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EuropeCost Index

Name: Europe Cost Index 2026
Creator: Brokepackr

Daily backpacker costs across 76 cities. Data sourced from live hostel pricing, updated weekly.

Cities

Avg daily cost

$51.27

Cheapest

Lagos · $15.58

Priciest

Interlaken · $100.50

Daily Costs — All Europe Cities

Budget Tiers

What does your daily budget actually get you? Here's how far your money stretches in this region.

⛺

brokepackr

$25–$40/day

The Balkans and Eastern Europe remain the last genuinely cheap region on the continent. Dorm beds run $8–$14, a sit-down meal with beer costs $5–$8, and inter-city buses are $10–$20. Sofia is arguably the best-value capital in Europe — a full day of sightseeing, three meals, and a hostel bed can come in under $30.

🎒

Comfortable

$40–$65/day

Western Europe's affordable tier and Central Europe's comfortable one. Portugal offers the best price-to-quality ratio in Western Europe — Lisbon hostel dorms average $18–$28, and a solid meal runs $8–$12. Prague and Budapest have crept up over the past five years but still land 30–40% below Paris or London. Barcelona sits at the top of this range and tips into Splurge during peak summer.

✨

Splurge

$65–$120+/day

Western and Northern Europe at full price. Even budget travelers in these cities struggle to stay below $65/day — hostel dorms in London and Amsterdam average $25–$35, and a basic lunch starts at $12–$15. Scandinavia is the ceiling: Copenhagen and Stockholm can push past $90/day even with disciplined spending. The math only works here on short stays or with creative accommodation strategies.

Best Months to Go

Hostel prices and flight costs shift with seasons. Green months mean lower prices and thinner crowds.

Jan

Winter low, cheapest flights

Feb

Still low, pre-spring deals

Mar

Early shoulder, prices rising

Apr

Shoulder season, strong value

May

Late shoulder, best balance

Jun

Peak begins, prices climbing

Jul

Full peak, highest prices

Aug

Peak continues, crowded

Sep

Shoulder returns, great value

Oct

Late shoulder, deals return

Nov

Off-season, cheap but cold

Dec

Holiday spike, otherwise low

Budget-friendly

Moderate

Peak pricing

Classic Routes

Well-trodden backpacker corridors with estimated total costs including accommodation, food, and local transport.

Balkans Loop

The best value-per-day route in Europe. Budapest to Belgrade by train ($20–$35), then buses through Bosnia and down the Croatian coast. Daily costs average $35–$55 depending on the stop, with Dubrovnik running 50–60% more than the Balkans cities. Three weeks is comfortable; two is doable but rushed through Bosnia, which deserves the time.

Budapest→Belgrade→Sarajevo→Split→Dubrovnik

Estimated total

$1,400

3 weeks

Plan this route →

Iberian Trail

Portugal-to-Spain overland via train and bus. Lisbon and Porto are the budget anchors — expect $50–$55/day in Portugal versus $55–$68 in Spain. The Lisbon-to-Porto train is $25–$36, and Porto-to-Madrid buses run $25–$40. Barcelona pushes the daily average up but offers the cheapest return flights to most international hubs.

Lisbon→Porto→Madrid→Barcelona

Estimated total

$1,400

3 weeks

Plan this route →

Eastern Europe Circuit

The classic Central-to-Eastern corridor. FlixBus and rail connect all four cities for $10–$25 per leg. Prague is the priciest stop (trending toward Western European hostel rates), but Krakow and Budapest still deliver at $40–$45/day. Bucharest anchors the low end at $30–$35/day and serves as a gateway to cheaper onward travel in Bulgaria or Moldova.

