How Much Things Cost in Europe

Budgeting for a trip becomes a lot easier once you know how much things cost in Europe.

To give you an idea of how much everything is going to cost, we've listed some information about things you'll need on your holiday like accomodation, transport, food and more.

All the prices we've quoted in this article are in Australian dollars but you can visit our currency converter to find out what the exchange rate is between the AUD and EUR right now!

Before you head to Europe, learn about:

  • Is it expensive to visit Europe?
  • How much you need to bring to Europe
  • How much it costs to fly from Australia
  • The cost of food
  • Buses and trains
  • Tours in Europe
  • Hiring a Car
  • Accomodation

Is it Expensive to visit Europe?

When it comes to travelling around Europe, there is a big difference between there and Australia. Let's have a look at the cost difference between some food and activities in Europe and Australia. Here, we'll use Germany as an example:

Australia vs Germany

In this table, we have a comparison of some things you might do in Germany. The prices are approximate and can change city to city within Germany.

Expense Cost in Australia Cost in Germany
Breakfast with Coffee $25AUD $23AUD
1 full week of public transport (MyKi) $43AUD for a MyKi Pass $50AUD
Full priced Movie ticket $23AUD $15AUD
Museum Entry $28AUD $20AUD (some are free!)
A pint of beer $9AUD $5.50AUD

To find the best places to buy EUR, you can read our guide here.

How much money do I need to bring?

The answer to this question really depends on the type of holiday you're planning. Will you be backpacking and staying in hostels? Will you be living it up at a fancy hotel in Paris? If you want to do it on a budget, you easily can or you can splurge and go on a luxury holiday.

It all depends on what you're doing, where you're staying, how long you're planning to travel and how often you'll be moving between countries and cities.

Here we have listed an estimate of what you'd need, per person, per day depending on your holiday.

Budget holiday: Up to $100AUD

Middle of the range holiday: Up to $100 to $200AUD

Luxury holiday: Up to $550AUD or more!

How much does food cost in Europe?

Food is a pretty important part of a holiday, and a great way to get to know a country. Especially somewhere like Europe where there are so many different foods to try everywhere you go. You can really decide how much you want to spend on food everyday. You could get by on as little as $15AUD or if you're fine dining you could spend hundreds! Below we've listed some general prices for eating and drinking out, and the cost of some other bits and bobs.

Eating out:

  • Breakfast: $5 - $20 AUD
  • Lunch: $5 - $50 AUD
  • Dinner: $5 - $60AUD

Drinks:

  • Coffee: $5.50AUD
  • Beer: $5 - $15AUD
  • Glass of wine: $10 - $30AUD

Some other examples:

  • Escargot: $15AUD
  • Big Mac meal: $7AUD
  • Bottle of Wine: $10 - $150AUD
  • Cocktails: $5AUD+

How much does it cost to fly from Australia to Europe?

Like flying anywhere in the world, flights between Australia and Europe can change depending the time of year. Remember that you will require a stop over travelling from Australia to Europe. Usually this is somewhere in the UAE or Asia.

The flight prices also depend on where in Australia you're flying from and where you're flying into.

Generally the average cost of a return flight to Paris from Melbourne or Sydney will cost you about $1400 to $1800AUD. But the fight prices can go up to $10,000AUD depending who you fly with.

Buses and Trains

There is not a huge amount of public transport available in Bali. Taxis are very common in the south part of the island, especially from popular hotels and accomodation, and in a lot of cases you can hire a driver for the day for a pretty reasonable price.

There are no official buses, and no train lines. However, there is a shuttle service available across the island called Bemo. These rides can start at as little as 50cAUD but they are notorious for charging tourists more (but we still think this is very cheap!).

 

Taxis and Ride Sharing

  • Taxis are more readily available in the southern part of the island. Areas such as Kuta and Ubud are easy to get taxis in.
  • It will generally cost you about 50cAUD to get the taxi, and about $1.50AUD for every additional kilometre.
  • Uber is available in Bali, but is still a relatively new service there. They can be a bit harder to order, but will probably be cheaper than a taxi.

Tours

Utilising tours is a great way to meet other travellers and learn about the area you're in. If you're looking to have a completely guided tour, you could consider looking into companies like IntrepidTopdeck or a Contiki tour. But even on a smaller scale, you can often find walking tours in major cities run by locals! Usually, you can find out about these online or through your hostel.

The great news is that many of Europe's museums and galleries are free or relatively cheap to enter!

Examples of some other popular tours you might consider in Bali. They will all have different prices, depending on the tour inclusions and length.

  • Day trip to Versailles from Paris, with lunch $250AUD
  • Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam $15AUD
  • Tour of the Colosseum in Rome Entry: $20AUD, Tour: Up to $100AUD.
  • Sound of Music Tour in Austria $80AUD
  • Acropolis and sightseeing tour from Athens $100AUD

Viator is a great website to get information about tours you can do throughout Europe!

Hiring a Car

Hiring a car in Europe can be a little bit complicated. This is especially true if you're travelling across borders into different countries. The other thing to remember is that if you're hiring a car and you're under 25 years of age, it can be more expensive to do so.

You will need to be have a valid Australian drivers licence in order to drive in Europe and remember that driving laws change between different countries, you can't drive like you're on the Autobahn when you're driving through a quaint Italian village!

 

Price of a Rental Car in Europe, per Week:

  • Budget: $170AUD per week for a budget car that will comfortably fit two people and luggage
  • Mid-range: $400AUD – $500AUD for a mid-range car that will easily fit four people and luggage
  • High-end:  $700AUD+ for a high end car such as a convertible, large SUV or luxury vehicle

 

Rental Companies

Accomodation

You can really be flexible about how much you spend on accomodation when you get to Europe. If you're keeping it low key and don't want to spend much, there are hostels in most major cities, or you could live it up! Below are some rough guides to how much you can expect to pay.

Accomodation on a budget, like hostels cost about $10 to $70AUD a night.

Mid-range accomodation like a double room in a 3 star hotel will probably cost between $200 and $400AUD a night.

A double luxury hotel room will cost between $400AUD to as much as you're wiling to spend per night.

Using the following sites will give you an even better idea of how much the accomodation you're after will cost you.

Tipping

Tipping is not customary nor expected in Europe. However, this can change country to country, and you may find that you want to tip. Below we've listed some things you should keep in mind about tipping in Europe:

  • If you are going to tip in a restaurant, usually 5-10% is more than enough.
  • If you're in a taxi no need to tip anymore than rounding to the nearest €10.
  • €1 for each bag a porter carries in a hotel, a small something for room keeping could be considered as well.

In all instances this is optional, and up to you and your resources to decide how much you spend on tipping.

AUD to EUR Exchange Rate Calculator

Today's rate

Oscar Murray
Read more
Last updated
March 4th, 2021