How expensive is expensive?

If we're going by whole countries and not just the most expensive city, then Switzerland wins, hands down. And within the country, I've found Basel to be the priciest town. Probably all those per diem rates from the pharmaceutical companies in town.

In my experience, yes, Scandinavia isn't cheap, but prices vary between countries. Norway seems to be the most expensive, followed by Sweden. Finland and Denmark aren't budget countries by a long shot, but in my non-scientific sampling in those two places, food and lodging weren't as much as in Norway and Sweden.

We found Spain to be pleasantly inexpensive. Everything from hotels, restaurants, wine, taxis. Thinking about a longer return visit.

One city not mentioned is Moscow. I find it to be the most expensive probably because I do not know where to get well priced meals there. So, I'd say Moscow for a city followed by London because of the transit and hotel costs. Most expensive European country that I have been to (having never been to the Scandanavian countries) is definitely Switzerland. Spain, Portugal and Greece are less expensive even downright bargains in some instances.

the price of a beer in Norway is enough to drive anyone to drink

I was in Stockholm and Copenhagen last month (my first trip to Scandinavia), and I didn't find either of them to be noticeably more expensive than any other major city I've been to in Western Europe, the US, or Canada. Full-service, sit-down restaurant meals were pricey, to be sure, but things like budget hotels, meals in cafes, groceries, intercity trains, museum admissions, public transportation, and souvenirs all seemed to range between "about average" and "downright cheap." Maybe it's because I'd read so much in advance about how Scandinavia is supposedly so expensive that I was more budget-conscious than I usually am?

I think cities rather than countries. For lodging London and Paris are much more expensive than Amsterdam, Vienna, Rome, Florence or Prague. Zurich is close to that which given what's there is to see is very expensive. Vienna is a first tier city with second tier prices. Transportation in London is expensive, a little less in Paris, about the same in Vienna, and less still in Amsterdam and Rome. and in Florence I almost almost entirely walk so I don't know. Prague is the least expensive multidestination site over all. Eating you get the least for the most in London and Zurich. But London has free world class museums. Paris, Rome, and Florence have free world class churches. Prague has cheap museums and churches, but the museums are second tier.

Among smaller places, Salzburg and Bath and Oxford are expensive. Canterbury, Cesky Krumlov, Delft, Haarlem, and Lucca are not. With the exceptions of Switzerland and Scandinavia going to smaller places is affordable.

But if you are going for only a week or so the cost of flying makes Paris, London and Amsterdam much more affordable, Amsterdam in particular because it's so cheap and fast to get from the airport to the city.

Central Europe is cheap. In Poland a 3- or 4-star hotel doesn't have to be more expensive than some EUR 50. Dinner, including drinks, can be had voor EUR 10. The Czech Republic is possibly 50 percent more expensive, but still cheap.
From my Dutch perspective Germany and Austria are most reasonable. Outside the tourist hotspots (Rome, Florence and Venice) Italy isn't too bad.
I find the UK expensive, with London the most extreme. Not only for accommodation, but also for food. (I always end up in a pub to get a meal at a decent price.)

the price of a beer in Norway is enough to drive anyone to drink

And the experience of drinking Norwegian beer is enough to make people stop. Lithuania just beats out Norway for the continent's worst beer, in my opinion.

Based on last August in Germany, I'd have to call it very reasonable. Hotels for 3 nights in Berlin and 2 in Cologne for under 100 EUR/night. Food and drinks were also acceptable. Trains downright cheap when bought 90 days ahead. Urban public transport passes also inexpensive.
Going to Chicago next weekend and paying $200/night for hotel.
A Chicago transit day pass is $10, a Berlin day pass is 7.60 EUR ($8.50)

I considered food and other costs to be high in Britain due to the exchange rate - like you could spend $10 or €10 or £10 for the same item but £10 is a lot more.

Money-saving strategies can vary by destination. Even if you'd never think to stay in a youth hostel in southern Europe, you might find them a worthwhile value that's widely used in Scandinavia. And in a city with many expensive hotels, finding the one cheaper one can make a big difference to your particular trip.