Prague→Krakow→Budapest→Bucharest

Estimated total

$1,000

3 weeks

Plan this route →

All Europe City Data

#	CITY	DAILY TOTAL▲	HOSTEL/NIGHT↕	FOOD/DAY↕	TRANSPORT↕	ACTIVITIES↕	SAMPLES
1	🇵🇹 LagosCheapest	$15.58	$7.01	$4.28	$1.46	$2.83	20
2	🌍 Mostar	$24.58	$11.06	$6.76	$2.30	$4.46	4
3	🇹🇷 Cappadocia	$24.90	$9.96	$7.47	$2.54	$4.93	1
4	🌍 Sarajevo	$28.95	$13.63	$7.66	$2.60	$5.06	13
5	🇦🇱 Tirana	$33.61	$14.61	$9.50	$3.23	$6.27	5
6	🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca	$33.83	$13.53	$10.15	$3.45	$6.70	2
7	🇹🇷 Istanbul	$34.37	$15.47	$9.45	$3.21	$6.24	5
8	🇵🇱 Krakow	$34.90	$14.48	$10.21	$3.47	$6.74	20
9	🇧🇬 Sofia	$34.99	$13.69	$10.65	$3.62	$7.03	8
10	🇵🇱 Warsaw	$35.33	$15.90	$9.72	$3.30	$6.41	5
11	🇲🇪 Kotor	$36.36	$16.36	$10.00	$3.40	$6.60	5
12	🇸🇰 Bratislava	$36.54	$15.34	$10.60	$3.60	$7.00	10
13	🇭🇺 Budapest	$37.20	$18.39	$9.40	$3.20	$6.21	5
14	🇨🇿 Prague	$37.91	$17.42	$10.25	$3.48	$6.76	5
15	🇵🇱 Gdansk	$37.99	$13.95	$12.02	$4.09	$7.93	4
16	🇵🇱 Wroclaw	$38.01	$11.65	$13.18	$4.48	$8.70	10
17	🇭🇷 Zagreb	$38.07	$17.13	$10.47	$3.56	$6.91	5
18	🇷🇴 Bucharest	$38.94	$15.76	$11.59	$3.94	$7.65	4
19	🇵🇹 Porto	$39.01	$17.34	$10.84	$3.68	$7.15	74
20	🇷🇸 Belgrade	$39.87	$13.51	$13.18	$4.48	$8.70	17
21	🇪🇸 Seville	$39.92	$17.96	$10.98	$3.73	$7.25	20
22	🇱🇹 Vilnius	$40.43	$16.61	$11.91	$4.05	$7.86	10
23	🇵🇹 Lisbon	$41.60	$19.36	$11.12	$3.78	$7.34	73
24	🇵🇹 Faro	$43.30	$19.48	$11.91	$4.05	$7.86	13
25	🇬🇷 Mykonos	$44.80	$17.92	$13.44	$4.57	$8.87	1
26	🇪🇸 Granada	$44.92	$21.06	$11.93	$4.06	$7.87	15
27	🇸🇮 Ljubljana	$45.99	$18.71	$13.64	$4.64	$9.00	17
28	🇱🇻 Riga	$46.28	$17.89	$14.19	$4.83	$9.37	8
29	🇸🇮 Lake Bled	$46.70	$19.34	$13.68	$4.65	$9.03	5
30	🇭🇷 Hvar	$46.72	$21.02	$12.85	$4.37	$8.48	4
31	🇭🇷 Split	$46.82	$16.36	$15.23	$5.18	$10.05	5
32	🇮🇹 Rome	$47.19	$21.24	$12.98	$4.41	$8.56	20
33	🇮🇹 Naples	$47.20	$21.24	$12.98	$4.41	$8.57	14
34	🇬🇷 Thessaloniki	$47.51	$22.03	$12.74	$4.33	$8.41	6
35	🇪🇸 Madrid	$47.89	$21.55	$13.17	$4.48	$8.69	19
36	🇬🇷 Athens	$48.43	$17.65	$15.39	$5.23	$10.16	22
37	🇪🇸 Valencia	$48.94	$22.02	$13.46	$4.58	$8.88	19
38	🇫🇷 Lyon	$50.40	$22.68	$13.86	$4.71	$9.15	9
39	🇪🇪 Tallinn	$50.59	$13.25	$18.67	$6.35	$12.32	8
40	🇪🇸 Bilbao	$51.45	$23.15	$14.15	$4.81	$9.34	0
41	🇫🇷 Nice	$51.63	$23.23	$14.20	$4.83	$9.37	11
42	🇫🇷 Marseille	$51.64	$23.24	$14.20	$4.83	$9.37	4
43	🇪🇸 Barcelona	$51.79	$23.31	$14.24	$4.84	$9.40	22
44	🇫🇷 Paris	$52.44	$23.60	$14.42	$4.90	$9.52	23
45	🇸🇪 Stockholm	$54.12	$20.04	$17.04	$5.79	$11.25	5
46	🇫🇮 Helsinki	$54.44	$26.95	$13.75	$4.67	$9.07	6
47	🇦🇹 Salzburg	$54.51	$23.91	$15.30	$5.20	$10.10	6
48	🇩🇪 Berlin	$54.95	$21.53	$16.71	$5.68	$11.03	23
49	🇩🇪 Hamburg	$55.24	$21.48	$16.88	$5.74	$11.14	14
50	🇪🇸 San Sebastian	$56.34	$25.35	$15.49	$5.27	$10.23	11
51	🇮🇪 Galway	$57.46	$25.86	$15.80	$5.37	$10.43	7
