The Cost of Traveling Far Eastern Europe

Updated: 02/10/20 | February 10th, 2020

When most people visit Europe they have a tendency to stick to the western and central regions of the continent. England, Spain, France, Germany, and Italy all see their fair share of tourists — and then some!

Travelers with a longer trip in mind will branch out a little more, maybe visiting the Czech Republic, Austria, or the stunning coastline of Croatia for some fun in the sun.

But few tourists head to far Eastern Europe.

I’m talking about Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine. While Bulgaria sees a few more tourists because of its proximity to the Balkans and acts as a stop on the overland route from Turkey to Budapest, the farther north I went, the fewer travelers I saw.

In Ukraine, I only encountered US Peace Corp volunteers and a handful of Europeans.

I don’t understand why — these countries are inexpensive and safe, and they lack the overwhelming crowds you find elsewhere in Europe. These countries are half the price of their Western counterparts. In fact, during my 46 days in these three countries, I spent a total of $1,876.50 USD. And that was even taking into account all the sushi I splurged on! That’s a great deal for 46 days in Europe.

While I would normally break down the cost of each country into a single post, I want to put these countries together, so you can see all at once how affordable this area of Europe is.

The Cost of Bulgaria

While in Bulgaria, I spent a total of 1,405 BGL in 23 days. That worked out to be roughly $1,000 USD, or $44 USD per day at today’s exchange rate. In the 23 days I was there, I visited all the major sightseeing destinations, including the expensive and way overrated Sunny Beach.

How I Spent My Money:

• Food: 475.90 BGL (cheap local meals, a few restaurants, and a lot of sushi)
• Accommodation: 445.70 BGL (I stayed in dorm rooms and Couchsurfed for five nights)
• Alcohol: 259.40 BGL (I partied pretty heavily, especially along the Black Sea)
• Buses: 100 BGL
• Taxis: 19 BGL (a few intra-city and airport taxis.)
• Tours/Sightseeing: 53 BGL
• Movies: 42.05 BGL
• Water: 8.90 BGL
• Chess in the park: 1 BGL

How Much Can You REALLY Do It For?
About the same. Excluding my sushi splurge, my daily average would have been around $38.29 USD. I didn’t spend lavishly in Bulgaria or really do anything beyond what the normal budget traveler would do. I used local transport, ate local meals, stayed in cheap hostels. If you aren’t a sushi fan, budgeting $35–40 USD per day in Bulgaria should be adequate.

If you’re looking for nicer accommodations and more restaurant meals, you should consider budgeting $50–55 USD per day. And while these are not the rock-bottom prices you can find in other parts of the world, when comparing them to prices in Western Europe or Scandinavia, things are considerably cheaper.

How to Save Money in Bulgaria
If you want to save even more money in Bulgaria, here are a few ways to cut your expenses:

1. Couchsurf – Hostels are cheap, but if you want to save even more money on accommodation, you can Couchsurf and stay with locals for free. There are a lot of available hosts in this country. Use the app to meet-up with locals as well, as it’s a great way to get insider tips even if you don’t want to stay with someone.

2. Cook – There’s a lot of cheap Bulgarian food, especially the pizza, hot dogs, and sandwiches on the street. Cooking your own food will obviously make things cheaper too, especially since the markets have a wide variety of inexpensive fruits and vegetables. If you plan on cooking your own food, groceries will cost around 70 BGN per week for basic necessities like pasta, vegetables, chicken, and other basic foodstuffs.

3. Stay at Hostel Mostel – Staying at Hostel Mostel can lower your costs because not only do they offer free breakfast but they also offer free dinner (which also comes with a free beer). Staying here gets you two meals a day. They have locations in Sofia, Plovdiv, and Velinko Tarnovo.

4. Take buses – The trains in Bulgaria are more expensive than buses. Use Sofia as your main hub for traveling via bus and you will have a lot of great options, with buses leaving hourly for the major cities in Bulgaria. A bus ride from Sofia to Varna is 32 BGN, to Plovdiv is 14 BGN, and Veliko Tarnovo is 22 BGN. Stick to buses if you’re on a budget!

5. Avoid Sunny Beach – I’ll be honest: I don’t understand the appeal of a beach that’s both expensive and crowded with tourists. There are more beach chairs here than sand and it is way overpriced. Unless you’re looking to binge drink and party, skip Sunny Beach.

6. Travel in the off season – June-September is the peak summer season in Bulgaria so you’ll see a larger influx of tourists then and prices will be higher. Winters are an ideal time for Bulgarian budget travel when you can enjoy less-crowded destinations, plenty of scenic beauty, and good opportunities for skiing in the snow (just avoid Christmas as prices will jump up).

7. Eat at the bakeries – Bakeries in Bulgaria have a delicious and affordable range of pastries and foods which will fill you up in the morning. Two of my favorite snacks were banica and krenvirshka.

The Cost of Romania

Romania has been growing in popularity over the years, but is still relatively untouched. While here, I spent 1878.30 RON over 16 days. That works out to be 117.38 RON ($36 USD) per day. This covered the cost of travel from Bucharest through Brasov and Transylvania to Cluj-Napoca.

