What is the cheapest country in Western Europe?

Austria, at about $1,428 a week, ahead of Germany ($1,447). Among Southern Europe's big destinations, Portugal ($1,302) costs less than Italy ($1,524) and Spain ($1,555).

What is the cheapest region of Europe?

Eastern Europe, with an average of $1,027 a week, then Southern Europe ($1,099). Northern Europe ($1,607) and Western Europe ($1,654) cost the most.

Are flights included?

No. The ranking counts only the cost on site, so it holds wherever you fly from.

Why is safety part of the ranking?

A cheap trip is only a good deal if it goes well. The HelloSafe safety score counts for 30 % of the order; the cost of the week, shown for each country, for 70 %.

HelloSafe data2026 edition · 37 European countries · prices surveyed in October 2026

Cheapest European Countries to Visit in 2026

The cost of a week in 37 European countries, with their safety. Bosnia and Herzegovina is the cheapest ($676), Latvia the best value. Method and open data.

Top 3 · 2026a week per person

under $600$600–$900$900–$1,300$1,300+

A. Fruchard
Co-Founder & Travel Insurance Expert

Last updated: October 23, 2026100 % public, traceable data

Key facts

The cheapest European countries in 30 seconds

These costs do not include the flight. For every country of the world, see our ranking of the cheapest countries to visit.

37European countries ranked by the cost of one week on site (70 %) and their safety (30 %)

$676Bosnia and Herzegovina, the cheapest week in Europe: hotel, meals and transport for one person

$857Latvia, #1 in Europe: a low cost and a safety score of 73/100

$2,205Switzerland, the most expensive week in Europe, more than three times Bosnia

The essentials in 20 seconds

Latvia ($857), North Macedonia ($677) and Bosnia and Herzegovina ($676) top the Europe ranking.
The Balkans have the cheapest weeks: Bosnia and Herzegovina ($676), North Macedonia ($677), Kosovo ($785), Albania ($802).
Eastern Europe is the cheapest region on average ($1,027 a week), Western Europe the most expensive ($1,654).
Among the big destinations, Portugal ($1,302) is the cheapest, ahead of Germany ($1,447), Italy ($1,524), Spain ($1,555) and France ($1,587).

01 · Europe ranking

Cheapest European countries to visit in 2026

Where is a week in Europe cheapest? The 37 countries are ranked by what one person spends in a week (seven nights in a 3-star hotel, meals and local transport, in the capital), which counts for 70 %, and by their HelloSafe safety score (30 %). Each country also shows its place among the 97 countries of the world ranking. Click a country for the detail of its costs.

Search a country…

#1 in Europe · #1 in Northern Europe · #18 worldwide

Latvia

$857a week$600–$900

A week in Riga costs about $857 per person: 7 nights in a 3-star hotel ($53 a night), meals and local transport ($69 a day). HelloSafe safety score: 73/100. Flights not included.

Cost breakdown

Hotel night$53

Meals and transport per day$69

HelloSafe safety score73/100

Amounts for one person: a 3-star hotel night and a day of meals and local transport. The HelloSafe safety score (out of 100) counts for 30 % of the order of the ranking, the cost of the week for 70 %.

Insurance for Latvia →

02 · Map of Europe

The cost of a week across Europe

Each country in the colour of its band: $600 to $900 a week, $900 to $1,300, over $1,300. Click a country to see the detail of its costs and its safety score.

Showing 37 of 37 published countries · click a country for its info

Why are some countries grey? We rank only countries open to tourists with a HelloSafe safety score of at least 40 out of 100, recent Numbeo prices and at least five 3-star hotels offered in their capital.

03 · Regional rankings

The cheapest countries by region of Europe

Europe's four regions, as defined by the UN, each ranked on its own. Eastern Europe has the lowest average cost ($1,027 a week), ahead of Southern Europe ($1,099), Northern Europe ($1,607) and Western Europe ($1,654). First come Latvia in Northern Europe, North Macedonia in Southern Europe, Bulgaria in Eastern Europe and Austria in Western Europe.

