If you are planning to travel in Europe and want to find budget-friendly destinations, you might want to research east Europe. It is the region where you will get more travel days for your euro (or whatever the local currency happens to be). The difference in the average cost is vast between the cheapest and the most expensive European countries: only 28 dollars a day in Georgia, but wallet-hurting 251 dollars a day in Switzerland.
I had a wonderful time last summer in east Europe on a road trip along the Via Baltica route that stretches from Central Europe, Czech Republic, all the way to Estonia through multiple countries. Fascinating historic cities, such as Vilnius in Lithuania and authentic experiences without (too much) touristic hassle. Of course, each country in Europe has its own culture, traditions, etiquette and often language as well, so travel experiences may vary.
Here is the top 20 ranking of the cheapest countries to travel in Europe. The average daily budget is a total of products and services a tourist normally needs when visiting a destination. The data for the cost evaluation was put together by Hellosafe.
- Georgia 28 – dollars average daily budget for a traveler
- Moldova 35
- Serbia 42
- Poland 59
- Bulgaria 61
- Belarus 61
- Bosnia and Herzegovina 65
- Albania 71
- Romania 74
- Hungary 75
- Lithuania 88
- Slovenia 90
- Croatia 91
- Estonia 98
- Czech Republic 98
- Cyprus 99
- Montenegro 101
- Latvia 108
- Malta 113
- Slovakia 125
The average budget includes expenses, such as accommodation (hotel or Airbnb-type reservation), food and transport in each country. The budget does not include the cost of transport to the destination country. The data was collected in March 2025. Full details are published at the Hellosafe web page. There you can find also travel costs for countries outside Europe.
The most expensive countries in Europe for travelers are the following (in March 2025).
- Switzerland 251 dollars daily budget for one traveler
- Greenland 222 (a territory of Denmark but the cost of living difference with the mainland is significant)
- France 188
- Iceland 184
- Luxembourg 176
- Greece 175
- UK 172
- Denmark 171
- Netherlands 168
- Italy 159
- Norway 159
- Andorra 158
- Finland 149
- Turkey 149
- Austria 145
- Germany 144
- Spain 144
- Belgium 136
- Ireland 136
- Portugal 130
- Sweden 126
Planning a trip to Europe and choosing destinations only on the average price level is not necessarily the best way to travel. For instance, Paris and Cote d’Azur (the French Riviera) are expensive but the price level in fabulous cities like Bordeaux or Strasbourg is way lower. The same applies to practically all countries that are popular vacation destination. Madrid and Barcelona in Spain have considerably higher prices than, for instance, the resorts at Costa Calida in Murcia or Sevilla-Cadiz region. Many factors affect the prices, such as the region within a country, season (July and August tend to have higher prices), popularity as a tourist destination, and local economic situation.