European Capitals Ranked from Cheapest to Most Expensive for Travelers ⋆

European Capitals Ranked from Cheapest to Most Expensive for Travelers

Wanderu gathered pricing information about the services and goods that travelers are most likely to spend money on, including hotels, beer, taxi, public transit, food, beer, coffee, and museums. most expensive European capitals

They then used that info to rank European capitals from the most budget-friendly to the most expensive European capitals, using a specific methodology based on travelers’ average spending habits when they visit a new place.

Let’s look at the rankings that will help you figure out where your travel budget will go the furthest:

You can already see a pattern emerging. Eastern European countries generally offer the best value to travellers. There’s no shortage of scenic and historic attractions; and for those who love the party scene, there’s tons of vibrant nightlife to enjoy. So, although you may not know too much about Skopje or Yerevan, that doesn’t mean your budget holiday to these destinations won’t be action-packed.

On the other end of the scale, we have Northern and Western Europe with its high cost of living – but if price isn’t your primary deciding factor, there are unique experiences to enjoy. After all, a cruise down a Norwegian fjord or a view of the Northern Lights from Iceland might be expensive, but it’s still the experience of a lifetime.

How Do European Capitals in Different Regions Rank?

As a traveler who is out to see a little more of the world, you’ll probably want to explore more than one country and travel as widely as you can within the region you’ve chosen to tour.

In fact, the best part of bus and train travel in Europe is that it allows you to visit many different countries relatively quickly and for very cheap.

So, the question here is: where should you spend the most time in any region of Europe if your budget is a little tight? Let’s find that out:

Western Europe’s most expensive European capitals

While Brussels isn’t exactly cheap, it’s the most affordable of the Western European capitals for travelers. Monaco, on the other hand, will eat up a bigger chunk of your budget with hotel and meal costs that easily outstrip any other Western European destination. So maybe a day trip to Monaco would be your best bet if you don’t feel like ballin’ out.

However, your choices will also be influenced by the things you like to see and do. Needless to say, marijuana enthusiasts should definitely head to Amsterdam and indulge into the huge variety of coffee shops selling different types of weed goods at pretty decent prices. And although Paris may have relatively high accommodation costs, public transport, taxis, and food are reasonably priced for the region.

Northern Europe’s most expensive European capitals

As we already established, Northern Europe will make for a pricey European holiday – unless you choose Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania, that is.

Iceland is consistently among the costliest destinations for everything from hotels to a warming cup of coffee. However, the awesome thing about Iceland is that you can pitch a tent basically anywhere in the wilderness and camp for free. However, you should always use designated campsites where they do exist. Check out this resource from the Environment Agency of Iceland for more info on where you can camp. That’s a pretty sweet perk since hiking and exploring the incredible nature of Iceland is easily one of the best things to do there. While there are no buses or trains to get you there (duh!), flights are pretty cheap, and you can easily book your transfer from Keflavík International Airport to Reykjavik on Wanderu!

By Northern European standards, Stockholm and Oslo aren’t too bad. If you want to see the Northern Lights, both Sweden and Norway extend well into the Arctic Circle and a visit to Northern Sweden could probably cost you less than a trip to Iceland.

Central Europe’s most expensive European capitals

Central Europe offers us everything from famed capitals to spots most of your friends will not have heard of. But just because it’s relatively obscure that doesn’t mean it will necessarily be budget-friendly. Just look at Liechtenstein’s ranking. It may be the sixth-smallest country in the world but taking in the sights could be a costly exercise.

Meanwhile, the much more affordable Zagreb in Croatia offers you more historic buildings than you can shake a selfie stick at for a much lower overall cost. But despite this, Bratislava (a.k.a. the most affordable capital in Central Europe) offers the cheapest hotel costs, while the reasonably affordable Budapest has hotel prices that are nearly as high as those you’d pay in Liechtenstein’s Vaduz! Nevertheless, Budapest will give you very affordable transport, food and beverage prices.