In expensive countries, rail passes and advance-purchase discounts can totally change the "price" of trains, while in cheaper countries, such as Croatia, those options are less important or don't exist.

True, Central Europe is cheap. In Slavkov near Brno I paid 3 Euro to see the historical exhibit in Schloss Austerlitz. Comparable to countries on the Euro, Chinese food in Amsterdam struck me as expensive when I was there in 2014 when matched against Chinese food in France and Germany. So, I gave up on getting Chinese food in Amsterdam. Comparing London on accommodations to Paris, Vienna, Munich, it's expensive.

Swedish beer was the worst beer I've had.

Cost of living comparison tables are useful ...
https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/index/europe

As a general rule ...
Very expensive: London, Paris, Amsterdam, Scandinavia, Switzerland
Above average: Rome, Milan, Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Madrid, Barcelona
Moderate: Outside the big cities listed above
Below average: Balkans, Central & Eastern Europe

Most expensive is Switzerland. I don't know anyone who crosses the border in and out of Switzerland who hasn't remarked on how expensive "everything" was.

Lodging is expensive in big cities like London, Rome, Paris, etc. Once you get past the lodging, you can survive relatively cheaply - or you can go luxury and spend a ton, but at least you have a choice.

For inexpensive, I'd go with Spain in the euro zone and Poland overall. Austria was great until they went to the euro.

Actually I find that it is possible to make quite a lot of savings in Switzerland.

My wife and I stayed at an AirBnb in Meiringen for less than a Swiss equivalent to €100 a night for a week, fabulous kitchen, the run of the place, incredible morning and sunset mountain views.

We stayed with Denise in Mürren for much less than that.

In Basel - a quite expensive place at the wrong time - we stay at the Ibis adjacent to the station, being careful to avoid large shows at the Messe, for about 110 euro equivalent including breakfast, with local transportation included.

Eating at Migros, Coop, Marche, Manora, Tit Bits - we eat healthy and affordably. And when we have the kitchen, a bag of pasta, some sauce, a little cheese and herbs, and perhaps a fresh pizza see us quite well.

But then we aren't the Michelin Star experience hunters.

You could take a look at the Big Mac Index!

As others have noticed it depends on the time of year that you travel. This coming March I’ll be staying at Luna & Simone for £104 per night. The same room in June will cost £145.

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I look at Hotel room cost when I travel to the UK & Europe with a different perspective. If I were traveling to New York, Boston, Chicago or San Francisco what am I going to pay for a room?

This past summer we did a family trip to Amsterdam, Copenhagen & Stockholm. I the price for our B&B in Amsterdam was $165 per night. Our hotel in Copenhagen was about $225 per night and our hotel in Stockholm was about $175 per night. I consider these rates reasonable.

Warren, I am married to an Accountant and I consider her anything but boring. ;-)

Let's keep New York out of this. I'm still reeling over what I paid for a hotel there a couple of years ago. And, yeah. I'm boring :)

Thanks for all the comments.

I put Berlin as cheap in contrast to Paris, London, Vienna, Munich, haven't stayed in Rome or Amsterdam. Lots of nice two star small hotels and Pensionen that for single, (EZ) , range from 40-60 Euro. Nothing comparable in Paris or London.

So far I've found Poland (visited Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk), Czech republic (Prague) and Hungary (Budapest and some small towns) to be my most affordable places visited, compared to London, Paris, Vienna and Tallinn--anywhere using the euro or pound has been a more costly vacation, it seems.

A point to note is that even cities with normally moderate prices can become very expensive if a large conference is in town and all the hotels are full.

Emma brings up a good point about the free/cheap activities in London vs. the expensive lodging. When I was there in 2012 I visited 5 museums and paid no more than 5 pounds per museum. I know I could have gone for free but I wanted to contribute something. The whole of the British Museum (minus special exhibits?) for 5 pounds is an incredible deal!

I'm surprised no one mentioned Iceland. I haven't been there but have heard from several people who went, how expensive things are. My German friend is there now and complained on Facebook about the "tourist rip-off" beer prices. That didn't stop him from buying more, however.

