Trip budget

The cheapest countries in Europe to visit in 2027, ranked

For anyone choosing where next year's money goes furthest: ten countries ranked by what eating out and a bed actually cost, the catch in each, and the border and phone rules that change the sums.

By the Time to Travel team6 min readChecked 7 Nov 2026 · 10 sources

The short version

North Macedonia is the cheapest country in Europe for a holiday. Restaurants and hotels there cost 48% of the EU average.

Cheapest in the EU: Bulgaria (56%), then Romania (59%).
Cheapest with the euro: Bulgaria, Montenegro (67%) and Portugal (74%).
The catch: drinks. Alcohol costs 159% of the EU average in Albania and 210% in Türkiye.

Find hotels and toursPARTNER · hotels and tours on Klook

On this page

Dinner out and a night in a hotel that would cost €100 at average EU prices cost about €48 in North Macedonia. In Switzerland the same evening costs €163, and in Iceland €173.

Those figures are Eurostat's price level indices for 2025, published in July 2026: the newest comparison of what the same basket of goods and services costs in 36 European countries, with the EU average set at 100. We ranked by restaurants and accommodation, the part of the basket a traveller actually buys, and show the price level for everything households buy next to it.

A small stone church with red tiled roofs on a cliff above a wide blue lake, with mountains on the far shore

Which European countries are cheapest to visit in 2027?

Ten countries come in at less than 80% of the EU average for eating out and staying over. Six of them are outside the EU.

North Macedonia4855
Albania5373
Bulgaria5663
Bosnia and Herzegovina5959
Romania5965
Serbia6668
Montenegro6766
Czechia7089
Portugal7487
Türkiye7860
EU average100100

Price level indices for 2025, EU average = 100: restaurants and accommodation services (green) and household final consumption expenditure (amber), rounded. Source: Eurostat, dataset prc_ppp_ind_1, updated 9 July 2026. Checked 7 November 2026.

Just outside the ten: Poland (81), Hungary (82), Spain (85), Greece (86) and Croatia (90). Italy is at 111 and France at 116.

Eurostat's 2026 prices are due in mid-2027, so 2025 is the newest full comparison you can plan a 2027 trip on. Between 2024 and 2025 the order barely moved: Bulgaria's overall level went from 60 to 63. The country to recheck is Türkiye, below.

The ten, from cheapest

Each with its restaurant-and-hotel price level, its currency, and the one thing to watch.

North Macedonia, 48. Denar. Passenger transport costs 55% of the EU average. Watch: it is not in the EU, so EU roaming rules do not apply.
Albania, 53. Lek. Watch: groceries cost 104% of the EU average and alcohol 159%, so a self-catering trip saves less than eating out.
Bulgaria, 56. The euro since 1 January 2026, and the cheapest country in the EU overall, at 63. Watch: it is in the Schengen area, so days here count towards the 90.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, 59. Convertible mark. Watch: transport is near EU prices, at 92%.
Romania, 59. Leu. The cheapest groceries in the EU, at 80%. Watch: Schengen days count here as well.
Serbia, 66. Dinar. Watch: groceries are close to the EU average, at 97%.
Montenegro, 67. Uses the euro without being in the EU. Watch: alcohol is at 129%.
Czechia, 70. Koruna. Cheap to eat and sleep, but the rest of the basket is at 89. Beer and wine are at 92%, below the EU average.
Portugal, 74. Euro. The cheapest in western Europe for eating out and hotels, well below Spain (85) and Greece (86).
Türkiye, 78. Lira. Overall prices are low, at 60, but alcohol is at 210%, the third highest of the 36 countries, after Iceland and Norway.

Rows of white houses with dark tiled roofs and many windows stacked up a steep hillside

Where a cheap country stops being cheap

A low national average hides three things:

Drinks. Excise duty can turn the order upside down. Beer, wine and spirits cost more, relative to the EU average, in Albania (159), Montenegro (129) and Türkiye (210) than in Germany (86) or Italy (82).
Resorts and old towns. These are national averages. A beach town in August or a capital's old town is priced for visitors.
Inflation in Türkiye. Consumer prices rose 29.77% in the year to October 2026 (TurkStat). Whether it stays cheap for you depends on the lira's exchange rate when you go, so check prices close to booking.

