Latvia’s capital Riga has regained its position as Europe’s most affordable city for a short break for the first time in more than a decade, according to the Post Office Travel Money survey. While outside the top 10 was Athens, which came in 13th place.
The annual City Cost Barometer – which this year includes 38 cities – found that prices have fallen in half of the cities surveyed and eastern European cities again dominate the top ten best-priced cities, taking seven places.
These include two new additions to the survey: Gdansk, in Poland, and Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro.
Riga moved up from sixth place last year to top the rankings for the first time since 2012, with a basket of 12 tourist items including accommodation, meals and drinks, city transport and entry to cultural attractions costing £253.
This is because prices in Riga are down 15% year-on-year, compared to those in the second city, Vilnius, where the barometer total rose by 7.5% to £254.
The rising cost of living in the Lithuanian capital is the main factor. Prices in the two Baltic countries are around 60% lower than in Oslo (£636) and Copenhagen (£629), the most expensive cities surveyed.
Poland boasts three cities in this year’s Top 10 city breaks. Warsaw (£277) moved up from 10th to third place with a 13% decrease in price, mainly due to a reduction in accommodation costs.
Krakow (£300) is back in the top 10, moving from fourth to eighth place, with Gdansk (£297) in seventh place.
Also, a new “arrival” for 2025, Podgorica (282 pounds) in Montenegro has entered the top 10 in fourth place. It is 29% cheaper than Dubrovnik in neighbouring Croatia (£396).
Portugal a key option in Western Europe
Low prices in Lisbon and Porto make Portugal the most advantageous city for a city break in Western Europe.
Portugal’s Algarve topped the recent Global Holiday Cost Barometer table of global destinations, published in the 2025 Holiday Money Report, and its two major cities are now in the top ten of the City Cost Barometer.
Lisbon (£292) in fifth place remains the highest ranked city in Western Europe, while Porto (£305) is in ninth place.
Moving up from 11th place last year to 10th place in the new survey, Zagreb (£311) is the fourth new entry in the Top 10 ranking of the best priced cities. While Lille (6th, 293 pounds) completes the top 10.
The four new cities in the Top 10 replace Bratislava (11th, £314), Prague (12th, £330), Athens (13th, £332) and Budapest (15th, £342).
Laura Plunkett, head of travel money at the Post Office, said: “Although city break holidaymakers need to keep a close eye on exchange rates, the real challenge will be the cost of accommodation in the cities Brits want to visit.”
According to her, successive City Cost Barometers have found large variations in hotel costs depending on how many rooms are available during peak months. “This year is no different and a rise – or fall – in hotel prices can have a big impact on the cost of city holidays,” Ms Plunkett warns.
The cities with the lowest prices
1. Riga £252.63
2. Vilnius £254.32
3. Warsaw £277.39
4. Podgorica £281,70
5. Lisbon £292.27
6. Lille £293.26
7. Gdansk £297.08
8. Krakow £300,24
9. Porto £304,66
10. Zagreb £310,56
The most expensive cities
1. Oslo £636.20
2. Copenhagen £628.64
3. Edinburgh £601,50
4. Venice £591,12
5. Berlin £587,65
6. Amsterdam £582.79
7. Geneva £570.04
8. Dublin £568,34
9. Barcelona £561.90
10. Florence £561.86
The cities with the lowest accommodation prices
1. Riga, Latvia £123
2. Warsaw, Poland £131
3. (joint) Krakow, Poland £134
3. (joint) Tallinn, Estonia £134
5. Vilnius, Lithuania £143
The cities with the highest accommodation prices
1. Berlin, Germany £439
2. Dublin, Ireland £411
3. Edinburgh, Scotland £399
4. Barcelona, Spain £381
5. Venice, Italy £373
