It’s been a while since I’ve crunched some numbers, so let’s go over how much you can expect to spend in Bavaria. This budget breakdown will only cover Bavaria since its pricing varies greatly from the rest of Germany.
Bavaria is also one of the more highly visited locations in Germany outside of Berlin. Its beer, cultural history, and lush mountains bring many a tourist flocking. Its economic success coupled with the tourism trade means that it’s not cheap for long term traveling.
When I say not cheap, I mean that it’s damn expensive. For the long term traveler, we have to make our stop here quick. So let’s go over how much you can expect to spend. Keep in mind, this does not include Oktoberfest prices. If you plan on going during that time, just double your budget. Seriously double it.
| Category | Expected Cost per Day |
| Alcohol | $4.00 |
| Entertainment | $15.00 |
| Food | $15.00 |
| Living | $1.00 |
| Lodging | $35.00 |
| Travel | $12.00 |
| Grand Total | $82.00 |
Table 1. Ouch
Alcohol
A pint of beer at a bar in Germany should run you somewhere between 3-4 euro ($3.5 –$4.66). A lot of the traditional Bavarian food is meant to be paired with a beer so you’ll find yourself having a drink more often than not.
Fortunately if you’re trying to save some dough, grocery store beers are actually drastically cheaper. A standard 12 oz. beer can cost less than $1 for some German premium brands.
If you’re in Munich, you’ll probably end up trying their obnoxiously large one liter beers which run for around 7 euro ($8.16). From a budget standpoint, it’s good to try the one liter beers only once. Otherwise, mix and match some grocery store bought beers with the occasional bar beer. Some areas of Bavaria don’t seem to frown upon public drinking, so it’s easy to take those grocery store beers with you.
I had very mixed emotions when I found out that Franiskaner was 3-4 times as expensive in the United States. I decided to take advantage of the savings while I had time.
Entertainment
This section will greatly vary depending on your itinerary.
If you are sticking to the cities and visiting a handful of museums, you might be able to shave a few bucks on this category.
If you’re in the Bavarian Alps for longer, the park entry fees and the transportation like the boat rides will add up quickly. These prices are as high as 17 euro ($20) for one boat ride or entrance fee.
This itinerary assumes you’re spending 2/3 of your time in the city and 1/3 in the Alps with an occasional museum visit.
Beautiful but an extremely expensive boat ride
Food
You can always dig up cheap meals like kebabs or pizza for 4 – 5 euro ($4.66 – $5.83) but this will wreck your digestive tract pretty fast. Traveling through Germany will make cooking meals a mandatory requirement, so make sure your accommodation has a decent kitchen.
For those times you want to experience Bavarian cuisine, a standard meal goes for 12 – 16 euro ($14 – $18.66). Eat out sparingly and use those moments to experience the cultural dishes.
I was able to find a bowl of Vietnamese soup for a miraculous 3.5o euro.
Living
Expect the usual, small costs like the occasional souvenir or perhaps some more toothpaste. Hand wash your clothes, as laundry in most accommodations are very expensive.
Lodging
This is one of the most budget-busting categories in Bavaria. During the high season, expect around 30 euro ($35) a night for a hostel! In some of the smaller cities, there aren’t even many options to choose from, so you’ll have to take those ridiculous prices. Prices can drop to 20 euro ($23.33) during the off season, but prepare to bring a thick coat.
Travel
Transport in the cities isn’t the cheapest, running at an average of 3 euro ($3.51) a trip. It’s the intercity trains that really add up. Expect a minimum of 20 euro ($23.33) to as high as 30 euro ($35) for a one to two hour high speed train. To be fair, these are some high quality trains you’re getting.
Munich’s train station was oddly lacking the homeless I’ve become accustomed to back at home
My Costs
I was fortunate that I had a more than generous friend who hosted me for a few days in Bavaria. Their home, car and generosity helped me make my budget much more manageable. So you’ll notice that my costs were significantly lower than my proposed budget.
| Category | Cost per Day |
| Alcohol | $4.79 |
| Entertainment | $15.15 |
| Food | $15.15 |
| Living | $0.70 |
| Lodging | $28.96 |
| Travel | $9.87 |
| Grand Total | $74.64 |
Table 2. Time to leave
Even though the costs are extremely high in Germany, choosing how much time we spend in various countries is a large part of this balancing act. By visiting more affordable countries in Eastern Europe, we can afford some time in more expensive countries like Germany. Table 3 shows that the average cost per day on this entire trip is still well below $50.
| Category | Total Running Cost per Day |
| Alcohol | $4.07 |
| Entertainment | $2.86 |
| Food | $12.38 |
| Living | $1.49 |
| Lodging | $19.05 |
| Travel | $4.90 |
| Grand Total | $44.74 |
Table 3. Running total after 45 days of travel.
A very manageable budget.
Random International Interactions
- Europeans wear more clothing embossed with American flags than Americans.
- British seem more likely to ask “what you do” to judge your background and status.
- Want to start a fire? Ask an Italian and French whose cuisine is better. Works everytime
- A British girl once commented that she didn’t like Tom Petty. I’ve never seen so many Americans get so mad so quickly.
- Koreans may ask for your blood-type. They’re not trying to harness your organs, but its a fun superstition that blood-types indicate a certain personality type. Its rather alarming when you don’t know this fact.
- It seems everyone can hear Americans coming before they actually see us.
Until next time.