Now that the American Dollar has gone down even more, MSN has a list of the ten most affordable cities in Europe. They are:

Lisbon, Barcelona, Dublin, Riga, Berlin, Bologna, Budapest, Ljubljana, Zagreb, and Antwerp.

I don't agree with Dublin. I thought it was rather expensive when I was there last year but I agree with the rest.

Barcelona seems an unlikely candidate too...

Hi Wally,

US State Department per diem rates as of June 1 are

Lisbon........$265
Barcelona.....$407
Dublin........$451
Riga..........$257
Berlin........$416
Bologna.......$476
Budapest......$234
Ljubljana.....$275
Zagreb........$248
Antwerp.......$348

Vienna........$319 for reference

All Eurozone cities would be higher right now, but their relative positions wouldn't change.

ira - really?

$407us in Barcelona?

Not in my experience.

Guess you Americans travel diffently.

Hi C,

I wouldn't spend that much pd in Barcelona, either.

However, the pd rates are a good indication of relative cost.

Dublin??????? Are those geezers daft??? Dublin is frightfully expensive.

I hate these "10 Best" lists; they are always off of the mark.

I think Prague is cheap for food. Prague also doesn't use the euro yet, so the US dollar is pitted against the koruna.

Athens is also cheap for food and taxis. And unless you are staying at the Grande Bretagne, hotel rates are reasonable.

I agree that Lisboa is reasonable.

I am going to Berlin in 3 months, so I will soon find out if it is really affordable.

The Great and Powerful Thingorjus

Last year I flew to Barcelona in Business Class and stayed in a 7-bed dorm. I bet I'm the only one that did that.

ttt

I take these lists with a grain of salt

how many cities were included in the original list to chose from because basically any Eastern European city or Portugeuse city would be much cheaper than Berlin, Bologna or Dublin

These lists are often compiled as to businessmen have to pay for hotels, etc. and not for the ordinary traveler IME

waly:

On two visits to Berlin, one in the 90's and the latest in late 2005, we found that generally Berlin prices were closer to L.A's, than other Western European major cities. I remember remarking thusly, especially in the moderate restos and hotels.

Also found that Prague could be in that category also. As for further east, (Hungary, Romania, Poland Slovakia)travels to those countries, still markedly lower. Get your big bang for the buck in Croatia/Slovenia while they are still a bargain!

(In Asia, One can still get spoiled with the current prices)
Stu T.

Those kind of lists are always a little odd in their composition of items, and of course, they aren't really all cities, just major cities. Dublin is supposed to be really expensive, that's a strange list. The fact that they don't use the euro in Prague yet is pretty irrelevant, as the USD is low again many currencies for many of the same reasons as the euro, and has dropped against the koruna over the last five years dramatically. When I first went to prague, maybe around 2000, I got about 42 CK to the USD and now you get about 25. And that was before the most recent change.

How could one leave out Lutenblag, capital of Molvania?

ira,

Thanks for finding and posting the US State Department figgers. I thought that the article was probably based on that data set. I've seen it before and it is poppycock.

This illustrates at least two points;
1. The State Department can waste at least as much money as the Defense Department.
2. MSN editors assigned a rookie scriptor to write a headline blazing story to get everybody's attention.

It would put this information in the same category as the David (I-am-laughing-at-my-"jokes"-real-hard) Letterman top ten.

ira,
I can't relate to even the cheapest state department per diem, since I don't travel as a government official or attache, and NEVER spend that kind of money. I don't get the connection for ordinary travelers?

Good point, lavendry. Isn't it true that corn cobbs and dental supplies (floss, toothbrushes, etc.) are accepted as payment in Molvania?

Not true--this is a persistent urban myth. However the Molvanian strubl is at an all-time low, its precipitous decline matched in recent times only by that of the U.S. Dollar.

Europe? Poland: Warsaw, Krakow and Lodz...Wroclaw and Gdansk. I also would check, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. Each offers a comfortable visit with unique venues at low cost compared to London or Moscow.

Hi H,

>ira, Thanks for finding and posting the US State Department figgers. I thought that the article was probably based on that data set. <

But they don't agree.

Hi AB,

>I don't get the connection for ordinary travelers?<

Look at the relative, not the absolute, pd amounts. I don't spend that much either.

Taking out the expensive ones you mention earlier, leaves these:

Lisbon........$265
Riga..........$257
Budapest......$234
Ljubljana.....$275
Zagreb........$248

Out of those, I'd suggest Riga, a real blend of old and new, well worth a look. Watch out for all the crazy brits though. Stag party capital I'm told. See here: http://www.travelsavvy-riga.com/city...&image=123