52	🇧🇪 Ghent	$57.57	$25.91	$15.83	$5.38	$10.45	4
53	🇭🇷 Dubrovnik	$57.90	$26.20	$15.85	$5.39	$10.46	7
54	🇮🇹 Cinque Terre	$58.75	$28.97	$14.89	$5.06	$9.83	3
55	🇮🇹 Venice	$59.03	$27.33	$15.85	$5.39	$10.46	9
56	🇮🇹 Florence	$59.41	$24.71	$17.35	$5.90	$11.45	15
57	🇩🇪 Frankfurt	$59.95	$13.71	$23.12	$7.86	$15.26	4
58	🇮🇹 Milan	$60.66	$27.30	$16.68	$5.67	$11.01	20
59	🇮🇹 Bologna	$60.81	$27.36	$16.72	$5.69	$11.04	8
60	🇦🇹 Vienna	$60.96	$23.51	$18.72	$6.37	$12.36	17
61	🇩🇪 Munich	$62.72	$23.54	$19.59	$6.66	$12.93	15
62	🇮🇹 Amalfi	$63.74	$28.68	$17.53	$5.96	$11.57	0
63	🇮🇪 Dublin	$63.99	$27.79	$18.10	$6.15	$11.95	13
64	🇳🇱 Amsterdam	$65.58	$28.82	$18.38	$6.25	$12.13	24
65	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Edinburgh	$65.77	$26.76	$19.51	$6.63	$12.87	18
66	🇳🇱 Rotterdam	$67.07	$27.41	$19.83	$6.74	$13.09	10
67	🇧🇪 Bruges	$67.40	$23.86	$21.77	$7.40	$14.37	4
68	🇩🇰 Copenhagen	$67.75	$20.47	$23.64	$8.04	$15.60	5
69	🇧🇪 Brussels	$68.48	$32.73	$17.87	$6.08	$11.80	17
70	🇬🇷 Santorini	$73.04	$24.94	$24.05	$8.18	$15.87	9
71	🇳🇴 Oslo	$73.25	$29.30	$21.98	$7.47	$14.50	2
72	🇳🇴 Bergen	$73.68	$28.86	$22.41	$7.62	$14.79	4
73	🇬🇧 London	$74.71	$24.39	$25.16	$8.55	$16.61	24
74	🇮🇸 Reykjavik	$79.92	$35.96	$21.98	$7.47	$14.51	4
75	🇨🇭 Zurich	$91.63	$41.23	$25.20	$8.57	$16.63	5
76	🇨🇭 Interlaken	$100.50	$47.94	$26.28	$8.94	$17.34	5

66 more cities behind the curtain

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to backpack Europe per day?

Daily costs range from $30–$35 in Bucharest to $80+ in Paris. Eastern Europe averages $35–$45/day while Western Europe runs $50–$70/day. The continent-wide average for backpackers is about $50/day including dorm beds, meals, transport, and basic sightseeing.

What is the cheapest country in Europe for backpackers?

Romania, Bulgaria, and the Balkans are the cheapest. Bucharest averages $30–$35/day, with Sofia and Belgrade close behind. Poland and Hungary offer a step up in infrastructure at $35–$45/day. Portugal is the cheapest in Western Europe at $55/day.

Is it possible to backpack Europe on $30 a day?

Yes, but only in Eastern Europe. Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Bosnia all allow comfortable backpacking at $25–$35/day. In Western Europe, $30/day requires cooking all meals, staying in the cheapest dorms, and limiting paid attractions. Most budget travelers should plan $55–$70/day for Western Europe.

When is the cheapest time to visit Europe?

January through March offers the lowest prices — hostel rates drop 20–40% and flights are cheapest. April and October are the sweet spot: good weather, moderate prices. June through August is peak season with the highest prices and most crowded hostels. December has a holiday spike but is otherwise low season.