It’s that time of the month again, when we report our travel expenses for the previous thirty days.
We spent most of the month in Berlin, which is known as a fairly affordable city to visit… at least for Europe. We thoroughly enjoyed the city and didn’t break the bank in the process, so we give Berlin high marks.
If you’re new, here are the past few breakdowns of our monthly travel expenses:
Overall travel costs: $2,029.50
COST BY CATEGORY
- Accommodations: $1,021
- Food: $374.50
- Alcohol and Nightlife: $65
- Transportation: $230
- Sightseeing: $27
- Miscellaneous: $312
DAILY AVERAGE
- Total daily average: $65.50
- Daily average per person: $32.75
Breakdown of travel costs by category:
ACCOMMODATIONS: $1,021
- Berlin: $927
- Prague: $93.26
Berlin Apartment
We spent most of October renting a small apartment in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district. It was relatively cheap at $32 a night, pretty well located, and had everything we needed for the month. We found the place via Airbnb, and thankfully we had a much better experience this time around than we did with our last rental in Malta.
Our studio in Prague was also found on Airbnb, and it set us back $46.43/night. Accommodations in Prague are quite a bit pricier than Berlin, so we settled on a studio even though it’s so not conducive to us getting a good night’s sleep.
Kali has insomnia, so we do a better job of not tearing each others’ throats out when he can get up in the middle of the night and work without waking me up.
Prague Studio
It’s fine for the week, but anything longer and we’d start to implode. Aside from that little drawback, though, the place is lovely.
A thousand dollars on accommodations is on the high end of what we’d like to pay each month, but it’s not outrageous.
Before we started traveling we spent more than that on rent each month in both San Diego and San Francisco, and since we’re living on the road this line item is basically our rent.
FOOD: $374.50
- Groceries: $149.50
- Eating out: $225
Food in Berlin is pretty cheap, which is maybe part of the reason I like the city so much. 
We sampled everything we could: currywurst and bratwurst, doner kebabs and falafal, Mediterranean food, street pretzels, Indian cuisine, and a delicious spinach pastry discovered at the Turkish market. All that and our “eating out” budget is still lower than last month!
Groceries are also cheap in Berlin, and there’s a bakery on practically every block. We paid about €2 for a freshly baked loaf of wholewheat bread topped with various seeds (this was a bi-weekly occurrence), and we found some of the best ravioli we’ve ever tasted at a grocery store in the Ostbahnhof train station. We also bought approximately 50 bars of Ritter Sport chocolate… but who’s counting?
ALCOHOL AND NIGHTLIFE: $65
- Club covers: $35
- Alcohol: $30
We were ridiculously excited to experience Berlin’s renowned nightlife, and we had a couple of great evenings out despite the fact that nothing really gets started until well after midnight. Seriously, when do people sleep?
We spent more on cover charges and coat checks than actual alcohol, but that’s because we’re cheap drunks (did I just admit that?) and we enjoyed some lovely mulled wine before heading out. Ever heard of Glühwein? It’s spicy and warm and quite delicious… and a bottle of it only set us back €1 at the grocery down the street.
If you’re buying drinks at the bar, here’s roughly what to expect: €2.50 for a shot, €3 per beer, and €3.50 for mixed drinks like a rum and coke (which for some reason they called a bacardi cola). The bars didn’t seem flush with cocktail options, but if it’s beer you want then obviously you’re in the right place.
This is one area of Berlin we didn’t get to explore nearly as thoroughly as we’d have liked, so I expect this category will be much higher next time around.
TRANSPORTATION: $230
- Travel across borders (flights, trains, etc.): $100
- Local transportation: $130
Woohoo, our transportation costs this month were a mere pittance compared to September! We took a train to Prague at the end of the month (tip: for Berlin -> Prague trains, sit on the left side of the carriage for gorgeous views of the countryside) and the rest was spent on local transit.
If biking isn't your thing, maybe you could give this a try?
Berlin is not a walkable city, so you’ll either need to rent a bike or use public transportation… or both.
Tickets are a little pricy, mostly because each ticket you buy only works going one direction (so you have to buy a new ticket to return home).
