Budgeting for next interview season

The cost to apply is easy to calculate based on the ERAS fees below. You can apply to 30 programs for $300 or 60 programs for $1000. Registering for the NRMP is like $50.

Number of Programs per Specialty/Accrediting Body (ACGME or AOA) ERAS Fees
Up to 10 $65
11-20 $8 each
21-30 $15 each
31 or more $25 each

As you said, the cost of interviewing is highly variable. If you live near a major airport it makes it better, but it really depends a lot on where you interview, how far in advance you can make your plans, how many of your interviews are within driving distance, if you have friends/family that can host you for the night, etc.

I found a good rough estimate is $200-300 per flight, $30-40 per car rental, and $80-100 per hotel. I had a hotel discount from my undergrad alumni association that took ~20% off my hotel costs. If you can fit what you need in a carry-on you will save a lot of time and money.

Overall I would say the hardest thing to estimate is how many interviews you will get and where they will be. You will find that it is a random process. If you do a quick scan of this forum you will find that there are certain dates that are very popular dates for programs to interview on. If possible try to avoid scheduling interviews on those days until absolutely necessary. There are quite a few programs that only interview the second weekend in January so if you fill up that weekend early you will likely miss out on later offers as people cancel and offer spots to their waitlisted people. Try to get an idea early of when programs are interviewing so you can avoid those dates (particularly your home program and away rotations).

The hardest and most variable part of planning for expenses is airfare. It is always best to book early b/c prices are cheaper but sometimes you need to switch flights b/c of other interviews to get to or you find out later you have an offer from a program you would rather go to. You are in luck if you live in a Southwest city b/c you can change flights without penalty up until the time of departure. Saved me hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

And use Hotwire for cars. I don't think I spent more than 25 on any car rental. Including in Florida where I got a convertible for 4 days and made it a mini vacation.

And for crying out loud get a frequent flier mile credit card. You might as well get something extra for all the money you spend. I earned a couple free flights and free hotel rooms.