Different people have different goals or bucket lists, but one of the most common things people want to do before they die is see the world; and one of the most common reasons people don’t get around to fulfilling their dream: money. If you realise that your life’s ambition of traveling around the continent is slowly slipping through your fingers, don’t panic. You can still travel on a small budget.
To show you how, here are Europe’s least expensive cities. Head to these destinations and you can explore a whole host of different cultures for less than you thought:
#1 Budapest
The Hungarian capital absolutely has to be the cheapest city in Europe. Not only did it rank first in a study by HouseTrip.com, but it was also named most affordable city in the annual Post Office Travel Money survey. At just £117 for two nights’ accommodation, sightseeing, an evening meal for two, drinks and transport it’s definitely budget-friendly.And that’s for an average tourist. If you travel in our “tramp style”, you can easily do it for less than $25 a day.
#2 Prague
The Czech capital also featured in the Post Office survey, where it was found that meals and drinks were much cheaper than anywhere else in Europe. Prague has long been a budget option for backpackers, but it’s since been overtaken by other Eastern European cities. When visiting Prague 2 years ago, I easily survived for less than $25 a day doing couchsurfing and indulging in traditional Czech trdelnik!
#3 Lisbon
Portugal is a popular holiday destination and you can easily reach the capital of Lisbon for one of the best-value breaks within the Eurozone. Prices have fallen by 15% since last year, so it’s around half the price of stopping in Paris or Amsterdam.
#4 Madrid
Barcelona is perhaps the more popular city of the two, but the Spanish capital is a lot kinder to your wallet. There are lots of cheap hostels and hotel rooms around the city – from as little as €11 a night – while the tapas culture makes dining out much more affordable. Drinks are also cheap if you stick to beer or sangria.
#5 Edinburgh
Although it has been labelled as the most expensive city to stay in the UK, taking a short break in Edinburgh can actually offer tourists great value for money when you consider all the costs. You can enjoy affordable prices on food, drink and entertainment once there – with plenty of free attractions to enjoy. Add in the fact that if you’re from UK you don’t have to worry about currency exchange rates and the allure is only too clear! Consider couchsurfing and nothing can stop you from spending less than $25 a day.
#6 Nice
A trip around Europe wouldn’t be complete without a stay in France. Rather than heading to the pricey capital, go south to the Côte d’Azur to Nice. There is lots to do in the city, but it’s also a good base for exploring Monaco and Cannes.
What city would you pick to visit on the cheap this summer?
76 thoughts on “6 Europe’s Less Expensive Cities”
I’m surprised at Edinburgh and Nice being on this list! But it just goes to show that any place can be a “budget destination” if you know where to go for affordable eats and entertainment. Out of this list, I’ll be in Budapest and Prague this summer, so I’ll really be looking forward to giving my wallet a break. :)
Actually you are right. Any place can be an affordable travel destination if you know where to look for a cheap accommodation and restaurants.
Great list, Lisbon is my favourite! :-)
I can’t wait to make it there <3!!
We are in Madrid right now! From the list there are still some places we haven’t seen though like Lisbon and Prague (for Dale only, I was there years ago), it’s good to know they are affordable cities, it makes easier for us to choose where to go ;)
Are you in Madrid? Wow, that’s so awesome! Enjoy yourselves!!
Great list! Just a few things to add: Lisbon is actually way cheaper than Paris — an espresso for example costs roughly around 2.50 € in Paris, in Lisbon the average espresso price is 50 cents.
In my experience, the cheapest city with Euro currency is Ljubljana, and — as some of the fellow commenters said already — Romania has to be the cheapest country in Europe in general. Over all, you could say that Western Europe is rather pricey (except Portugal), but there are still some great ways to save money there. If you want to travel on the cheap though, Eastern Europe might be the better choice.
Hey Julika! Long time no see! Thank you for sharing. I am moving back to Europe next month and I can’t wait to explore France once again, Spain and Portugal for the first time!!
I am so happy to hear Prague is easy on the budget – we plan to head there this summer! I can’t WAIT!!
Prague’s the cheapest one, so don’t worry about your budget !! :D You will be absolutely fine :)
Well I am a lucky girl to have been to all of these places, and I can say I loved each and every one of them! Great list… definitely a list for every traveller!
Thanks Colleen. You’ve been to all of them? Wow, impressive!
Just the list I needed to come across! I was having a chat with a friend from home about possibly doing a cheap trip to Europe at the end of the year and this has given me some great ideas!
Been to 4/6 (Budapest is my favorite!!! May be biased by my Hungarian family), currently living in one (Madrid!) Can definitely say that Madrid is a cheap place all around – both to live and travel – the alcohol is unbelievably cheap for Western Europe and the restaurants won’t break your bank either.. Then again having only live in NYC before my viewpoint of what is ‘cheap’ is a little skewed…
I’d also add (as a few other people have pointed out) Kraków and Warsaw – surprised you didn’t represent your native country! But I absolutely love Poland for so many reasons, the prices being just one of these =)
Good to hear that Edinburgh is cheap, I’m heading there in August, although I’m going for the festival and I can tell already just looking up hostels that they definitely raise prices in August. Great list!!
Hi Sam. That’s so cool to hear that!!
Lovely places to go in Europe. I am thinking of going to Edinburgh this year. The weathers lovely at this time of the year. At this moment in time, the weathers pretty nice. Thanks for showing cool places and mentioning about its expensiveness.
Edinburgh’s amazing in summer!
Hmm Very Nice ! This post is such a nice post about Expensive Cities of Europe! I never been in Europe but I hear more Europe’s cities. This is amazing & great list of Europe’s cities.Well my favorite one is “Budapest”
I hope you can make it to Europe one day! Budapest is amazing!
Cool list! I’ve made it to all of them except Nice. I’d add Krakow, Poland to the list. It’s gorgeous and even cheaper than Prague and Budapest.
I agree totally with all mentioned here in this blog. I recently went to Europe to Study and I was so surprised, all things come in my budget. Thank you for making this publicly available. :)
Where are you studying? What city and country?
Awesome suggestions. Europe can be so expensive, I think these cities would make a neat base to venture out from.
Definitely Zoe!
Happy to say I’ve been to 4 out of these! I was really surprised by Lisbon and Edingburg, I’ll definitely up them on my list since I always assumed they were expensive, yay! :)
Great to hear that Lucia. I have not been to Lisbon yet, but I’m going there next month. Fingers crossed it’s gonna be cheap!
Wow, I’m super surprised Edinburgh made the list!! I found it heaps expensive when I went there a few years ago for a weekend away with my mum. I loved Prague, that’s a great one for the list :)
I fell in love with Prague at first sight!
I agree with Prague and Madrid, they are very budget-friendly! Sofia and Bulgaria more generally is even cheaper, you can have a really nice time for next to nothing!
That’s so true.
Nice list with some surprising inclusions. I would recommend Krakow – fantastic! My wife and I were there one year ago and also Prague same trip and we found food, accommodations, basically everything cheaper in Poland. Also I have to say we found the Polish cuisine much tastier! But Prague is a beautiful city, easy to get around and lots of affordable things to do.
Thank you Greg for stopping buy. As for Prague, it’s one of the most beautiful and affordable cities in Europe!
My God! I needed this! I will soon be travelling to Madrid and Lisbon and am happy to know that they are among Europe’s cheapest cities. However, I found Edinburgh a bit expensive…maybe i did not do the necessary research. But otherwise very appropriate list…wish to visit all those places someday. Thanks 4 compiling it.
I’ll be in Lisbon in exactly 3 weeks so I can’t wait to share some of my budget travel tips with you!
Thanks for the amazing post. This is an awesome place.