We saved most of our sight-seeing until the last week we were in Berlin – when a close friend was visiting from San Francisco – so we each bought a weekly pass for those final 7 days.
SIGHT-SEEING: $27
- Entrance fees for attractions: $0
- Tips (walking tour): $27
We didn’t actually pay to see any of Berlin’s attractions; we didn’t ride to the top of the TV Tower in Alexanderplatz, we didn’t take a bus tour, and we didn’t go to any of the art museums.
But we still saw a hell of a lot. It just so happens that many of Berlin’s most interesting attractions are free, including the East Side Gallery, all the museums and memorials around WWII and the Holocaust, and various hotspots of Berlin’s legendary arts scene.
The one thing we did pay for was the Alternative Walking Tour; it’s technically free, but obviously it’s understood that you’ll tip at the end. We thought the tour was fantastic (seriously, take it if you’re in Berlin) and tipped €20, which comes out to $27.
Check out the East Side Gallery when you're in Berlin.
MISCELLANEOUS: $312
- SIM card for phone/internet: $0
- Travel insurance: $100
- Mail: $72
- Other: $140
Apparently October was the month for random expenses. We paid a $39 monthly fee for our mailbox in California, then $35 for them to sort our mail and ship it to us.
This month we also restocked some of our toiletries, paid to use public toilets (am I the only one who finds that really annoying?), made copies, bought maps, and got haircuts.
Brrr......
And, most importantly, we bought warm clothing! Berlin is c-c-cooold, as are Prague and Budapest (our next destination). With Kali’s warmest piece being a hooded-sweater and mine being a light jacket, we decided to buy a few cheap pieces to keep us from freezing our tushes off.
Our plan is to head to a warmer climate after this, so I don’t know if we’ll keep it all, but even as a short-term investment it was definitely worth it.
We haven’t really bought any travel-specific clothing and we seem to keep jumping from one climate to another, so we haven’t figured out this whole “what kind of clothes makes the most sense to lug around with us” thing. It’s a work in progress.
Keeping travel costs down:
Here are some tips to keep in mind when you’re traveling to Berlin:
- Don’t buy one-off tickets for public transit. Most travelers want to take public transportation multiple times in a day, in which case the daily pass is your best option. And if you’ll be doing that for six or seven days in a row, you should definitely go for the weekly pass. All of these can be purchased using the same machines, and all are valid on the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, and bus lines.
- Take Bus Line 100 or 200. These lines wind their way past some of the most well-known attractions in Berlin (and along the same route as those infamous bus tours), so for the price of a bus ticket you can see the main sights. And if you took my advice above and bought the day pass, it’s essentially free!
- Check out the free Alternative Walking Tour. It’s not exactly free, since tipping is expected, but you can determine how much the experience was worth to you. Instead of paying in advance for a tour that might royally stink, take this one and decide at the end if you’re impressed — chances are you will be.
Buses 100 and 200 take you right by Reichstag.
{ 69 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m going to be really embarrassed if you’ve already written about this and I missed it, but I’m curious about your feelings about life sans motorhome. Do you find you have less to worry about? Or just different things to worry about (the same amount)?
You can rest easy, Kurt – we haven’t written about that yet! Sometimes we really miss traveling via motorhome (particularly the part where we always had a bed with us), but it’s SO much less stressful traveling without one. I guess it’s the difference between renting by the month and owning your own house — when you’re renting you don’t have any of the responsibility, don’t have to fix anything, and can just walk away whenever you want.
There was just so much we had to worry about with Mayhem, and it was also limiting. It was hard to get work done, and we couldn’t always travel where we wanted to (or stay in the neighborhoods we like the most). Now we choose a city and then research the best districts, then search out an apartment/hotel in that particular area. There’s just something about having a bakery down the street and a bar/cafe just downstairs that appeals to us… and we didn’t get that in RV parks or boondocking.
BUT. All that being said, we’re now considering getting a mini campervan and driving around the U.K./Europe for awhile. I really don’t feel mentally ready to deal with buying one again, which is why we haven’t made solid plans or taken the plunge, but it keeps tickling our brains.
Once again you guys make it look very affordable. I always admire your grocery bill, but I always think you guys must be starving out there. It’s good to hear that you’re eating as much as you want.