He lives in Hamburg which is relatively inexpensive. I've never stayed in a hotel there but have gone to museums and climbed several church towers and it's cheap compared to the same activities in places like Paris and Amsterdam.

I paid $6.00 for a beer in Oslo once. Not so bad, you say, right? This was in 1986.

I think in our unscientific study on RS forum, it is not probable that we can agree on expensive vs inexpensive. It depends where you live in the USA, your priorities when traveling, etc. It's just like those at home that determine it is too expensive to travel to Europe when they always drive new luxury vehicles and live in too large houses. Priorities. That being said, I'll jump in and say I found London to be the most expensive city, even though I've spent a lot of time there so it didn't make me balk. I didn't find Sweden expensive, was one of my more reasonable countries, yet people on this forum tell me I"m wrong and that it is expensive. France and Italy are reasonable. The Netherlands, well, who cares, it is just a beautiful little country.

I agree, cost and value are different. And we all probably have a predetermined sense of what's expensive based on what we spend at home. I have lived in some expensive cities, so when I say that the cost of living is low in Toledo (OH), my friends just look blank because they've never lived anywhere else.

The antidote is to mix big cities with some smaller places (B&B in Firenze €90, Matera €50).

My experinces so far ( qquite a few visits u der my belt in last few decades)

Big cities , hotels more expensive than smaller outlying cities or towns, but more to see and often cheaper food options.

Amsterdam pricier than either Paris or London if wishi g to stay central.

Spain and Greece cheaper than northern countries. ( got an amazing hotel in Naxos, Greece this past summer for 45 euros a night, and we just paid 189 euros for nothing better in Amsterdam and 120 gbps in London, on same trip.

Agree 100% with Emma's suggestion to think twice about staying at hotels recommended in popular guidebooks if one is on a budget. I, too, see the usual names pop up from the guidebooks when posters ask for recommendations. I also see a lot of postings where the OP is panic-stricken over the fact they are unable to get into one of these hotels/inns/b&b because they have been booked solid for months by other readers of the same exact guidebook, as if those are the only 4 or 5 places to stay in all of London/Paris/Amsterdam, etc.

I've been able to find some really reasonable alternatives to the guidebook recommends by simply going on a site like booking.com and reading carefully through their reviews (you actually have to book and complete a stay to leave a review vs. TripAdvisor where some false reviews are posted). I then go to TripAdvisor and look over room and common area photos taken by actual guests (as opposed to the really spectacular ones on the hotel's website that make everything look spacious and perfect). I'll check Google Maps to see where the place is located, what businesses are nearby, how far it is from the nearest subway and bus stops. If everything checks out, I'll then look at who offers the best price (often it's the hotel itself if I book directly through their own website).

Out of London, Paris and Amsterdam mentioned in Warren's post, I would say London is most expensive in terms of lodging costs out of the 3, but I feel it's mostly because of the crappy exchange rate. The cost of transportation is also higher. But from a tourist perspective, some of the extra costs even out a little bit more because there is a staggering amount of things to see and do in London that are completely free, so you save on admission charges.

I tend to delay visiting some of the more northern European countries as I've seen some of the Visa receipts from friends who have gone and what they ended up paying for food, beverages and just some of the everyday expenses. My European relatives are shocked by some of the prices for hotels in certain cities here in the U.S. (NYC, San Francisco, LA, Boston); however, it doesn't stop them from coming over here with multiple empty suitcases so they can go on shopping binges. For them, the favorable exchange rate combined with frequent sales and outlet malls make the U.S. an ideal place for them to indulge in a buying spree (so much for culture!).

Last trip to Scandinavia (2010), I felt I was doing good in Copenhagen to pay 125 euro for a double with breakfasts at a decent older/smaller hotel. It can cost much more than that. This was in July/August, high season.

Last trip to Spain was in April 2012, high season there. I only paid over 100 euro a night for a double in Barcelona, Madrid, and San Sebastian/Donostia. Over the course of a month, 2/3 of the hostals (not hostels) were under 60 euro a night for a double, and nearly half were under 50 a night. All were decent to really nice places.