Weigh your options and zero in on the destinations you’ll love. Now look for ways to economize. For example, if you save on hotel costs, that trip to Budapest may not be as expensive as it might seem.

Eastern Europe

Once again, it’s worth looking at more than the overall picture. For instance, while Macedonia’s Skopje is the cheapest capital in this region overall (and in all of Europe!), its food, beverage, and museum admission costs are higher than those in some other capital cities in the region, including Ankara, Pristina, and Kiev.

And everything is relative. On the regional listing, Kiev is the most expensive Eastern European destination, but as European destinations go, it’s mid-priced and will still cost you far less than a visit to Rome, London, or Paris.

Southern Europe most expensive European capitals

Southern Europe offers some surprises. If you thought a stay in Athens, Greece was going to cost you less than a sojourn in Rome and Madrid, think again! Having said that, hotel prices in Malta’s capital, Valletta, are substantially higher than they are in Athens, or anywhere else in the region.

Lisbon is a hands-down winner when it comes to affordability on all counts but one: hotel prices. Unfortunately, as accommodation eats up about 42% of a traveler’s budget, it’s not ranked higher on our list because of that very reason. However, food and transportation costs should more than make up for that, and if you can score a room for less than the average price, you could hit a cost-saving home run. Also, Lisbon is the European city that has the cheapest concert tickets, so if you can combine your visit with seeing your favorite performer live, you’ll definitely come out on top!

European Travel Cost Analysis by Item most expensive European capitals

The cost of your European holiday will depend, not only on your destination but also on your personal tastes and your situation. For example, you may have friends who will let you do a little couch surfing that eliminates hotel costs. Or perhaps you don’t plan to eat out often so that restaurant meal costs are less of a factor in your decision-making.

Whatever the case, let’s take a closer look at European travel costs by the item to see what destinations you should put on your itinerary based on the factors that are most important to you:

Hotels

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#	City	Country	Hotel Rate
1.	Skopje	Macedonia	$62.91
2.	Podgorica	Montenegro	$67.12
3.	Pristina	Kosovo	$70.34
4.	Yerevan	Armenia	$72.54
5.	Minsk	Belarus	$73.55
6.	Chisinau	Moldova	$74.15
7.	Tirana	Albania	$76.16
8.	Sofia	Bulgaria	$79.77
9.	Bucharest	Romania	$82.27
10.	Belgrade	Serbia	$83.18
11.	Sarajevo	Bosnia and Herzegovina	$88.30
12.	Bratislava	Slovakia	$90.30
13.	Nicosia	Cyprus	$91.61
14.	Zagreb	Croatia	$95.32
15.	Ankara	Turkey	$97.03
16.	Warsaw	Poland	$111.48
17.	Vilnius	Lithuania	$113.48
18.	Andorra la Vella	Andorra	$115.89
19.	San Marino	San Marino	$117.77
20.	Tbilisi	Georgia	$129.04
21.	Moscow	Russia	$133.75
22.	Brussels	Belgium	$140.88
23.	Baku	Azerbaijan	$143.38
24.	Ljubljana	Slovenia	145.19
25.	Luxembourg City	Luxembourg	$147.09
26.	Berlin	Germany	$149
27.	Madrid	Spain	$154.12
28.	Kiev	Ukraine	$164.76
29.	Vaduz	Liechtenstein	$167.90
30.	Budapest	Hungary	$168.07
31.	Bern	Switzerland	$169.28
32.	Riga	Latvia	$169.67
33.	Prague	Czech Republic	$175.49
34.	Rome	Italy	$181.41
35.	Tallinn	Estonia	$193.45
36.	Vienna	Austria	$194.76
37.	Athens	Greece	$201.49
38.	Oslo	Norway	$203.18
39.	Lisbon	Portugal	$205.99
40.	Stockholm	Sweden	$213.22
41.	Valletta	Malta	$233.89
42.	Helsinki	Finland	$267.91
43.	Copenhagen	Denmark	$271.11
44.	Paris	France	$296.10
45.	London	United Kingdom	$314.36
46.	Amsterdam	The Netherlands	$316.57
47.	Dublin	Ireland	$328.10
48.	Reykjavik	Iceland	$371.65
49.	Monaco	Monaco	$456.55

Hotel costs account for a large portion of most people’s travel budgets and they can be a deciding factor on whether or not one ends up visiting a certain destination.