Northern Europe · average $1,601 · 13 countries scored, 11 published

Cheapest countries · Northern Europe

1Latvia$857#1
2Estonia$1,028#4
3Lithuania$976#6
4Finland$1,310#13
5Sweden$1,486#23
6Jersey$1,741#27
7Norway$1,799#32
8United Kingdom$1,931#33
9Denmark$2,203#34
10Ireland$2,154#35
11Iceland$2,197#36

Reader service: the European Health Insurance Card covers public care only, at local rates, and never repatriation, and it is not valid in the Balkan countries outside the EU. Our travel insurance comparison shows what a policy costs for your trip.

Reading the results

What the ranking says

The Balkans are the cheapestThe five cheapest weeks in Europe are all in the Balkans: Bosnia and Herzegovina ($676), North Macedonia ($677), Kosovo ($785), Albania ($802) and Serbia ($815). A 3-star hotel night costs $45 in Sarajevo and $50 in Skopje.

The Baltics offer the best valueLatvia comes first in Europe: a week at $857 and a safety score of 73/100. Estonia ($1,028, 82/100) is 4th and Lithuania ($976, 75/100) 6th. Finland, with the second-best safety score in Europe (93/100), is 13th despite a week at $1,310.

The big destinationsPortugal ($1,302) is 18th, ahead of Germany ($1,447, 22nd), Italy ($1,524, 28th), Spain ($1,555, 29th) and France ($1,587, 31st). Austria is the cheapest country of Western Europe ($1,428).

The Nordics and Switzerland close the rankingSwitzerland ($2,205), Denmark ($2,203), Iceland ($2,197) and Ireland ($2,154) have the most expensive weeks, more than three times Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United Kingdom costs $1,931 a week.

Our method

Methodology

Order = 70 % cost of the week + 30 % safety. Cost of the week: 7 nights in a 3-star hotel + 7 days of meals and local transport, for one person, scaled from 100 (cheapest week) to 1 (most expensive) over the 97 countries of the world ranking. Safety: the HelloSafe safety score, out of 100. The figures are those of the world ranking: a country has the same cost and the same order on both pages.

Hotel3-star hotels in each capital, one person, surveyed on lastminute.com on 14 October 2026 for two weeks, 8–15 March and 13–20 September 2027. We keep the price of the cheapest quarter of the offers.

Meals, transport and safetyNumbeo, mid-2026 edition: two inexpensive meals, half a mid-range dinner for two and four local transport tickets a day, in each capital. HelloSafe safety score: Global Peace Index, Corruption Perceptions Index and World Bank governance indicators.

RegionsUN geoscheme (M49), with Cyprus in Southern Europe and Jersey in Northern Europe.

What the study does not show

Flights, visas, insurance and activities are not included.
Prices are those of the capital; beach resorts and tourist areas can cost more.
The cost is for one traveller. Two people sharing a room pay less each.
Hotel prices change every day and with the season: ours are the average of a week in March and a week in September.

A question about the method? Contact us →

04 · For journalists

Ready-to-publish visuals

This is exactly what your readers will see: the live block, with its credit link. Free to reproduce with credit to HelloSafe; a PNG version is included for CMSs that do not accept embeds.

HelloSafe data 2026

The cheapest countries to visit in Europeunder $600$600–$900$900–$1,300$1,300+Source: HelloSafe, Cheapest European Countries to Visit in 2026

Map of Europe · live embed, PNG version includedDownload PNG

“Bosnia and Herzegovina is the cheapest country to visit in Europe: about $676 for a week, hotel, meals and transport included.”

“Counting safety, Latvia offers the best value in Europe: $857 a week and a safety score of 73/100.”

“A week in Switzerland costs more than three times as much as a week in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

Quotes from Antoine Fruchard, travel insurance expert and author of the study · Contact us

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Bosnia and Herzegovina, at about $676 for a week for one person in a 3-star hotel, with meals and local transport. North Macedonia ($677) and Kosovo ($785) follow. Counting safety, Latvia ($857) tops our Europe ranking.

Data updatesThe 2027 ranking is coming. Be the first to see it.New figures, the data and the press kit, in your inbox on publication day.

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