Thanks for sharing your budget.
Steve recently posted: We Travel with a Leopard and a Lamb
We probably spend more time seeking out good food than anything else, so we’re definitely not starving.
We don’t usually cook meat, though, which keeps our costs low… and we’re not into fine dining at all. I’d much prefer a shwarma from a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant than pretty much anything else! I’m also pretty sure that having three kids skews your grocery bill much higher than ours, Steve. 
Wow, what a detailed breakdown and thanks for sharing, it really provided more perspectives into our vacation planning
Christy recently posted: One-of-a-Kind Luxury Vacation on Pangkor Laut Resort
Glad we could help, Christy.
This is incredibly detailed! I dont think I know of anyone else that shares their expenses in such a nice format! You make me ashamed at how much we spend at home! Maybe that’s a reason for us to on a trip… we’ll spend less if we go on vacation per your plans!
Shirlene from Idelish recently posted: Our G+ Page is now Live & How to Create Your Own!
The funny thing is that I think we really do spend less now, traveling full-time, than we did living in San Diego for two years! And Europe isn’t a cheap continent for travel, either.
I loooooove when you do these type of posts (even though I have no immediate plans to return to Berlin!). The planner in me digs the attention to detail, and the city girl in me balks at the fact that you lived in Berlin for a month for less than what our San Francisco rent was!
I’ve been avoiding doing our monthly expenses for Semester at Sea, as we have done a TON of shopping (and eating!) at each port, but given that we aren’t paying rent, most of our accommodation in each country is free as we opt to sleep on the ship vs. stay at a hotel and I am actually getting a paycheck to work (plus freelance assignments), oddly enough, I’ve paid off all my credit cards since leaving SF in May. Funny how you can spend far less money traveling than living in a place (if that place is indeed a $$$$ city like SF or NYC, where I’ve spent the past seven years!).
Camels & Chocolate recently posted: The Wildlife of Rajasthan
Dang, your San Francisco rent must have been through the roof! When we lived there, though, we paid $1,300 for a tiny (and old) studio apartment in the Tenderloin district…. which of course was outrageous. We keep saying we’ll likely move back to SF at some point, but I think it might give me a heart attack.
Thank you SO MUCH for this breakdown… Alex and I want to spend a month in Germany next summer, and it’s between Berlin and Munich. Have you spent much time in Munich?
When you say Berlin is not a walkable city, is it still fairly easy to get around via public transit? Were there shops, restaurants, etc. within walking distance of your apartment?
Sorry for all the questions, but your post got me really excited!
Emily S. recently posted: Unique Photography Experience With Foto Ruta in Buenos Aires
That sounds awesome, Emily! We didn’t spend any time in Munich, so sadly I can’t speak to the cost/experience of staying there. We both really loved Berlin, though, so of course I’d recommend it over Munich.
We actually did do a lot of walking in Berlin, it just takes forever. The blocks are huge, and even walking across one neighborhood can take an hour — we’d hear of a place in Kreuzberg and think “oh, that must be close” and it’d be a forty-minute walk away. Public transportation is super straightforward (and extensive), though, so it’s easy to move about Berlin. I would recommend finding a place that’s well located – just make sure you’re walking distance to a U or S-Bahn station and in a good district and you’ll be fine.
Kreuzberg is a really great neighborhood (highly recommended) and there are bars/cafes/restaurants all over. We were kind of on the edge of it, but we could still walk to all those things in about 5-10 minutes. Of course they were only a few blocks away, but looong blocks.
If you have any other questions about Berlin, just let me know!
glad to see this breakdown… how i wish i have enough to get to germany! well, at least, i have something to check when it’s my time to visit berlin
Gladys | ByahengBarok.com recently posted: Seeing Samal Island in New Light
Thanks for the comment, Gladys! Europe really is so much more expensive to travel than a lot of the world, which is a bummer. Thankfully Germany is on the cheaper side of things, especially paired with things like couchsurfing and housesitting.
That’s good going for Europe. I keep hearing that Berlin is pretty cheap and your budget backs that up so we may need to check it out one of these days.