For instance, a taste of jet-set living in Monaco will be costly, even if you choose a relatively average hotel. Since you can’t bet on winning big at Monaco’s casinos, a budget-friendly holiday in Eastern Europe will definitely get you more bang for your buck.

Regardless of your destination, you can use our average hotel price guide to look for good accommodation deals. Save on this line-item, and the overall cost of your holiday will be considerably lower than you might expect.

Public Transit

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#	City	Country	Transit Fare
1.	Chisinau	Moldova	$0.12
2.	Kiev	Ukraine	$0.19
3.	Yerevan	Armenia	$0.21
	Tbilisi	Georgia	$0.21
4.	Minsk	Belarus	$0.30
5.	Bucharest	Romania	$0.35
6.	Tirana	Albania	$0.37
7.	Pristina	Kosovo	$0.47
8.	Ankara	Turkey	$0.57
9.	Zagreb	Croatia	$0.63
10.	Skopje	Macedonia (FYROM)	$0.67
11.	Moscow	Russia	$0.88
12.	Baku	Azerbaijan	$0.89
	Belgrade	Serbia	$0.89
13.	Sofia	Bulgaria	$0.96
14.	Podgorica	Montenegro	$1.05
	Bratislava	Slovakia	$1.05
15.	Sarajevo	Bosnia and Herzegovina	$1.08
16.	Prague	Czech Republic	$1.09
17.	Vilnius	Lithuania	$1.17
18.	Warsaw	Poland	$1.19
19.	Budapest	Hungary	$1.26
20.	Riga	Latvia	$1.35
21.	Ljubljana	Slovenia	$1.40
22.	Athens	Greece	$1.64
23.	Lisbon	Portugal	$1.70
24.	Nicosia	Cyprus	$1.76
	Madrid	Spain	$1.76
	Rome	Italy	$1.76
	Valletta	Malta	$1.76
25.	Andorra la Vella	Andorra	$2.11
26.	Paris	France	$2.22
27.	Tallinn	Estonia	$2.34
	Monaco	Monaco	$2.34
	Luxembourg City	Luxembourg	$2.34
28.	Brussels	Belgium	$2.46
29.	Vienna	Austria	$2.81
30.	Dublin	Ireland	$3.16
31.	Berlin	Germany	$3.28
32.	London	United Kingdom	$3.28
33.	Amsterdam	The Netherlands	$3.39
34.	Helsinki	Finland	$3.51
35.	Copenhagen	Denmark	$3.77
36.	Stockholm	Sweden	$4.08
37.	Bern	Switzerland	$4.24
38.	Oslo	Norway	$4.31
39.	Reykjavik	Iceland	$4.33
40.	Vaduz	Liechtenstein	$4.54

Public transport in Europe is invariably excellent, and since you’ll want to get around a bit, it may be a bigger part of your travel budget than initially planned. Look out for ways to save. For instance, although Stockholm has the 5th highest single-ticket transport prices, a Stockholm Pass gives you cheap metro access and free entry to several tourist attractions you will not want to miss.

Then again, Chisinau in Moldova has super-cheap (and highly recommended) public transport, and who would want to miss a chance to tour the city by trolley bus?

