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City Costs Barometer: the best cheap and most expensive city breaks for 2026 compared

Compare cheap city breaks and more expensive European cities using real travel costs insights. Find out where your money goes furthest and plan what you’ll spend before you go.

Sarajevo in Bosnia & Herzegovina is the cheapest break to take in Europe this year. Read the highlights and download the full City Costs Barometer for comparisons to plan your trip.

Last updated: 22/5/2026

Understanding city break costs in Europe

When people talk about cheap city breaks, they often focus on flights. But what you spend once you arrive matters just as much as the flight cost. Food, drink, transport, activities and accommodation all add up quickly, even on a short trip.

That’s why, every year, Post Office Travel Money compares the cost of short European city breaks for people living in the UK. Our City Costs Barometer shows where on the continent travellers can get the best value for their money once they’re there.

In the 2026 edition, we’ve compared the cost of 12 everyday tourist items for two people across 50 European cities. It’s our largest ever comparison.

This year, Sarajevo in Bosnia & Herzegovina is Europe’s cheapest city break. Eastern Europe again dominates the best value chart, taking eight of the top 10 places for some of the cheapest European city breaks.

You can read the key findings here or download the full City Costs Barometer for all the details.

In this guide

Top 10 cheapest European city breaks

Some European cities are noticeably cheaper once you arrive. Eating out costs less, public transport is affordable and certain attractions can cost less than you expect. That can mean doing more, staying out longer and immersing yourself in what the city has to offer without constantly checking prices and limitations.

Here are the 10 best cheap European city breaks in this year’s City Costs Barometer. Rankings are based on the total cost of a short break for two people.

Position

City

1

Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina

2

Bucharest, Romania

3

Tirana, Albania

4

Belgrade, Serbia

5

Trenčín, Slovakia

6

Riga, Latvia

7

Lille, France

8

Vilnius, Lithuania

9

Strasbourg, France

10

Podgorica, Montenegro

Barometer costs total

1

£248

2

£258

3

£263

4

£265

5

£272

6

£278

7

£289

8

£289

9

£319

10

£332

1

1

Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina

1

£248

2

2

Bucharest, Romania

2

£258

3

3

Tirana, Albania

3

£263

4

4

Belgrade, Serbia

4

£265

5

5

Trenčín, Slovakia

5

£272

6

6

Riga, Latvia

6

£278

7

7

Lille, France

7

£289

8

8

Vilnius, Lithuania

8

£289

9

9

Strasbourg, France

9

£319

10

10

Podgorica, Montenegro

10

£332

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Top 5 cheapest cities: what to see, why people go and how costs have changed

Those are the top-level numbers but what about a flavour of the places?

Here’s an idea of what to expect from the five cheapest city breaks right now. Each provides something slightly different, depending on what you like to explore and do.

Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Sarajevo tops our barometer for the first time this year. And it’s perfect if you’re seeking strong culture, history and food without high prices.

You can explore small neighbourhoods on foot or visit museums and markets. Plus, you can eat out regularly without feeling restricted.

Sarajevo’s low overall cost is driven by affordable accommodation, cheap public transport and good value attractions, making it the best value city break in Europe for 2026.

Bucharest, Romania

Bucharest in Romania combines wide streets, parks and historic areas with a lively café and nightlife scene. If you want plenty of opportunity to wander, variety of things to do and well-priced food and drink, this is the place to book.

Costs in Bucharest remain low across accommodation, meals and transport, keeping it firmly among the cheapest city breaks this year.

Tirana, Albania

Tirana in newly popular Albania has everything you need for a laid-back city break with a focus on cafés, food and outdoor space. It’s easy to explore and budget for. It’s also increasingly well connected from the UK.

Tirana ranked number one for the lowest accommodation prices in our barometer, making it among the cheapest destinations overall in the 2026 comparison.

Belgrade, Serbia

If you’re looking for nightlife, food and riverside walks without big-city prices, Belgrade in Serbia ticks all the boxes. The city has a strong dining scene and small areas that are easy to move between so you can see more on your trip.

Good value accommodation and eating out help keep Belgrade firmly in the top five for lowest city break costs.

Trenčín, Slovakia

Trenčín in Slovakia is one of the newest cities to feature in the City Costs Barometer and offers a quieter alternative to larger capital cities. If you fancy a slower pace with plenty of walking, historic centres and very low everyday prices, Trenčín is perfect.

Despite being smaller, its consistently low costs across meals, transport and attractions put it in the top five cheapest cities overall. In fact, it ranks number one for value when comparing the price of meals for two people alone.

Top 10 most expensive European city breaks

These places sit at the other end of the price scale for more expensive city break options in Europe. Higher accommodation prices and more expensive eating out tend to push prices up overall.

