Last 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!
Get Your In-Depth Budget Guide to Europe!
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Book Your Trip to Europe: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Use Skyscanner or Momondo to find a cheap flight. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned. Start with Skyscanner first though because they have the biggest reach!
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the biggest inventory and best deals. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. Here are my favorite hostels in Europe.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
- World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
- Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
- Medjet (for additional repatriation coverage)
Looking for the Best Companies to Save Money With?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use to save money when I’m on the road. They will save you money when you travel too.
Looking for more information on visiting Europe?
Be sure to visit our eobust destination guide to Europe for even more planning tips!
jan
Good informative post. I see from other posts that you really liked the Ukraine. Out of the three countries compared here would you rate it the most likeable?
Jan
peter jones
Hi Matt and travel readers ,
if you ever come to Budapest ( I believe I didnt see it on this page ) then you have 2 free nights with us at our apartment guesthouse, Nova Budapest. We are listed 7th best on tripadvisor. ILove your articles. keep up the great work.
Peter
Julian Hom
Thanks for the info. My girlfriend and I are currently planning a 6 or 7 month trip. I think we’re going to start in SE Asia, but who knows where we’ll end up. I can’t wait to see Easter Europe someday.
Cat
I was shocked at how cheap Romania was. I was there last year during Holy Week, and between a rental car and gas, awful Euro Pop CDs, food, sites, an overnight sleeper car and going out a few times, I spent less in seven days than I did on the ticket from MAD-BUC-AGP.
My splurge, other than the private overnight train (about 42€ from Gurui Humorlori to Bucharest), was staying with a man named George in Botiza, Maramures. He and his wife treated us to filling dinners, private tours and a comfy bed for 20€ a night. We thought about forgoing the painted monasteries to stay a few more days with him!!
Informative post – I hope to get back out East soon.
Katie
Great info here! I am heading to Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus in January/February. I know Belarus will be pricey but it sounds like Ukraine and Moldova will help balance it out a bit! Would love to know the hostels you stayed at in Ukraine and if you’d recommend them.
Violeta
There is just one thing about Bulgaria I do not agree with. The trains are considerably cheaper than the buses! I do not know why you’ve got this impression.
NomadicMatt
Every time I looked at the train prices, the bus was cheaper.
Atanas
Violeta is right, Matt. The trains are really a cheaper way of travel in Bulgaria. That`s because they are older and dirtier than the buses. Not like in Western Europe.
Charles
Budget buses are definitely cheaper than trains these days, which doesn’t make sense to me, but this is the case throughout Europe.
Mike
I love how well you keep track of your expenses mate! Something I’ve never really done and it’s great to see how it breaks down. I hope I can find a way for my own blog to offer its own unique brand of value. Ukraine is my 2nd favourite place in Europe, but if you really wanted an ‘experience’ you could have checked out Transcarpathia! 25 hryvnia for 1L vodka bottles in the club 😀 😀
Adrienne
Thanks for the great tips on how to experience an amazing area without having to dig to dip into our pocket! Your advice will be very helpful whenever traveling to Eastern Europe!
Alex
I want to visit Romania so bad, since my best friend was born there and wasn’t there for 20 years. I mailed him this post, so he haven’t got the price tag argument anymore. Thanks for sharing, Matt.
Antje
just real quick: I don’t like you promoting couchsurfing only as a means of staying somewhere for free. I’m a CSer myself, and I’ve hosted way more than surfed and I hate the freeloaders. If I have guests, I want them to be interested in me, my country, in sharing and exchanging. Just a thought.
Dean
It’s great to know how much things cost. I definitely want to go to these countries, particularly Romania. Cheers Matt
NomadicMatt
You’re welcome!
NomadicMatt
Thanks for having an amazing country!
Aditya
well… I think that may change soon for Ukraine, especially with Euro 12 coming next year maybe it will open up to more visitors… will be interesting to see how those countries will progress
Mike
I’m also impressed by how you break down your expenses. You must have developed a system over the years. Of course it would be easy if you could put every purchase on a card, like some people manage in the U.S. This is impossible of course. Maybe you keep receipts for most things, but even this isn’t often feasible, e.g., with street eats. Maybe you’re in the diligent mode of noting down everything. I just wonder as I can’t imagine myself getting everything broken down so precisely.
On another note: I recently feasted on 5 Baht or $.16 street sushi in Bangkok, a dream. 🙂
NomadicMatt
I write down everything I buy so I can do posts like this!
Kenny and Karen
Great Post! We like how you break all the costs down…very informative. I was shocked at how little it costs in Romania.
NomadicMatt
All the more reason to go there!
rhoan
hello there Matt,
My friend and I are planning to to Romania this coming July 17-19, 2015. I would like to ask what were the tourist spots that should be visited during this 2days and what are the local foods there? I want to try.
thank youa nd advance.
Julie
You should definitely visit Botiza, in the region of Maramures. My son did a Peace Corps experience there for 2 years, fell in love with a young woman from there and we visited for the wedding in 2012. It was an amazing place. They now live in Cluj-Napoca, a much bigger & fun city. The people are so friendly and generous.
Kevin
Great post, Matt. I have a good friend currently living in Kiev and I’m pretty sure I’ll get there in 2012. This is reassuring.
