City Costs Barometer: the best value city breaks

The essential city cost snapshot

Every year, Post Office Travel Money compares the costs of short breaks in cities across Europe for UK holidaymakers – overall and for specific items like accommodation, meals and cultural attractions. 

Our annual City Costs Barometer helps you see upfront which European cities offer the best value or are most expensive before you plan your trip. In 2024, we’ve compared 12 typical tourist costs in 37 cities. 

The best-value destination in this year’s barometer is Vilnius in Lithuania. It’s one of seven Eastern European cities in the top 10, along with Krakow (4th), Riga (6th), Budapest (7th), Bratislava (8th), Prague (9th) and Warsaw (10th).  

We’ve shared the key findings here and you can download the full City Costs Barometer for the full comparisons.

Best value city breaks 2024: key findings 

• Vilnius has reclaimed its crown as the best-value city. Its costs are more than 10% lower than runner-up Lisbon and less than half those of 18 other cities 
• Second placed Lisbon in Portugal is still the best-value Western European city. Despite a 26% rise in the average cost of three-star accommodation, prices remain good for meals, drinks and other tourist commodities 
• Lille in France has leapt up seven places to third, helped by a 30% fall in accommodation costs
• Amsterdam is the most expensive in the survey at £668. That’s despite the Dutch city recording an 8.3% fall in prices, the ninth-largest drop of all those we surveyed 
• Belfast is the most expensive of the home nations’ capitals, overtaking Dublin for the first time. 
• Belfast and Edinburgh both saw year-on-year prices rises of around 12%. In London they’ve fallen by 6.5% 
• Prices are down in 60% of cities, due to sterling’s strength compared with a year ago and falls in accommodation costs 
• The pound’s stronger than a year ago against every European currency except the Polish zloty

Top 10 best value city breaks

The overall cost of a city break was calculated based on 12 typical items for such a trip. These included a range of drinks, an evening meal for two with a bottle house wine, two nights’ three-star weekend accommodation, sightseeing and city transport. 

Here’s where came out best for value:

Position	City	Barometer costs total
1	Vilnius, Lithuania	£236.51
2	Lisbon, Portugal	£263.75
3	Lille, France	£278.28
4	Krakow, Poland	£278.87
5	Athens, Greece	£289.40
6	Riga, Latvia	£297.20
7	Budapest, Hungary	£310.87
8	Bratislava, Slovakia	£315.57
9	Prague, Czech Republic	£318.43
10	Warsaw, Poland	£319.42

The 10 most expensive European cities

Using local prices for the same items, these cities worked out to be the 10 most expensive in this year’s barometer:

	City	Barometer costs total
1.	Amsterdam, Netherlands	£669.40
2.	Belfast, Northern Ireland	£628.65
3.	Edinburgh, Scotland	£602.35
4.	Helsinki, Finland	£586.88
5.	Venice, Italy	£582.31
6.	Dublin, Republic of Ireland	£578.77
7.	Copenhagen, Denmark	£576.04
8.	Oslo, Norway	£564.59
9.	Geneva, Switzerland	£557.00
10.	Vienna, Austria	£550.48

Accommodation costs

Accommodation is the single biggest cost area for most city break tourists. After the hefty increases seen in 2023, they’ve fallen this year in 21 of the cities we also surveyed last year.

Here are the five cheapest and most expensive cities in Europe for places to stay.

Lowest-priced accommodation

	City	Barometer costs total
1.	Lille, France	£131
2.	Vilnius, Lithuania	£131
3.	Krakow, Poland	£133
4.	Athens, Greece	£140
5.	Lisbon, Portugal	£152

Highest-priced accommodation

	City	Barometer costs total
1.	Amsterdam, The Netherlands	£462
2.	Belfast, Northern Ireland	£439
3.	Dublin, Republic of Ireland	£424
4.	Edinburgh, Scotland	£419
5.	Venice, Italy	£375

Eating out costs

The next biggest cost for UK holidaymakers on a European city break is likely to be eating out. So how do prices stack up in different destinations on the continent?

The cost of a three-course meal for two with a bottle of house wine ranges from £36.60 in Lisbon to over four times as much in Oslo (£149.77) and Copenhagen (£146.66). Athen is the runner up on food and drink costs, at just under £50.

Lowest-priced meals

	City	Barometer costs total
1.	Lisbon, Portugal	£36.60
2.	Athens, Greece	£49.95
3.	Vilnius, Lithuania	£59.70
4.	Porto, Portugal	£61.27
5.	Berlin, Germany	£62.86

Highest-priced meals

	City	Barometer costs total
1.	Oslo, Norway	£149.77
2.	Copenhagen, Denmark	£146.66
3.	Vienna, Austria	£130.67
4.	Geneva, Switzerland	£123.52
5.	Helsinki, Finland	£117.05

Our guide to planning a European city break on a budget offers further tips on how to make savings when you go.

Travel money: buy before your fly

Wherever you're travelling, you’re likely to get a better rate on your travel money if you buy before you get to the airport. With Post Office, you can quickly and easily buy currency online or in participating branches. Choose Click and Collect or next-day delivery. Or take your holiday cash on a handy, secure, prepaid travel money card. Check the exchange rate for your destination to get the most out of your travel money.

Don't forget your travel insurance

You might think having a Ghic or valid Ehic card for your travels in Europe is enough protection, but it only provides limited cover. It's important to also take out travel insurance for those who need it, covering the duration or your trip and any activities you'll be doing. Read more about the dangers of travelling without insurance. 

Always check the latest travel advice

If you’re planning a trip, make sure you check the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) foreign travel advice page regularly for the latest guidance about your destination. Travelling against official advice risks invalidating your travel insurance.