Food

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#	City	Country	Meal Cost
1.	Ankara	Turkey	$7.30
2.	Pristina	Kosovo	$8.78
3.	Skopje	Macedonia (FYROM)	$9.50
4.	Kiev	Ukraine	$9.57
5.	Tbilisi	Georgia	$10.28
6.	Baku	Azerbaijan	$11.84
7.	Sarajevo	Bosnia and Herzegovina	$11.97
8.	Chisinau	Moldova	$12.09
9.	Yerevan	Armenia	$12.60
10.	Tirana	Albania	$12.87
11.	Sofia	Bulgaria	$13.46
12.	Podgorica	Montenegro	$14.63
13.	Belgrade	Serbia	$14.88
14.	Bucharest	Romania	$15.08
15.	Prague	Czech Republic	$15.84
16.	Budapest	Hungary	$16.24
17.	Warsaw	Poland	$16.29
18.	Bratislava	Slovakia	$17.55
19.	Minsk	Belarus	$17.64
20.	Zagreb	Croatia	$19
21.	Andorra la Vella	Andorra	$19.01
22.	Moscow	Russia	$19.96
23.	Vilnius	Lithuania	$20.48
	Riga	Latvia	$20.48
	Ljubljana	Slovenia	$20.48
	Lisbon	Portugal	$20.48
24.	Athens	Greece	$23.40
	Madrid	Spain	$23.40
	Tallinn	Estonia	$23.40
	San Marino	San Marino	$23.40
25.	Berlin	Germany	$24.57
26.	Vienna	Austria	$26.33
27.	Nicosia	Cyprus	$29.25
	Rome	Italy	$29.25
28.	Paris	France	$32.18
29.	London	United Kingdom	$32.82
30.	Valletta	Malta	$35.10
	Brussels	Belgium	$35.10
	Dublin	Ireland	$35.10
	Amsterdam	The Netherlands	$35.10
31.	Stokholm	Sweden	$39.73
32.	Luxembourg City	Luxembourg	$40.95
	Helsinki	Finland	$40.95
33.	Copenhagen	Denmark	$47.09
34.	Oslo	Norway	$49.26
35.	Bern	Switzerland	$50.37
36.	Vaduz	Liechtenstein	$50.40
37.	Reykjavik	Iceland	$56.43
38.	Monaco	Monaco	$58.50

No matter where you are, you do need to eat. Don’t be taken by surprise if a relatively average restaurant meal in Monaco sets you back a whopping $56. If you’re not a big spender when it comes to eating out, head to Turkey’s Ankara, where the cuisine is equally tasty (if not even tastier) and comes at just a fraction of the price.

For those who have “expensive” cities like Bern, Oslo, or Reykjavik on their bucket list, here’s a red-hot tip: choose hotels where breakfast is included and make breakfast the main meal of your day just like your mom always said you should!

However, one of the best parts about traveling across Europe is getting to experience the amazing local cuisine and trying out dishes that you wouldn’t find anywhere else. Europe is definitely a foodie’s paradise, so you might want to actually splurge on this aspect of your trip.

Beer

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#	City	Country	Beer Price
1.	Baku	Azerbaijan	$0.89
2.	Kiev	Ukraine	$0.96
3.	Chisinau	Moldova	$0.97
4.	Tbilisi	Georgia	$1.03
5.	Sofia	Bulgaria	$1.19
6.	Yerevan	Armenia	$1.26
7.	Tirana	Albania	$1.39
8.	Minsk	Belarus	$1.54
9.	Prague	Czech Republic	$1.58
10.	Moscow	Russia	$1.59
11.	Podgorica	Montenegro	$1.76
	Pristina	Kosovo	$1.76
	Bucharest	Romania	$1.76
12.	Budapest	Hungary	$1.77
13.	Belgrade	Serbia	$1.79
14.	Sarajevo	Bosnia and Herzegovina	$1.80
15.	Skopje	Macedonia (FYROM)	$1.90
16.	Bratislava	Slovakia	$1.99
17.	Lisbon	Portugal	$2.05
18.	Zagreb	Croatia	$2.38
19.	Ankara	Turkey	$2.50
20.	Warsaw	Poland	$2.62
21.	Andorra la Vella	Andorra	$2.93
	Ljubljana	Slovenia	$2.93
	Riga	Latvia	$2.93
22.	Vilnius	Lithuania	$3.51
	Madrid	Spain	$3.51
	Valletta	Malta	$3.51
23.	Nicosia	Cyprus	$4.10
	San Marino	San Marino	$4.10
	Berlin	Germany	$4.10
24.	Tallinn	Estonia	$4.39
25.	Vienna	Austria	$4.56
26.	Brussels	Belgium	$4.68
	Athens	Greece	$4.68
27.	Amsterdam	The Netherlands	$5.27
28.	Luxembourg City	Luxembourg	$5.85
	Rome	Italy	$5.85
29.	Vaduz	Liechtenstein	$6.05
	Bern	Switzerland	$6.05
30.	Dublin	Ireland	$6.08
31.	Monaco	Monaco	$6.14
32.	London	United Kingdom	$6.56
33.	Stockholm	Sweden	$6.81
34.	Copenhagen	Denmark	$7.07
35.	Helsinki	Finland	$8.19
	Paris	France	$8.19
36.	Oslo	Norway	$10.47
37.	Reykjavik	Iceland	$11.28