Where the local currency is not the euro, choose the local currency when a card terminal asks; our card terminal guide shows what the other choice costs.

Do days in the Balkans count towards the 90/180 rule?

Not in six of the ten. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye are outside the Schengen area and run their own entry rules, so time there does not use up your Schengen days. Check each country's own visa rules for your passport.

Bulgaria and Romania have been full Schengen members since 1 January 2025, when land border checks with them ended. Days there count, and non-EU travellers go through the EES biometric check when they enter the area. Our 90/180 guide shows how to count them.

Will your phone plan work there?

With an EU SIM, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechia and Portugal are covered by Roam Like at Home. The six Western Balkan countries are not, as of 7 November 2026: the Commission proposed adding them on 25 February 2026 and EU governments authorised the talks on 4 June 2026, but each country must first adopt the EU's roaming rules and no date has been set. Türkiye is not part of the talks.

Until then, check your operator's price for each country, or buy a local SIM or an eSIM data plan before you cross.

Bus, train, car or tour: getting around the ten

A steep cobbled lane between stone walls and old houses with dark timber upper floors, with a street lamp

Ways to travel between the cheapest countries, as of 7 November 2026. Train: CFR Călători; bus: FlixBus route page; Albania rail: Euronews Albania via Wikipedia.
Option	Price	Coverage	Flexibility	Pros	Cons
Long-distance bus	Usually the cheapest way between cities	The main Balkan links: Tirana to Skopje about five times a day	Varies by company	Reaches Albania, which has no train between Tirana and Durrës	Tirana to Skopje takes 4 h 40; slow mountain roads
Train	Sofia to Bucharest €33.60 in 2nd class	Patchy across borders; the Sofia to Bucharest direct train ran 13 June to 12 October 2026	Set by each national railway	Room to move; city centre to city centre	Slow: about 10 hours for Sofia to Bucharest; seasonal
Rental car	Daily rate plus fuel and any cross-border fee	Anywhere, including lakes and mountain villages	Depends on the rate you book	Free to stop anywhere; splits well between four	Some cars may not leave the country; declare every border
Day tour from a base city	One price per person, transport and guide included	Popular sights near big cities and resorts	Depends on the tour; check the cancellation terms	No driving or connections to plan	Fixed schedule; priced for visitors

Who should pick what: crossing the Balkans alone or as a couple, the bus. Romania and Bulgaria in summer, the train, booked through our budget train routes tips. A group of three or four, or anyone heading for lakes and mountains, a rental car, after reading our car rental cost guide. One or two sights from a city base, a tour.

Picked a country? Compare hotels, tours and day trips in one place.

Find hotels and toursPARTNER LINK · no extra cost to you

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest country in Europe to visit?

North Macedonia. In Eurostat's 2025 figures, restaurants and accommodation cost 48% of the EU average there. Inside the EU, the cheapest is Bulgaria at 56%, then Romania at 59%.

Is Portugal still cheap compared with Spain, Greece and Croatia?

For eating out and hotels, yes. Portugal's price level for restaurants and accommodation was 74% of the EU average in 2025, against 85% in Spain, 86% in Greece and 90% in Croatia.

Which of the cheapest countries use the euro?

Bulgaria (since 1 January 2026), Portugal and Montenegro, which uses the euro without being in the EU. The others have their own currencies, so pay in the local currency when a card terminal offers a choice.

Do days in Albania or Montenegro count towards the Schengen 90 days?

No. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye are outside the Schengen area and set their own entry rules. Bulgaria and Romania are inside it, so days there do count.

Will my EU phone plan work in the Balkans without roaming fees?

Not yet in the six Western Balkan countries. The EU authorised talks on adding them to Roam Like at Home on 4 June 2026, but there is no start date. Bulgaria and Romania are covered as EU members.

Where the figures come from

Checked on 7 November 2026. Official sources first; secondary sources are labelled.