is the cheapest entry point to Western Europe. TAP Air Portugal, Norse Atlantic (when operating), and connecting flights through Iceland or London regularly hit $150-200 one-way. Porto is slightly cheaper but has fewer direct routes.

• Best from: New York, Newark, Boston
• Budget carriers: PLAY via Iceland ($130-180), TAP ($160-230)
• Visa: No visa needed. 90 days in Schengen.

7. Spain — $160-260 one-way

Barcelona and Madrid get competitive pricing from multiple carriers. Norwegian, PLAY (via Reykjavik), and connecting flights on Turkish Airlines or TAP keep one-way prices manageable. Off-season (Jan-March) sees the best deals.

• Best from: New York, Boston, Chicago
• Airlines: Norwegian ($160-220), PLAY via Iceland ($150-200), Iberia ($180-260)
• Visa: No visa needed. 90 days in Schengen.

8. Philippines — $250-400 one-way

Manila is the budget nomad’s paradise — cheap to get to and absurdly cheap once you’re there. Chinese carriers (China Southern, Xiamen Air) and Korean Air/Asiana via Seoul offer the best one-way prices. Philippine Airlines occasionally runs sales below $300.

• Best from: Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York
• Airlines: China Southern via Guangzhou ($250-350), Korean Air via Seoul ($280-380), Philippine Airlines ($300-400)
• Visa: No visa needed. 30 days on arrival (extendable to 36 months).

9. Thailand — $280-420 one-way

Bangkok is the nomad hub of Southeast Asia, and one-way pricing has gotten significantly better. Chinese carriers dominate the budget end — China Southern, China Eastern, and Xiamen Air all route through their hubs for $280-350 one-way.

• Best from: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle
• Airlines: China Southern ($280-380), China Eastern ($290-380), EVA Air ($320-420)
• Visa: Visa exemption for 60 days for US citizens.

10. Vietnam — $300-450 one-way

Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi both get solid one-way pricing through Chinese and Korean carriers. Vietnam is one of the cheapest countries to live in once you arrive — $800/month covers everything in most cities.

• Best from: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle
• Airlines: China Southern ($300-400), Korean Air ($330-430), Vietnam Airlines ($350-450)
• Visa: E-visa required ($25), 90 days.

11. Ecuador — $150-250 one-way

Quito and Guayaquil see solid pricing from JetBlue, Spirit, and LATAM. Ecuador uses the US dollar, which simplifies the nomad experience. The Galapagos costs extra to reach, but mainland Ecuador is budget-friendly.

• Best from: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, New York
• Airlines: Spirit ($150-200), JetBlue ($170-230), LATAM ($180-250)
• Visa: No visa needed. 90 days on arrival.

12. Morocco — $200-350 one-way

Marrakech doesn’t have direct flights from the US, but connecting flights through Lisbon (TAP), Madrid (Iberia), or Paris (Royal Air Maroc) are surprisingly affordable. One-way fares hit $200-250 during sales.

• Best from: New York, Boston (via Lisbon or Madrid)
• Airlines: TAP via Lisbon ($200-300), Royal Air Maroc via Casablanca ($220-320), Iberia via Madrid ($250-350)
• Visa: No visa needed for US citizens. 90 days.

13. Costa Rica — $100-180 one-way

San Jose (SJO) gets good competition from Spirit, JetBlue, and Southwest. Costa Rica is pricier to live in than its Central American neighbors, but flights from the US are among the cheapest in the region.

• Best from: Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles
• Budget carriers: Spirit ($100-150), JetBlue ($120-160), Southwest ($110-170)
• Visa: No visa needed. 90 days on arrival.

14. Dominican Republic — $80-150 one-way

Santo Domingo and Punta Cana are fiercely competitive routes. Spirit and JetBlue both fly one-way for under $100 from the East Coast regularly. Great for a cheap Caribbean base.

• Best from: Fort Lauderdale, New York, Orlando
• Budget carriers: Spirit ($80-120), JetBlue ($90-140), Frontier ($100-150)
• Visa: Tourist card on arrival ($10). 30 days.

15. Japan — $300-500 one-way

Surprising value for Asia. Zipair (Japan Airlines’ budget carrier) flies nonstop from LAX and SFO to Tokyo for $300-400 one-way. Chinese carriers via Shanghai or Guangzhou also hit this range. Japan’s not budget once you’re there, but getting there is cheaper than most people think.

• Best from: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle
• Airlines: Zipair ($300-400), China Airlines ($320-430), ANA ($380-500)
• Visa: No visa needed. 90 days.

Best budget airlines by region

Latin America

• Spirit — dominates budget routes to Colombia, Peru, Guatemala, Costa Rica
• Frontier — strong Mexico coverage
• Volaris / VivaAerobus — Mexico specialists with US routes
• JetBlue — Caribbean + South America, slightly more comfort

Europe

• PLAY — Iceland + connections to Europe from East Coast
• Norwegian — transatlantic budget champion
• TAP Air Portugal — not budget but competitive on one-ways to Lisbon

Asia

• Chinese carriers (China Southern, China Eastern, Xiamen Air) — cheapest one-ways to SE Asia, trade time for money with layovers in China
• Zipair — Japan Airlines budget arm, nonstop LAX/SFO to Tokyo
• Korean Air / Asiana — competitive to Manila, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City via Seoul

The gateway country strategy

This is the cheat code nomads use: instead of flying directly to your final destination, fly to a cheap gateway country and hop around regionally.

Gateway: Mexico City → Bus or Volaris to Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize ($20-80). Way cheaper than flying direct from the US.

Gateway: Lisbon → Ryanair or easyJet to anywhere in Europe for $15-60. Lisbon is the cheapest entry to Europe from the US, and budget carriers connect you to 50+ cities.

Gateway: Bangkok → AirAsia or Nok Air to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia ($20-80). Bangkok is the hub of Southeast Asia for a reason.

Gateway: Bogota → Wingo or VivaAir to Peru, Ecuador, Panama ($30-70). Bogota is the cheapest entry to South America.

Visa-free countries with the cheapest flights

For nomads, the sweet spot is cheap flights AND easy visa entry. Here are the best combos:

Best time to book for each region

• Mexico / Central America: Book 3-6 weeks out. Cheapest flights October-November and January-March.
• South America: Book 6-8 weeks out. Cheapest February-May and September-November.
• Europe: Book 2-3 months out. Cheapest January-March and October-November. Summer is always pricier.
• Southeast Asia: Book 2-3 months out. Cheapest May-June and September-October (shoulder seasons).
• Morocco: Book 6-8 weeks out. Cheapest November-February.

How to find these deals

Most of these prices don’t show up on the first search. Budget carriers aren’t always indexed on Google Flights or Skyscanner. The key is knowing which carriers fly which routes and checking them directly.

Or just let us do it. We monitor one-way prices across all these routes and flag the drops.

See today’s one-way deals →