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πŸŒ‹ Central AmericaπŸ”οΈ South AmericaπŸ›΅ South-East AsiaπŸ₯ Western Europe🏰 Balkans + Eastern Europe

Balkans + Eastern Europe: how long, and how much?

Europe at half the price. Beaches, castles and some of the cheapest beers on the continent.

PRICE MY TRIP
THE SHORT ANSWER
HOW LONG DO I NEED
4 weeks does the Balkan coast from Croatia to Albania.
  • 2 weeks: Croatia with a detour into Bosnia or Montenegro.
  • 8 weeks adds Central Europe: Prague, KrakΓ³w, Budapest.
  • Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia sit outside Schengen. Days there don't count toward your 90.
WHAT A DAY COSTS, PER PERSON, ALL IN
Tight
A$50-105 /day
Not worried
A$90-175 /day
The budget where you stop checking your balance
Treat yourself
A$165-320 /day
Bed, food, buses between towns and everyday activities. The range is the cheapest country to the priciest. Flights and the big one-offs are costed below.
May, June and September are the sweet spot. July and August on the coast is peak price and peak heat.
COUNTRY BY COUNTRY, CHEAPEST FIRST

Croatia costs about 2.1x North Macedonia for the same day.

Where you spend your days matters more than how long you go. Per person, per day, all in.

TIGHT NOT WORRIED
πŸ‡²πŸ‡°North MacedoniaGIVE IT 3-5 DAYS
A$50 / A$90 a day
Lake Ohrid is the highlight, and it's cheap as.
πŸ‡¦πŸ‡±AlbaniaGIVE IT 7-12 DAYS
A$55 / A$95 a day
The cheapest beaches in Europe. The Riviera costs half what Croatia does.
READ THE GUIDE
πŸ‡§πŸ‡¦BosniaGIVE IT 4-6 DAYS
A$60 / A$100 a day
Cheap, friendly and underrated. Mostar and Sarajevo are both must-dos.
πŸ‡·πŸ‡ΈSerbiaGIVE IT 3-5 DAYS
A$60 / A$105 a day
Belgrade nightlife on a budget. EXIT Festival in July if you time it.
πŸ‡·πŸ‡΄RomaniaGIVE IT 6-10 DAYS
A$65 / A$110 a day
Transylvania, castles and cheap trains. Great value outside Bucharest.
πŸ‡΅πŸ‡±PolandGIVE IT 5-8 DAYS
A$70 / A$120 a day
Some of the best value in the EU. KrakΓ³w is the backpacker hub.
πŸ‡²πŸ‡ͺMontenegroGIVE IT 4-6 DAYS
A$75 / A$130 a day
Kotor gets cruise ship prices in summer. Inland is cheap.
πŸ‡­πŸ‡ΊHungaryGIVE IT 3-5 DAYS
A$80 / A$135 a day
Budapest is great value for a big city. Baths and ruin bars won't break you.
πŸ‡¨πŸ‡ΏCzechiaGIVE IT 3-5 DAYS
A$85 / A$140 a day
Prague is pricier than it used to be. Beer is still cheaper than water.
πŸ‡­πŸ‡·CroatiaGIVE IT 7-10 DAYS
A$105 / A$175 a day
Priciest in the region, especially the coast in July and August.
NOW PRICE YOUR TRIP

Pick a length, tweak the days, see the number.

01 | HOW LONG HAVE YOU GOT
02 | HOW DO YOU WANT TO TRAVEL
03 | DAYS IN EACH COUNTRY
The Balkan run, in route order. Set a country to 0 to skip it.
πŸ‡¨πŸ‡Ώ
Czechia
A$140/day | give it 3-5 days
0
πŸ‡΅πŸ‡±
Poland
A$120/day | give it 5-8 days
0
πŸ‡­πŸ‡Ί
Hungary
A$135/day | give it 3-5 days
0
πŸ‡­πŸ‡·
Croatia
A$175/day | give it 7-10 days
8
πŸ‡§πŸ‡¦
Bosnia
A$100/day | give it 4-6 days
5
πŸ‡²πŸ‡ͺ
Montenegro
A$130/day | give it 4-6 days
5
πŸ‡¦πŸ‡±
Albania
A$95/day | give it 7-12 days
8
πŸ‡²πŸ‡°
North Macedonia
A$90/day | give it 3-5 days
2
πŸ‡·πŸ‡Έ
Serbia
A$105/day | give it 3-5 days
0
πŸ‡·πŸ‡΄
Romania
A$110/day | give it 6-10 days
0
04 | THE BIG ONE-OFFS

The things that blow a daily budget. Tick what you're planning to do.

05 | FLIGHTS AND EXTRAS
Flights from Australia
A$Usually A$1,800-2,900 return. Fly into Prague or Budapest, out of Tirana or Dubrovnik. Or add it on to a Western Europe trip.
Travel insurance
About A$7/day on a long-trip policy
Don't-stress buffer
+15% for the sick day, the extra night out, the dive you didn't plan
YOUR NUMBER
🏰 BALKANS + EASTERN EUROPE | 4 WEEKS | NOT WORRIED | PER PERSON
A$6,941
all in, flights included
A$166 a day on the ground
5 countries
8 of your 90 Schengen days used. Days outside the zone don't count. Check your dates
WHERE THE MONEY GOES
πŸ‡­πŸ‡· Croatia
8 days x A$175
A$1,400
πŸ‡§πŸ‡¦ Bosnia
5 days x A$100
A$500
πŸ‡²πŸ‡ͺ Montenegro
5 days x A$130
A$650
πŸ‡¦πŸ‡± Albania
8 days x A$95
A$760
πŸ‡²πŸ‡° North Macedonia
2 days x A$90
A$180
Flights
Return from Australia
A$2,300
Big one-offs
Croatian island ferries, Tara River rafting, Theth to Valbona hike
A$350
Insurance
28 days x A$7
A$196
Don't-stress buffer
15% of everything but flights
A$605
WHAT TO PUT AWAY
Leaving in
A$267 a week for 26 weeks
Send this to your travel mate
A WhatsApp-ready breakdown, with a link back to this exact trip.
THE CHEAPEST COAST IN EUROPE
Aussies In Albania
The Riviera beaches, the mountain hikes and the Google Maps pins for all of it.
MONEY TIPS FOR BALKANS + EASTERN EUROPE
  • Five countries here sit outside Schengen. Use them to stretch a European summer past 90 days.
  • Buses run the Balkans, not trains. Buy tickets at the station, and keep some cash for the luggage fee.
  • Croatia, Montenegro and Kosovo use the euro. Everywhere else has its own currency, so use a card with no FX fees.
Want one city in detail? The city-by-city estimator does seasons, travellers and a PDF.
AUD per person, based on what Aussies and Kiwis spend on the ground in 2026. Daily numbers cover your bed, food, buses between towns and everyday activities. Flights swing a lot with dates and how early you book. Entry fees and visa rules change, so check the Visa Checker before you go.