Cheap places in Europe?

[Stan Loh]

Most places in Europe you probaly need like a grand or two of American dollars to survive. Are there any places exceptionally cheap? I am talking Asian standards cheap. Perhaps one could get by nicely with $500 a month. Eastern Europe? Of course, must have reliable internet connection and a safe environment.

[Cancuk]

I don't think 500 bucks a month is feesable in Europe, or most places (including Asia) in the world... as that's 16 US dollars a day. Out of all of my backpacking, there are only a handful of places that i've done that cheap (and kept moving, i've stayed in places for extended periods and spent less). They are India, Nepal, Bolivia and Syria. I'm sure that I could have spent less in others (most of Latin America, Egypt), but didn't want to/need to.

I think this is pretty much impossible in Europe, and if you add internet connection + safe environment (although, I would argue that nearly everywhere in Europe is pretty safe) just not feesable.

Look at South, eastern Europe: Romania, Albania, Maldova, etc for cheap places. Turkey (especially western Turkey) isn't that cheap anymore, same, I would guess, as Morocco.

Belarus?

[TheWunderkind]

500$ a month is considered poverty in germany. Social secutity is more then that.

Poland or Ungary etc are cheaper but living of 500$ isnt fun there either.

[BigPoppa]

OP could find a room in an apt someplace like Bulgaria, Serbia, or Romania for under $200/month (not an apt, just one room in someone else's). He could cook at home and rarely/never eat out.

So, yes, you could live on $500/month somewhere in the Balkans. Locals do it all the time. But you wouldn't be doing much more than just surviving.

Or I know of a squat in Munich where you could crash rent free, but you'd literally be sleeping on the floor or in a tent (and it would really help if you spoke German).

[Stan Loh]

Alright cool. So there are cheap places. Maybe if I bump up my budget to about $700-800 I would do quite good. I guess 500 bucks don't do squat nowadays.

[BigPoppa]

$800/month expands your range quite a bit, but this is if you're staying in one place.

If you're planning on moving around, then you can't do it.
Not only is transport between cities/countries fairly expensive, but so is short term accomodations.

My room in Berlin is 295 Euros/month (including DSL, cable, laundry, access to kitchen, and all utilities). A bunk bed in a noisy hostel is 15-20 Euros/night. So moving around would cost me up to twice as much for far less. [1 Euro = $1.40 American, btw].

[RainDog]

Many countries that have adopted the Euro have tripled in traveling costs since I did my 1 1/2 yr backpacking stint starting in 2000. I don't think I could afford to do it now (or even want to as expensive as it is) and it has only been 7 friggin' years! Some months I indeed got by on less than $500/m (I'm not factoring in travel expenses here) and had a grand ol' time. There is many a beautiful site to be seen for free and it can be fun (and dangerous) finding the obscure markets or restaurants where you can eat and drink for very cheap. Also, traveling should be about people. It doesn't cost money to make friends (Well, I admit to paying for a few 'friends' from time to time).

If I did go again, I couldn't utilize hostels as much as I had (especially in big cities). Places I stayed at for under $10 are over $30 now in many cases. If you are looking to find a permanent house/apartment to stay at, I would say your ability of living that cheap will be unrealistic ($800 may suffice in some Eastern Countries). However, if you are an adventurer and utilize campgrounds you could do it. Sometimes it can be hard to locate the information you need about camping locations but it is doable. Many of the best times I had were with the friends I made camping out wherever (be it a city camp or wilderness). Also, if you enjoy this sort of travel, consider utilizing a site like couchsurfing.com where you'll find many nice folk willing to lend you a spot to crash.

As far as wireless internet goes, all it would take is a trek to a location with free Wifi when you need it. Could be a pain, but free public internet is abundant in many locales (Of course there are security concerns but there are steps you can take and services you can pay for to eliminate many of these).

Cheers and safe travels!

[Stan Loh]

Holy crappers. I just did a brief view of couchsurfing.com and if I am getting this right, people from all over the world actually let unknown travelers crash on their couch for free? I mean, I can keep going and going from place to place without ever having to pay for accommodation? This sounds too good to be true. I might be on the road again really soon! Thanks for the great site.

[Cancuk]

Couch surfing is a great site. But I really think that you're under estimating how much it costs just to travel. It's the moving around that costs money... and doing Europe on 800 a month, while moving around, would be very hard... if not impossible in some places. It also can (and probably will in some instances) make your travels less fun. Why don't you go somewhere that isn't as expensive?

But, good luck! (seriously).

[BigPoppa]

That's pretty much the way it works.
Just be prepared for a large number of your requests to go unanswered until you have a few references.

edit: As an example, I'm going to Oktoberfest and am likely to not even bother asking people on CS for a place. They're going to be flooded with requests and will accept few or no surfers when they know the people will be drunk 24/7.