Erin recently posted: The Search for an Apartment in Chiang Mai
We had heard that as well before we made it to Berlin, so I was happy to see there was some truth in it. Food in particular is fairly inexpensive, which of course made us happy!
Nicely broken down. It’s really helpful and valuable to see your budget expenses written down like this. Definitely makes things easier for those hoping to do some traveling. I hope I can spend a few weeks in Germany in the future!
Mark Wiens recently posted: Cooking Chinese Food at the Yangshuo Cooking School
I imagine the cost of traveling in Germany would be quite the shock after spending so much time in SE Asia! Which is one of the reasons we’re heading to Thailand next.
Hey guys, great summary! I can’t believe that your alcohol was less than your cover charges
well done!! I think we spent that much today alone on wine… Pretty decent amounts on accommodations (especially for Prague and Berlin).
I think a tip I can give is if you have a Eurail pass good in Germany than I believe that U or S bahn is included with this. At least it was good in Hamburg, so I am assuming the same in Berlin…
Oh and I am with you on paying for the toilets, grrrr. It was nice to get to London and these were free (it’s because you pay ridiculous amounts in London for everything else
Cheers,
Pete
Pete recently posted: Housesitting in Europe
Interesting point about the Eurail pass, Pete! And yeah, we don’t really drink alcohol unless we’re going out, and of course we end up choosing clubs with high cover charges. If only we were more into the laid-back pub scene…
Great tips for saving money, guys. I’m always amazed at how little you spend on alcohol during the month. I’ve always wondered what long-term travelers do about mail. So they sort through it and send it to you for only $35? That sounds like quite a deal!
Christy @ Ordinary Traveler recently posted: The Ugly Side of Travel
They don’t sort through it that much – they just throw out magazines and obvious junk mail, and if an envelope is on the large side they’ll tell us who it’s from and ask if we want it forwarded. Some places will actually open and scan the mail for you (so you don’t have anything sent!), but that would make me a little uncomfortable. But yeah, $35 to ship a huge pack of mail internationally isn’t too bad.
Great tips — you guys are managing your money very well and still having a wonderful experience. I can totally understand the issues in a studio. My husband gets up very early, so it always works best for us (when affordable) to have a separate room for him to go to when he’s up — and let me sleep!
We discovered this little issue of ours after spending a year in a studio apartment.
That’s one of the reasons why our motorhome was so large – we were swayed by the separate bedroom in the back! We don’t need much space, we just need separate space, lol.
Love this breakdown! Between house sitting or renting apartments travel is really affordable. You make me wish I was in Europe right now!
Debbie Beardsley @ European Travelista recently posted: Innsbruck You Captivated Me!
I agree, it’s actually more affordable than we had anticipated. I think $100/night hotels a lot of people book on vacation are assumed to be the norm; clearly that’s not going to work long-term, so apartments are a great alternative.
Great cost breakdown!
One tip if you do happen to return to Berlin … Instead of renting a flat for a nightly fee, I’d suggest sub-letting … you can sub-let for one week, two weeks, one month etc. A friend of mine stayed in Berlin for a month and sublet an entire flat in Kreuzberg for just 400 €, about $620 US. You can use the extra cash to have more kebob and beer.
Cheryl recently posted: Where to Eat in Szczecin, Poland.
That’s a really interesting tip, Cheryl — how would you go about finding short-term sublets? And I’m assuming most sublets are furnished so you don’t have to worry about that? Sounds like it would be perfect for us, though, and a good bargain!
Well … my friend found her flat through a “friend of a friend of a friend”.
But there’s a listing on Craigslist and on this site http://www.wg-gesucht.de.
It’s very common for Berliners to rent out their flat when away for a week or more. So, yes they come furnished and you don’t have to worry about a thing except keeping it clean and whatnot.
Although you do have to be somewhat careful. Here’s a great article about subletting on Slow Travel Berlin. http://www.slowtravelberlin.com/2011/04/18/the-dummkopf%e2%80%99s-guide-to-subletting/.
Cheryl recently posted: Where to Eat in Szczecin, Poland.
Ah, thank you! I had sort of stopped using craigslist because there’s so much damn spam in the rental section, but subletting seems like it wouldn’t be as prone to that as holiday rentals. And I’ll check out that website – thanks!
Not a prob at all. Glad to help and feel free to email me with any questions!
Oh my Lord. What an informative post. I love Berlin for so many reasons.
Christopher recently posted: Mermaids Tail — Gluten-Free
Moi aussi.
We spent five weeks in Berlin and it was one of the cheapest parts of our trip. We definitely remember the groceries and alcohol specifically being extremely cheap. Bottles of beer as big as a wine bottle were €.50 and delicious!
The funniest thing we noticed about Berlin is that people drink beer constantly, and they drink it everywhere! We were always seeing people of all ages on the U-Bahn with an open beer bottle, and people drinking a beer during what was presumably their lunch break. No wonder it’s so cheap… or maybe it’s that common because it is so cheap!
I always find these breakdowns fascinating. It looks like you lived cheaply, even with $1000 on housing. And only $30 on alcohol? That’s amazing!
Scott – Quirky Travel Guy recently posted: Three Fascinating Pittsburgh Museums: Warhol, Heinz History and Fort Pitt
Clearly we need to get our party on a little more often.
Nice cost breakdown! I’m impressed, I would have expected a month in Berlin to cost more. Apartment rentals are a great option. And only $30 on alcohol surprised me as well, way to go!
Laura recently posted: A visit to the Xochimilco market
Compared to staying in hotels (or even hostels for two), apartments are so much cheaper!
Wow – that’s a great deal for 30 days. That’s less than my mortgage and food bills here at home!
adventureswithben recently posted: Introducing, the adventures with ben Travel Newsletter!
I think that’s what’s cool about tracking our expenses – it helps us (and maybe others) realize that it’s possible for full-time travel to be cheaper than living in one place…. or at least not significantly more expensive.
I have to say, I really like having an apartment, especially when traveling with someone – i love having that extra space!! i don’t have insomnia but i do only sleep a few hours a night…annoying to someone who sleeps for 6 – 8 hours…
jenjenk recently posted: Cappadocia, Turkey: Kelebek Cave Hotel
Oh Jen, you and I would not be good roommates.
Seeing how much everything you did costs makes it seem so much more real – and doable. I love it!
I was last in Berlin in my student days (studied there one summer), and one free thing I remember was fun was visiting KaDeWe with my friend. For some reason I remember being highly entertained by some of the crazy fashion statements on display, but that may have just been two young girls finding anything but German grammar studies amusing. What was definitely amazing was the famous Food Hall on I think the 6th floor. I love food, so it was one of those scenes where the lights shine down from heaven and you hear angel music for me.
We didn’t make it to KaDeWe, but I heard that it’s wild! I’m sure if we had gone it would have been an all-day affair on the 6th floor, lol — eat, digest, eat, take a walk, eat some more, nap on the table, eat, repeat over and over again. It’s probably a good thing that we didn’t go!
So which one of you has the head for details? Around here it’s K and definitely not me. She could produce a breakdown like this but I couldn’t. My idea of money management is as follows:
1) I used to have such-and-such an amount of money
2) I don’t have it any more.
3) I’m already hungry again.
robin recently posted: Return of K
You crack me up, Robin. Thankfully we’re both detail-oriented (with my attention to detail occasionally bordering on OCD) and we both take care of the finances, but different aspects. I do our quickbooks, though, so it’s easy for that to transfer over into these posts.
Love this post, especially since I’m returning to Berlin next year. Wow, roughly $1,000 per person per month is really affordable for an European city!
Norbert recently posted: Dabuyaba: Sacred Garifuna Architecture
I know, I was worried we’d be penniless after a few months in Europe! Thankfully it’s worked out better than we anticipated.
Okay – next time you’re in Berlin, we have got to see some of the nightlife together! And Cheryl’s comments above about finding cheaper accommodation in Berlin is spot-on. It’s definitely possible to find a sublet for a month that’s significantly cheaper than booking through a website like AirBNB!
Adam recently posted: Street art and graffiti in pretty Vienna
Next time we’re in Berlin we’re definitely going the sub-letting route. And we’ll be making nightlife our main focus (bring on the techno raves! Minus ecstasy, of course, but I plan to rave nonetheless), so you’d better still be in Berlin when we make it there again.