Position

City

1

Oslo, Norway

2

Copenhagen, Denmark

3

Edinburgh, Scotland

4

Geneva, Switzerland

5

Barcelona, Spain

6

Dublin, Ireland

7

Amsterdam, Netherlands

8

Cork, Ireland

9

Venice, Italy

10

Madrid, Spain

Barometer costs total

1

£734

2

£671

3

£668

4

£644

5

£641

6

£611

7

£609

8

£602

9

£580

10

£580

1

1

Oslo, Norway

1

£734

2

2

Copenhagen, Denmark

2

£671

3

3

Edinburgh, Scotland

3

£668

4

4

Geneva, Switzerland

4

£644

5

5

Barcelona, Spain

5

£641

6

6

Dublin, Ireland

6

£611

7

7

Amsterdam, Netherlands

7

£609

8

8

Cork, Ireland

8

£602

9

9

Venice, Italy

9

£580

10

10

Madrid, Spain

10

£580

What these costs mean for your trip

Where a city sits in the table matters less than how prices feel once you’re there and how much you intend to spend on certain things. Accommodation usually makes the biggest difference. Even small changes in hotel prices can shift the overall cost of a short break.

Daily spending adds up too with things like meals, drinks and transport. Even paying for attractions can eat into your budget. In cheaper cities, you’ve got more freedom to decide as you go. In more expensive ones, a bit of planning helps keep costs under control.

You might also want to read our guide on planning a European city break on a budget to find out how you can you make savings when you go.

Getting your travel money ready

City breaks are always exciting trips to look forward to. Knowing where you’re going and how much things cost makes it easier to plan your travel money.

Buying your travel money before you get to the airport is usually cheaper. It also means one less thing to think about when you arrive, meaning you’ve got more time to get through security, pick up any last-minute bits and eat.

With Post Office, ordering foreign currency allows you to:

  • Pick from a choice of over 60 foreign currencies
  • Order it online and benefit from competitive rates for added convenience
  • Get readily available currencies, including the euro, in selected branches
  • Get a better rate the more currency you buy
  • Collect your chosen currency from your local branch for convenience

If you don’t want to only bring cash with you, it’s a good idea to take a Post Office Travel Money Card. It’s a convenient, prepaid and reloadable travel card with plenty of benefits including:

  • Load it with any of 22 supported currencies including euros and US dollars
  • Benefit from fixed exchange rates whenever you top up via the travel app
  • Use it anywhere in the world where you see the Mastercard Acceptance Mark
  • Block or freeze the card immediately if it gets lost or stolen
  • Easily manage and track your funds in the free app

Remember checking the exchange rate before you go can help you get more holiday money for your pound.

Don’t forget other city break essentials: we can help with that

To make sure your European city break is stress free, you’ll want to tick these off your list before you go to save time and hassle later.

Top up your spending money before you go

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Common questions

  • The Post Office Travel Money City Costs Barometer compares the typical cost of a short city break across European cities. It looks at everyday spending like accommodation, meals, drinks, transport and attractions, rather than just flight prices. This comparison helps you understand the city breaks that offer best value or are most expensive overall.

  • No, flights aren’t included in the City Costs Barometer. The focus is on what you spend once you arrive, which is often where city break costs add up fast.

  • Changes in hotel prices and availability usually have the biggest impact. Even small shifts in accommodation costs can move a city up or down the table. Our barometer keeps track of accommodation prices in the places we survey, to show how they change the overall costs.

  • Accommodation plays the biggest role, but daily spending matters too. Eating out, public transport and attractions quickly add up over a short break, depending on how much you want to do of each.

  • Read more

  • Yes, it’s usually cheaper than buying at the airport and helps you plan your spending better before you arrive. Read our travel money tips for other ways to make your money go further.

  • Many people choose a mix. Taking some cash helps with small day-to-day spending, while a travel money card or card payments can be useful for hotels, attractions and meals.

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How the City Costs Barometer is compiled

Each year, Post Office Travel Money compares the cost of a short city break for two people across European cities. The City Costs Barometer is based on a basket of 12 common tourist costs, using prices typically paid by UK travellers.

These include two nights in three star hotel accommodation, a three course meal for two with a bottle of house wine, drinks, city transport such as a 48 hour travel card, airport transfers, entry to leading attractions and a sightseeing bus tour.

The same basket of items is used for every city, allowing like for like comparisons. The combined total shows which cities are cheaper or more expensive once you’re there, rather than focusing on flight prices or travel deals.

Post Office Travel Money Card is an electronic money product issued by First Rate Exchange Services Ltd pursuant to license by Mastercard International. First Rate Exchange Services Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales with number 4287490 whose registered office is Botanica Ditton Park, Riding Ct Rd, Datchet, SL3 9LL (Financial Services Register No. 900412).

Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated.