Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this site should be checkable. This page says where each one comes from, when it was last verified, what is missing, and where two official sources say different things.
Cost comparisons between countries
The cost-per-country planner does one piece of arithmetic: it scales a figure you enter by the ratio between two countries' published price levels. The price levels are not ours. They come from Eurostat.
- Publisher
- Eurostat
- Dataset
prc_ppp_ind, Purchasing power parities, price level indices and nominal expenditures- Indicator
PLI_EU27_2020- Category
- A0111, restaurants and hotels
- Reference year
- 2024
- Eurostat last updated it
- 2025-07-10
- We last retrieved it
- 2026-08-27
- Countries covered
- 28
Price level index for restaurants and hotels, where the EU27 average = 100. A country at 120 is about 20 percent dearer than the EU average for the same basket; a country at 80 is about 20 percent cheaper.
What is missing, and why
Liechtenstein is not in the comparison. Eurostat does not cover it in this dataset. We could have estimated it from Switzerland, which it shares a customs union and a currency with, and nobody would have noticed. We left it out instead, because an estimate presented alongside measured figures is indistinguishable from one, and that is the kind of thing this page exists to prevent.
What it does not tell you
This is an economy-wide price level, not a basket of tourist prices. Capital cities and tourist districts run above their national average. High season and low season can differ by more than two countries do. Flights are not in it at all, and they often decide the total. Treat the ranking as reliable and the exact figures as a starting point.
How often it is refreshed
Eurostat publishes this annually, usually mid-year. When new figures appear we replace the data file and the retrieval date on this page changes with it. The reference year is shown on the planner itself, so you can see how current it is without coming here.
Where two official sources disagree
It happens more than you would expect, and the honest thing is to show it rather than quietly pick the one that suits. Here is the live example.
How much ETIAS will cost
European External Action Service
Still stated on the EEAS travelling to Europe page, checked 2 September 2026.
Read the pageEuropean Commission
Announced 17 July 2025, adopted as Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1411.
Read the announcementWhat we think is going on, stated as an opinion rather than a fact. These are not two equally current figures. EUR 7 was the original amount, and the Commission raised it to EUR 20 in July 2025. The EEAS page appears not to have been updated since. We are not telling you the EEAS is wrong, because we are not the authority on that. We are showing you both, with their dates, so you can see which one is more recent and decide what to plan around.
Two things worth knowing either way. ETIAS is not operational yet, so no fee is being charged to anyone today. And the Commission has said some travellers, including those under 18 and over 70, are exempt. Check the official ETIAS site before you budget for it.
Border rules
We do not publish border rules as though they were ours. Where this site describes EES, ETIAS or Schengen visa requirements, it is summarising these sources, and they are the ones to check before you rely on anything:
- ETIAS, official EU site What ETIAS is, who needs it, and the current launch timetable.
- Entry/Exit System (EES), official EU site How the entry and exit register works at the border.
- European Commission, Schengen borders and visa policy The policy source behind visa rules, and where changes are announced first.
- Visa policy and applying for a Schengen visa Who needs a visa, what the application requires, and the fee.
Dates we have checked, and when
The EES and ETIAS status quoted across this site was last verified against the European Commission on 27 August 2026. The ETIAS fee comparison above was checked on 2 September 2026. Border rules change, and a page that does not say when it was last read is asking you to trust it blindly.
Why this page exists
Most travel sites ask you to trust an author. We publish under a company name rather than a personal one, so that is not on offer here. What we can offer instead is that every number has a source, a date, and a link, and that where something is missing or contested we say so on the page rather than hoping you do not look.
If you find a figure on this site without a source, or one that has gone out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
Educational information only. Not legal advice. Always check the official embassy or consulate source.