I know everyone loves numbers, statistics, financial and data analysis so this can only be fun! The ugly reality of traveling is that you have to make your money last. So let’s go over how much you’ll need budget for your future trip to the Czech Republic. The first half will be a budget for Prague specifically since that is a main destination hotspot. I still encourage everyone to visit more of country as its truly lovely.

 

Prague

So this is what my budget looked like over six days in Prague.

Prague	Cost per Day
Alcohol	$9.07
Entertainment	$2.14
Food	$14.07
Living	$4.73
Lodging	$30.70
Travel	$0.20
Grand Total	$60.91

Table 1. I suck at Prague

 

Well remember I said I made some rather poor financial choices? My lack of planning for my hostels and overspending in this weird alcohol category certainly made this budget a bit lopsided. So let’s correct this table so we have a more realistic and responsible budget for Prague.

Category	Cost per Day
Alcohol	$5.00
Entertainment	$5.00
Food	$14.07
Living	$4.73
Lodging	$18.28
Travel	$2.00
Grand Total	$49.08

Table 2. What you should expect to spend per day in Prague (with a recommended visit of a minimum of three days).

 

That looks more reasonable. Let’s break down what you can expect to spend in Prague.

 

Alcohol

A pint of beer should cost you no more than 35 crowns or $1.50 and even less if you’re at a local bar. Their meals pair off very well with a beer and the vibrant nightlife will certainly draw out some drinks. This is the country that invented Pilsners, so how could you not want a sample? Of course if you don’t stick with the casual drink and desire the more expensive clubbing or mixed drinks, I would budget at least $10 a day.

Kross Club in Prague 7 actually has better prices and a cool atmosphere

 

Entertainment

Prague’s history is not my area of expertise. I simply loved walking around the town, getting a feel of the city, and just bathing in the lovely architecture around me. So my visits to museums and related attractions were more limited in this city. For the average person, I would expect to spend more than my paltry $2.14 a day.

 

Food

This amount will allow for one typical meal to be dined out a day so you can experience the local cuisine like goulash and dumplings (which just means a side of meat, not your regular expectation of dough and meat). This meal should run between $6-8 and the remainder of the budget will be spent on groceries.

 

Living

Standard living expenses that may incur like purchasing razors, minor souvenirs or medication that you hopefully won’t need.

Souvenirs like this may be out of this budget’s price range

 

Lodging

A standard decent hostel will run for 500 crowns or $21.85, which is significantly more expensive than elsewhere in the country. Since the nightlife is so vibrant here, party hostels will usually cost more than that. But if you’re willing to hold back and plan ahead, you’ll likely be able to find some great hostels for 400 crowns or $18.28.

 

Travel

Metro tickets for the bus or train will cost 40 crowns, or a little over $1. Don’t expect to spend as little as 20 cents a day like me unless you like to walk everywhere or hop on transport without bus tickets.

I’ll be honest, I couldn’t figure out how to buy a bus ticket for the longest time. Outside of the main metro stations with ticket counters, Prague doesn’t seem to place ticket machines on the trains, buses or even at the bus stops. You have to hunt down a nearby convenience store or newspaper stand to purchase tickets. That and the observed lack of ticket inspectors led me to chance some rides. But now you know so you can decide for yourself.

 

So how about it? That’s $50 a day to visit the crown jewel of the Czech Republic.

 

What should you expect if you visit more of the country?

I won’t use my numbers as a basis for the cost since I took a volunteer, English teaching gig that paid for my lodging and food for the better part of a week. That by itself will change my spending and warrants another blog post itself, but this should give you a good average if you visit a few of different towns across the country.

Czech Republic	Cost per Day
Alcohol	$4.00
Entertainment	$3.00
Food	$12.00
Living	$2.00
Lodging	$14.20
Travel	$5.00
Grand Total	$40.20

Table 3. Expected cost per day outside of Prague

 

Alcohol

Similar to Prague, as the price for beers are slightly cheaper. Once again double this number if you plan to go out in the evening a lot.

 

Entertainment

Same expectation as most entrance fees and rentals will be cheaper outside of Prague.

 

Food

Expect $12 a day due to reduced prices outside of Prague.

Old traditional plate from Cesky Krumlov

 

Living

Your expenses go down a bit since there’s only so many souvenirs or toothpaste that you’ll need.

 

Lodging

Prices in smaller towns can be as low as 300 – 350 crowns ($13.11 – $15.30), even in other tourist towns like Cesky Krumlov.

Smaller towns like Tabor can cost as little as $12 a day for a hostel

 

Travel

This will go up significantly since you’ll need to buy bus or train tickets between the cities. As far as central European countries go, its fairly cheap to bop around cities with intercity fares costing no more than $8 a trip. This budget assumes you’re spending at least a few days in a city and just not spending one night.

 

My running total

If you’re interested in where I get these, numbers here’s what my 17 days in the Czech Republic cost me.

Czech Republic	Cost per Day
Alcohol	$4.41
Entertainment	$2.83
Food	$8.83
Living	$1.67
Lodging	$18.22
Travel	$3.85
Grand Total	$39.81

Table 4. Fuck yeah

 

Not bad I’d say. So here’s my running total between Poland and the Czech Republic over 36 days.

	Cost per Day
Alcohol	$3.75
Entertainment	$2.36
Food	$11.26
Living	$1.67
Lodging	$15.76
Travel	$3.38
Grand Total	$38.18

Table 5. Not bad.

 

Still reaching my goal of living on $50 a day. It’ll help balance out my trips in central Europe and along the Mediterranean since there’s no way I can spend this little down there.

 

Shit (I’ve heard) backpackers say

• “Soaps like, a luxury, you know?”
• “Oh my God, I’m so excited to sleep more than one night in a place.”
• “I’ve been carrying this jam around with me for a month.” *Sniffs the jam*. “Is this fermented?”
• “I try to make each pair of boxers last at least three uses.”
• “I’ve heard such good things about Prague! Are you going to the Czech Republic after?

 

Until next time.