How I Spent My Money

• Food: 724.4 RON (sushi meals, a few nice restaurants, as well as cooking for three days)
• Accommodation: 881 RON (dorm rooms and two nights in a private room)
• Alcohol: 9 RON
• Transportation: 113.9 RON (buses and airport taxis)
• Tours/Sightseeing: 80 RON (Bran Castle, a bunch of museums, and walking tours)
• Cold Medicine: 57 RON
• Water: 13 RON

How Much can You REALLY Do It For?
You can do Romania cheaper than I did. I spent quite a bit on sushi and had a few nights in a private room. Moreover, I got a cold and had to spend some money on medicine, which upped my budget too. $30 USD a day is a reasonable backpacker budget for Romania, though you’ll probably spend more if you drink. You can likely do it for even cheaper if you use some of my tips below and really travel on a shoestring.

If you want a few nights in a private room, nice meals, and more sites, your budget will probably come close to $45-50 USD per day. If you only stay in private rooms, then simply triple the amount of money I spent on accommodation and that’s how much you’ll need to budget for a place to stay.

How to Save Money in Romania
I didn’t find that Romania offered amazing ways to save. There wasn’t really any single thing that I found and was like, “Wow! This is going to be great! My budget is saved!” Outside the normal Couchsurf/cook/eat local tips that I mention above. However, there are a few things you can do to save a couple of bucks:

1. Use rideshares – One helpful app you’ll want to check out is BlaBlaCar. It’s a ride-sharing app that is quite popular in Romania and a great way to get around the country. It’s not necessarily cheaper than buses or trains but it is usually faster. Plus, it’s a much more unique experience so I’d recommend trying it if you’re traveling around the country. You can also use it to visit neighboring countries as well.

2. Hitchhike – Hitchhiking is quite common (and relatively safe) in Romania. If you’re an intrepid backpacker and don’t mind thumbing it, definitely give it a try! (Just be sure to use common sense, take precautions, and trust your gut!)

3. Shop at discount grocery stores – If you’re going to cook (or are just grabbing a snack), you can save money by shopping at discount supermarkets. These include Profi, Lidl, and Penny Market.

4. Stay at Balkan Backpacker Hostels – Balkan Backpackers have hostels all around Romania and the Balkans that are a part of the same hostel network. If you book directly with these and tell them you’re aware of the network you’ll get 10% off your stay.

The Cost of Ukraine

My last stop in the region was Ukraine. While I was in Ukraine, I spent a total of 2377.95 UAH ($297 USD) in the seven days I visited the country. That works out to be a 339.70 UAH per day ($43 USD). I was in Kyiv and Lviv while I was there.

How I Spent My Money

• Accommodation: 740 UAH (I stayed in dorm rooms for about 100–110 UAH per night)
• Food: 1122.50 UAH (mostly local Ukrainian restaurants and two fancy sushi dinners)
• Alcohol: 261 UAH (two nights out in Kyiv)
• Transportation: 219.20 UAH
• Tours/Sightseeing: 10 UAH
• Water: 15.25 UAH
• Chess: 10 UAH (I paid to lose at chess in the park. It was fun.)

How Much Can You REALLY Do It For?
One of the reasons my budget for Ukraine was so high was because I went out for sushi twice. When you exclude those meals from my budget, my daily average drops to 251 UAH or $31 USD. I don’t think you can visit Ukraine for much cheaper than that. I was the ultimate backpacker here and stuck to everything cheap.

However, I suggest you spend more and not be so frugal. Splurge on sushi or drinks or a nice room every so often. This country is cheap (the cheapest I’ve been to in Europe, in fact). Live it up. Enjoy it, because after more tourists start to visit here (especially after HBO’s hit show Chernobyl inspires more tourism) prices will start to creep up. The Ukraine is currently one of the best value countries in Europe. Make the most of it while you can.

How to Save Money in Ukraine
If you really feel the need to spend even less money in Ukraine, you can do three things:

1. Couchsurf – If 140-280 UAH per night is too much for you, then Couchsurf and save yourself money.

2. Head out of Kyiv – The country is substantially cheaper outside of Kyiv, as well as the closer you get to Russia. (Note: As of now, avoid eastern Ukraine and Crimea.)

3. Eat local – By only eating at local restaurants like Puzata Khata, you’ll keep your food prices down as low as you can. A typical meal here cost me about 30 UAH ($4 USD).

A Final Note

Alcohol. It’s big in Eastern Europe — and it’s cheap. In all these countries, you can buy 2.5-liter bottles of beer in supermarkets and corner shops for $1–2 USD. It’s incredibly good value and is the way to party on the cheap. Stick to buying your own alcohol instead of drinking at restaurants and bars. While the difference might not seem big, over the course of a few weeks that money will add up. If you’re on a budget, stick to buying your alcohol in stores instead of restaurants and bars.

***
Eastern Europe is the best bargain you’ll find on the continent. These three countries were much more affordable than I’d previously thought, and traveling here definitely helped me correct some of the overspending and higher costs of Western Europe.

But, beyond just the monetary savings, these countries are rich in history and delicious food, and they offer a challenge for travelers that you don’t find on the well-worn trail in other parts of Europe. I’m so happy to have finally made it out here.

Note: Poland, the Balkans, and the Baltic states also all offer amazing value as well. Don’t miss them if you’re exploring Eastern Europe! I didn’t visit Moldova because of time constraints, but I’ve heard its prices are on par with the rest of the area. I didn’t go to Belarus either because it costs a few hundred dollars for a visa and I didn’t feel I would spend enough time there to justify the cost. I’ll save those countries for another trip!