Cole
Haha Matt I think you need to stop eating so much sushi to help with costs… but seeing as its your favourite its hard to cut it out. Thanks for the breakdown in costs. I need to start keeping a diary for my own benefit as well being able to share it as an additional post! Cheers
NomadicMatt
I’ll never stop eating sushi. It’s just too good!
Erik
Solid information! I’m so intrigued by Albania- I’d be curious if you plan on heading there?
Vasco
Don’t feel bad for not visiting Moldova and Belarus. Although Moldova has some good wine, there’s pretty much nothing in Belarus, the capital is more or less westernized, the rest is just mlee..
Sarah
These pictures are very beautiful. I visited Bulgaria a few years ago. Your pictures bring back so many great memories! Thanks for sharing.
Twiter: @samoir216
Greg
Awesome post! I’ve been wanting to go to Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine for some time now. I think I will take your advice 🙂
I’m the weary traveler thought – if I got stranded anywhere what would is the general cost of transportation in these countries? I think I’ll be using SOStravelers.
Nadia
Great post Matt. I spent my post-uni gap year travelling through eastern Europe and loved it. Great value for money, huge variety of things to check out and – especially in Belgrade and Budapest – amazing nightlife. Olomouc my personal highlight.
Chris Booth
I haven’t hit that part of Europe yet either but I’m itching to go! I recently got the idea of cycling the Danube from the Black Forest to the Black Sea so I guess I should put aside some time and see a lot more of the region.
Quick question though: Puzata Khata – is that a type of restaurant (Pot-bellied Peasant House according to one site I just googled) or is it a chain or similar low-cost native food places? My searches don’t seem to want to answer me definitively but I’m leaning towards the chain restaurant choice…
Lucie
Hi Matt,
I completely agree with you on this. Originally I’m from France but I spent a year living in Romania and of course travelled in this zone quite a lot. It’s very cheap, so you can do so many more things with the same budget, that’s amazing. The things is that these country really have bad reputation in Europe at least, people are scared of thinking of going there and don’t understand why “you would go there while you could stay somewhere that you know”, a shame. Hungary is quite nice too 🙂
Peter
Hey Matt,
While I like the experience, I was hoping for $25 per day in those places. Would that amount per day work out?
NomadicMatt
It’s possible if you stick to an uber tight budget and Couchsurf a lot.
Kris
Thanks Matt,
Do you think there are some cheap options for holiday homes with friends as a way to save money.
Regards
Kris
Jad
Super awesome article,
I’m from Romania 🙂 I love the picture of Brasov that you chose.
Best Regards,
Jad
Surya Bhattacharya
I’m going to Romania and Bulgaria next week. Just 9 days in all (that’s all my visa allows 🙁 ) so this info is great! Excited!!
And your sushi love is interesting 😛
Scarlet
This is a great little article, makes me want to go to these places even more, but you mentioned sushi about 30 times
NomadicMatt
I love sushi!
Walt
Absolutely loved Romania….the people were friendly and helpful….the sights were fantastic….went up and down the Transfagaran Highway…..the food was cheap and very good……I look forward to going back!
Julie
Great breakdown. I’m doing a similar solo back pack this summer (hh hath romania serbia bosnia and slovenia). Curious as to where how you think is best place to do money exchange? Pre trip to have a bit before getting to each country or in each country (airport/bank etc ). Thanks!!!
Dee
@Julie: Depends how u get there. If u fly in, as far as Romania goes, avoid the airport exchange houses. They have the worst exchange rate. The regular exchange houses are better than the banks. You should have enough RON to pay the taxi driver and thats all (50 RON tops) In Bucharest there are non stop exchange houses everywhere.
helen
do you find the buses from poland south to hungary , and romania are safe for an older woman traveling along. especially the night buses? thanks for response
Josie
Great post! We are looking to spend 3 months in eastern europe next summer before moving on to SEA. Do you think it is still confortably doable with 50USD per person per day? We are a couple, we don’t drink but we like to move a lot… Thanks a lot!
NomadicMatt
$50 per person would be plenty!
Nina
Impressive self-discipline Matt. I was wondering how do you know what you\’ve spent, but found the answer in the comments above. Here\’s a little trick for other sushi fans when it comes to Bulgaria: there are several websites similar to Groupon here (Grabo, VsichkiOferti, etc.) which always have absolutely incredible saving options. Unfortunately, they are in Bulgarian, but as with everything else, there\’s a workaround and it\’s called Google website translate. Using this tool people can get massive discounts on soooo many things around the country.
P.S. As for travelling, you\’d probably be surprised to know that renting a car in Bulgaria is one of the best ways to go around and lots of companies have tremendous offers, especially in September and May.
Shawn Hartwell
Thanks for this informative post, Matt! When breaking those costs down it wouldn’t be hard to afford that trip within 8-12 months. Travelling has made me more frugal when living in my country of birth and that means more $$ for travels 😛
Sofia
Hey Matt!
I was wondering if you, or anybody on here, knows if these prices and costs are still current? I see some of these comments are from 2011 so I don’t know when the last time all this was updated was. Is it still possible to travel in this region for under $40/day? Thanks for all the info!!