Thanks again for the thorough breakdowns! I am excited to hear your thoughts on Prague.
Caanan @ No Vacation Required recently posted: What Will You Do for $20
Prague was beautiful, but not as magical as we expected it to be. I might have been a little biased by circumstance – it was freezing and we were sick – but we just didn’t fall in love with the city. What was your guys’ impression on it? Everyone else seems to love it, so I’m not really sure what we missed.
Great money saving tips as always. I like how you guys watch your money, but still experience a place without spending a fortune.
Laurel recently posted: Kaese Spaetzle: German Mac and Cheese
Thanks Laurel! I think our disinterest in museums and expensive attractions helps a lot – it’s easy for us to enjoy an area without having to fork over mucho dinero.
Awesome breakdown. We are going to start doing this for all of our travels I think (if we remember to record them all in a diary!) We were good at it when driving through the States on our 18,000 km journey but now we are stuck in Edinburgh we are terrible.
Cole @ FourJandals recently posted: Budget Travel: 2 Days in York
It can be so hard to keep track of everything…. especially in certain parts of Europe, where everyone uses cash and no one wants to give out a receipt! I try and write it all down at the end of the day, but sometimes it gets a little dicey. I’m constantly asking Kali “Was it 50 cents or a dollar to use the toilet? How much change exactly did the cafe give back? Where the hell are all our receipts?!?”
Wow, I don’t hear very often that Germany is considered cheap. I guess if you avoid transport and shop for fresh food it can be, Berlin especially. Glad you enjoyed it up there.
Yup it is heading toward winter and especially this far north it gets cold quickly, especially at night. As for the transport, if you pick to be in the center of the city it can be ok to walk, but then you may spend most of your time walking rather than seeing stuff. Also noting the cold more. I would think there are month passes that make things more affordable. Or do they come only as a week pass?
Andrew recently posted: Feldkirch Austria : Phototour
We considered a monthly pass, and I think we estimated that if we used public transportation 12 or 13 days out of the month it would be worth the cost (but i might be remembering the numbers wrong). However, we opted not to go that route because we knew we’d be spending a lot of time working and just wandering around Kreuzberg, and most of our sight-seeing would be in the last week with our friend from the States. It’s a good option, though, and I like the fact that you can buy single tickets or daily, weekly, or monthly passes. Something for everyone!
Wow I am impressed, my budget in Latin America was $30/day, unfortunately I am not quite making that happen in Spain.
ayngelina recently posted: Food Photo Friday: Making bread in Jordan
It always seems like we’re spending a lot… and then I look at that daily average and realize that it’s super low for traveling in Europe!
How awesome is that free Berlin walking tour?! We had the best tour guide.
I wish I could have kept my alcohol cost that low… sadly my beer budget probably rivaled your accommodations (okay, maybe not that much…)
Cam recently posted: Our Greatest Adventure has Finally Started!
Haha, it seems that forgoing beer is the best thing we can do for our budget! Thankfully we rarely drink it (and never miss it), so we can just use those funds for more chocolate.
Oh my gosh, you are killing me with the Ritter Sport and the German bread mentions. You’re right the food is great in Berlin and super reasonable. The Berlin apartment looks like a great place.
We just got down to our last bar of Ritter Sport and started to panic a little… and then last night we walked into a shop here in Thailand and saw some on the shelf! No espresso flavor, sadly, but we can make do.
Great breakdown! You make Berlin seem almost doable on even my meagre budget.
Raymond @ Man On The Lam recently posted: The Flying Nun and the San Francisco Airport
Thanks, Raymond! And with something like couchsurfing or tripping it would be possible to spend WAY less.
Fantastic breakdown! The Globetrotter Girls have been pitching Berlin to me (I haven’t been) but I was skeptical about the costs…and while it’s certainly a whole lot more than Chiang Mai, I was really surprised by how low your food costs were for the month!
Oooh, you should totally try Berlin, Shannon! I never had much interest in traveling to Germany, but I completely (and unexpectedly) fell in love with Berlin – the city has such amazing energy and culture. Plus the food is amazing.
It’s a fairly cheap city, at least compared to others in Europe.