Prague budget

Prague was the place we finally settled into a routine and got our spending in check! It is definitely a more cost-effective city than the previous three others on our trip (Paris, Reims and Brussels). We also stayed here a bit longer and did some grocery shopping which allowed us to eat and drink at home and save some money in that category.

City to City transit (this will account for planes, trains, buses, etc, that we use to get from one city to the next. We’re tracking local transit, like metro rides within a city in a separate count): $244.75 ($122.38/person)

We initially booked RyanAir tickets from Brussels to Prague for a pretty good price. The base fare was around $11 a person. We added cabin bags, priority boarding and Fast Track for security at the airport and that brought the cost per ticket up to $56.58. I can’t recommend enough doing Fast Track and Priority boarding if your budget allows. The Fast Track add-on got us through security super fast – and the regular security line was chaotic and very long.

I found these flights so this next part is on me. I didn’t realize RyanAir departs from Brussels Charleroi airport which is WAY outside the city. I’m not sure if you could take public transit during normal hours. We needed to head to the airport around 3 AM, and it was not an option at that time. We ended up booking a private transfer through Welcome Pickups, and the whole experience was great. It cost us more than the tickets themselves though, at $131.

Accommodations: $61.84 a night

This Airbnb was my favorite yet and at great value to boot. The place was cute, clean, in a great area and SPACIOUS! It had a king bed, a full couch and dining table and the bathroom and kitchen were larger than our other spots. We didn’t know a lot about the immediate area when we booked, but ended up loving the neighborhood. It was in the Andel/Smichov area. The place was right near transit, and there was a large and nice grocery store a couple blocks away. The host recommended a great Czech restaurant nearby. There was also a park across the street, a cool food hall (Manifesto), a great coffee shop (Kavárna co hledá jméno) and several charming bars along the water. It’s on the Prague Castle side of the river. We loved being right by the water, and it was so easy to walk or take transit to popular attractions in Old Town.

Average Daily Spend (minus accommodations): $83.92  ($41.96 a person) 

a breakdown of what this went to below! 

Prague was really the city in which we settled into the rhythm of this long-term travel lifestyle, and it helped us spend less here. We also found Prague to be a fairly affordable destination. Many people will tell you, beer is cheaper than water in Prague. The lowest cost beers we found we 60 cents, so it’s not completely off base!

Local Transit: $3.27/day 

We took transit most days, and it was SO EASY to navigate. When we arrived at the Prague airport, we hopped on a bus that took us right to our neighborhood. After that, we exclusively used the streetcar system, which works like a dream. Prague is very walkable and we got a lot of steps in. We mostly used transit to save time getting to tours and on a couple days when it was rainy. 

Food and Drink (this will include all meals and drinks at restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries and bars): $66.65/day 

I should start first by saying, on our trip from Brussels to Prague, we saved a ton of money thanks to lounge access Bret has with his VentureX credit card. We’ve found it to be super useful in our past travels. Lounges tend to be quiet, there’s ample seating and you get food and drink (including alcohol) for free. If you travel a lot, the VentureX card is worth the steep annual fee. We got through security at the Brussels airport, went straight to the lounge and had breakfast, water and coffee there without spending a dime. 

In Prague, we did eat breakfast out a couple times, at third wave coffee places where a couple coffees and food ran around $15. We were able to find sandwiches, salads and kebabs for around $5-8 a piece, as a lunch option. Dinners ranged from $10-$26. Our $10 dinners were pizzas and kebabs. The pricier ones were a traditional Czech dinner and a meal at a super cool tapas place in our neighborhood, called Fortel.  It cost about $20 for us to get two dinner entrees at the food hall near our Airbnb, Manifesto. We also did some snacky things like the traditional Smažený sýr fried cheese. That ran around $3 for the cheese only, or $6 for a plate of cheese and fries. Beers ranged from 60 cents (no kidding) to a couple dollars a piece. There were also good prices for Aperol spritzes and wine if you get out of tourist hotspots. Those ranged from $2-3. 

Groceries, toiletries, etc. (this will include any meals and drinks consumed on our own, outside a restaurant or bar, plus toiletries and household items): $9.43/day  

This was the first spot we did a full grocery haul. It was nice to be able to cook and eat at home, and it definitely saved us money. We made eggs and sausage for breakfast almost every day and had coffee at the Airbnb. We also bought lunch to eat at home for several days – things like cheese, veggies and hummus and something similar to KIND bars. We purchased toilet paper and paper towels, plus some toiletry items like shampoo, additional bar soap, hairspray and an umbrella.

Tours: $32.00 

We did our first ever free walking tours in Prague. The model is that you don’t pay anything up front and once the tour is complete you pay based on how much you felt the experience was worth. We LOVED our guide Mike. He was super knowledgeable and energetic. Bret and I ended up paying him $10 a piece on our Old Town walking tour. Then Bret went back for Mike’s Prague Castle tour on his own and paid $12.

Souvenirs and Gifts: $0.00

Nothing here!