What travel costs: daily budget by country
Cost per day is the only figure that lets you compare destinations properly. These are the ranges by region, excluding flights.
How to read these figures
Each range is per person per day, covering accommodation, three meals and local transport, without the international flight. The low end assumes a simple or shared room and eating where locals eat. The high end, a decent hotel and some restaurants.
Southeast Asia: €25–50
Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia. The best ratio of cost to comfort anywhere. Getting there is the expensive part.
Eastern Europe: €40–70
Poland, Hungary, Czechia, Romania, Albania. Prices well below western Europe with equivalent infrastructure and cheap flights from Spain.
Spain and Portugal: €45–80
Outside August and the four most touristed areas, Spain remains cheap compared with almost all of western Europe.
Italy, France, Germany: €70–110
The jump shows mostly in accommodation. Food in Italy stays reasonable if you avoid the monument districts.
UK and Ireland: €80–130
London and Dublin sit clearly above the average for their own countries.
Scandinavia and Iceland: €110–180
Food is what drives the bill up. Cooking where you stay can cut 40 euros off a day.
Japan: €70–120
Surprisingly affordable on food and transport compared with what people expect. Accommodation in Tokyo and Kyoto is the expensive part.
Morocco and Turkey: €30–60
Short flight from Spain and a low daily cost. Among the best distance-to-price ratios available.
What these figures exclude
Museum and park entry, organised activities and car hire. In destinations where a car is effectively mandatory (Iceland, Sardinia, the Azores), add 40 to 70 euros a day.
Keep reading
Browse every budget destination, or go back to the board and filter by month.