There’s nothing like chilling out with a tall glass of cold beer after a day of adventure and excitement. In Northern Europe, the price of alcohol is influenced by the heavy taxes that are levied on just about everything. No surprise then that Iceland, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden have some of the most expensive beer in the world.

In Eastern Europe, on the other hand, a cold one at a bar will likely cost you less than a bottle of beer from the supermarket in most other places. Now that’s something worth drinking for. Cheers!

Coffee

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#	City	Country	Coffee Price
1.	Kiev	Ukraine	$1.01
2.	Pristina	Kosovo	$1.17
3.	Tirana	Albania	$1.25
4.	Sofia	Bulgaria	$1.40
	San Marino	San Marino	$1.40
	Rome	Italy	$1.40
5.	Skopje	Macedonia (FYROM)	$1.43
6.	Chisinau	Moldova	$1.46
7.	Valletta	Malta	$1.49
8.	Sarajevo	Bosnia and Herzegovina	$1.50
9.	Budapest	Hungary	$1.52
10.	Belgrade	Serbia	$1.56
11.	Podgorica	Montenegro	$1.57
12.	Tbilisi	Georgia	$1.63
	Lisbon	Portugal	$1.63
13.	Minsk	Belarus	$1.65
14.	Ljubljana	Slovenia	$1.71
15.	Zagreb	Croatia	$1.74
16.	Ankara	Turkey	$1.83
17.	Andorra la Vella	Andorra	$1.84
18.	Baku	Azerbaijan	$1.90
19.	Yerevan	Armenia	$1.97
20.	Madrid	Spain	$2
21.	Bucharest	Romania	$2.12
22.	Prague	Czech Republic	$2.19
23.	Bratislava	Slovakia	$2.20
24.	Warsaw	Poland	$2.53
25.	Riga	Latvia	$2.55
26.	Vilnius	Lithuania	$2.56
27.	Moscow	Russia	$2.73
28.	Tallinn	Estonia	$3.04
29.	Berlin	Germany	$3.16
30.	Amsterdam	The Netherlands	$3.28
31.	Brussels	Belgium	$3.32
32.	Athens	Greece	$3.40
33.	Dublin	Ireland	$3.50
34.	London	United Kingdom	$3.56
35.	Luxembourg City	Luxembourg	$3.63
36.	Vienna	Austria	$3.65
37.	Nicosia	Cyprus	$3.91
38.	Paris	France	$3.98
39.	Vaduz	Liechtenstein	$4.04
40.	Monaco	Monaco	$4.15
41.	Stockholm	Sweden	$4.24
42.	Helsinki	Finland	$4.27
43.	Bern	Switzerland	$4.50
44.	Oslo	Norway	$4.72
45.	Reykjavik	Iceland	$5.04
46.	Copenhagen	Denmark	$5.56

If you’re like most of us, your day doesn’t begin properly without a piping hot cup of coffee. The good news is some cities are ready to give you a break with surprisingly cheap coffee.

Rome may not be a cheap destination overall, but the coffee flows freely and is among the cheapest in Europe.