How we built these numbers
These are working figures, not brochure rates. For each city we priced a hostel bed or a budget double, three simple meals, local transport for a day, and one modest entrance fee, then averaged across a shoulder-season week. We checked against official transport fares and tourism boards; the Eurostat price data gives useful background on where costs sit relative to the average.
Read this with our cheap flights guide to plan the whole trip, not just the daily spend.
The twenty cities, ranked by day
The spread is wide. At the low end, cities such as Sofia, Bucharest and Porto cost about 55 to 75 euros a day. In the middle, Madrid, Lisbon and Krakow sit near 85 to 100. At the top, Zurich, Oslo and Amsterdam run 120 to 140 and up. The ranking changes fast when you swap a hostel for a hotel, which is the single biggest lever on the whole budget.
Food: the easiest line to control
Food swings more than any other cost. Cooking one meal in an apartment kitchen, eating the main meal at lunch on a set menu, and buying water at a supermarket can hold a day of food near 20 to 25 euros in most cities. Eating every meal out, with a drink each, quickly triples that. The trick is one good meal a day and simple food for the rest.
A budget is just a plan you can measure. Guess it and you will overspend.
Beds: hostel, guesthouse or hotel
A hostel dorm bed runs 20 to 35 euros in most of these cities, a private budget double 50 to 90, and a mid-range hotel 100 and up. Guesthouses and family-run pensions sit in the middle and often include breakfast, which is worth real money. Booking a week in an apartment splits the cost well for two travellers. Our hotel section explains what to check before booking.
Transport: passes, walks and the odd train
City transport is cheap; intercity trains are not always. A daily city pass makes sense after three rides, and most old towns are walkable anyway. For moving between cities, a regional rail pass or a long-distance bus beats point-to-point fares, and booking weeks ahead can halve the price. Always check the night-bus and night-train options, which save a night of accommodation.
Turning the numbers into a plan
Decide the bed first, then set a daily food figure, then add a transport pass only where you need it. Add a buffer of about fifteen per cent for the unexpected, and track spending for the first two days to test your assumptions. Once you trust the daily number, the whole trip is easy to plan. See our weekend budget guide for a worked two-night example.
