According to Idealista, the study ranked cities based on an affordability index ranging from 0 to 10: the lower the score, the higher the cost of travel.
The Three Most Expensive Capitals
Paris scored 3.63 points and ranked first among the most expensive destinations. An average night in a hotel in the French capital costs €217, meals cost €96 per day, entertainment costs €115, and transportation costs €30.
Copenhagen took second place with a score of 4.31 points. The cost of the trip was most heavily influenced by expenses for meals (€130 per day) and transportation (€99).
Zurich ranked third in the affordability index with a score of 4.47 points, but topped the list in terms of actual tourist expenses. A single day in Zurich costs an average of €309. By comparison, this figure is €267 in Paris, €257 in Manchester, and €250 in London. The average cost of a three-day trip to Zurich is €928, while in Paris it is €800.
Serbia Is the Most Budget-Friendly Destination
Belgrade came in at the other end of the ranking. The Serbian capital scored 9.96 points and was named the most affordable city in Europe. According to the study, travel expenses there are significantly lower than in Paris: a night in a hotel costs about €38 compared to €217, meals cost €18 compared to €96, and entertainment costs €4 compared to €115.
Sofia, Warsaw, Minsk, and Palermo also made the top five most budget-friendly destinations.
The gap between European cities is particularly noticeable in the cost of accommodations. In the budget segment, the most expensive accommodation options are in Zurich (€68 per night) and Paris (€56), while in Belgrade and Sofia, similar rooms cost about €11 and €16, respectively.
Five-star hotels: the most affordable are in Sofia
In the five-star hotel category, Paris remains the leader: the average room rate reaches €441 per night. In Zurich, this figure is €382, and in London, €366. Meanwhile, in Minsk, Belgrade, and Sofia, accommodations in five-star hotels are available for approximately €66–82.
Italian cities stood out separately in the ranking. Five Italian cities made it into the top 20 most expensive destinations: Rome, Milan, Bergamo, Turin, and Bologna. Rome ranked sixth, with accommodation costs of about €129 per night and daily food expenses of €108. Milan came in eighth due to the high cost of transportation (€53) and accommodation (€126).
The study also compared prices for everyday goods. The most expensive cappuccino among the cities surveyed is sold in Copenhagen (€6) and Zurich (€5.90), while in Turin it costs about €1.70. A glass of draft beer costs €10.20 in Oslo and €1.20 in Minsk. A set meal at McDonald’s is most expensive in Zurich (€18.80) and Amsterdam (€16.30), while in Minsk it costs €6.80.
