Dating costs in Europe: Which cities are cheapest and most expensive?
Dating can be costly across Europe. Some cities are incredibly expensive, but the picture changes when salaries are taken into account.
Dating costs vary significantly across European cities, with some being significantly more expensive than others. According to the Mapping the World’s Prices 2026 report by Deutsche Bank Research Institute, the cheapest place to go on a date is Istanbul, where the total cost of a basket of goods and services comes to just €168. Other relatively inexpensive cities include Rome (€195), Milan (€278), and Berlin (€254).
At the other end of the spectrum, the most expensive city for dating is Geneva, Switzerland, with a basket costing €407. Zurich follows closely behind at €400. Other pricey cities include Oslo and Copenhagen (€323), Stockholm (€310), and Helsinki (€296).
The Nordic countries, in general, tend to have higher dating costs. Oslo and Copenhagen rank third at €323, while Stockholm comes in sixth at €310. The UK is also notably more expensive, with London ranking eighth at €317 and Birmingham at €290.
The average cost of dating across 28 European cities is €270, but this figure varies greatly when looking at individual countries. In the UK, for example, London is the most expensive city, while Birmingham is among the top 10 most expensive.
Interestingly, when income is taken into account, the rankings reverse. Cities with high salaries, such as Zurich and Geneva, have relatively cheaper dating costs as a percentage of a person's monthly net salary. For example, a cheap date in Zurich costs only 5.6% of a monthly net salary, while in Athens it takes up 19.6% of an average monthly net salary, making it the most expensive city in terms of its financial impact.
Written by urgent.news from Euronews's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
