Short answer: On the ground in Germany, plan on roughly €60–80 (about $70–90) per person per day on a hostel budget, €155–185 (about $175–210) in a mid-range hotel shared by two, and €195–285 (about $220–320) in five-star comfort, using Berlin prices. A week therefore costs about €420–560 ($475–635) on a tight budget, €1,085–1,295 ($1,225–1,465) mid-range and €1,365–1,995 ($1,540–2,255) in comfort, before flights and long-distance trains. For a reality check, European travelers spent an average of roughly €930 per trip to Germany in 2025, including their journey, according to the German National Tourist Board.
Germany is not cheap, but it is good value for what you get: big-city hotels cost less than in Paris, London or Amsterdam, public transport is excellent, and a single monthly ticket covers every local and regional train and bus in the country. The big variables are where you sleep (and whether a trade fair is on), how far you travel by fast train, and how many castles and museums you add. This guide breaks it all down with figures from official sources, so you can build a realistic budget for your trip to Germany. Dollar figures use about €0.89 to the US dollar (so €1 is about $1.13), the Federal Reserve’s rate in early October 2026; use our Money exchange tool for today’s rate.
Germany daily costs at a glance
These example days are built from the sourced prices further down this page: one person, one sightseeing day in Berlin. Munich and Hamburg cost about the same day to day, with Munich hotels the priciest at Oktoberfest. The days leave out flights, long-distance trains, shopping and nightlife.
| Per person, per day | Budget | Mid-range | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed | Hostel dorm bed: €18–40 | Half of a €120–180 three- or four-star room: €60–90 | Half of a five-star room at about €170–225: €85–115 |
| Food | Two inexpensive meals at about €15: €30 | Lunch, half of a €70 dinner for two, a coffee and a beer: about €60 | Lunch, half of a €100 dinner for two, drinks: €65–85 |
| Local transport | Berlin 24-hour ticket (zones AB): €11.20 | 24-hour ticket: €11.20 | Taxis: €20–40 |
| Sights | Free sights such as the Reichstag dome: €0 | Museum Island or Kulturforum ticket: €22–24 | Two museum tickets: €24–46 |
| Total | About €60–80 ($70–90) | About €155–185 ($175–210) | About €195–285 ($220–320) |
The dorm range is Hostelz’s 2026 low- and high-season price for a large dorm in Berlin; the mid-range room is based on the 2026 three-star average on the price site combien-coute.net (about €138) and KAYAK’s four-star averages; the five-star range is from KAYAK and Skyscanner; meal, coffee, beer and taxi prices are 2026 Berlin prices from the crowd-sourced Numbeo index; transport and museum prices are official. Add Berlin’s 7.5% city tax on the room (see below). Treat these as typical ranges, not quotes.
What visitors actually spend in Germany
Germany counted 83.6 million overnight stays by international guests in 2025, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). The German National Tourist Board’s annual facts and figures, based on the IPK travel survey, show that Europeans made 55.8 million trips to Germany in 2025 and spent €51.8 billion on them, counting accommodation, transport to, from and within Germany, food, shopping and other travel costs. That works out at roughly €930 per trip. Business travel makes up a fifth of those European trips, more than in most countries.
The United States is Germany’s biggest market outside Europe, with 3.36 million trips in 2025, and Americans were second only to the Dutch for nights in German hotels and other registered accommodation, with 6.9 million.
On our Travel costs by country scale, which compares hotel, restaurant and transport prices with the United States (US = 100), Germany scores 113, in our “very expensive” band. That is close to France (111) and a little below the Netherlands (120), and well below Switzerland (161) and Denmark (140); neighboring Poland (82) is much cheaper. Everyday living costs in Germany score lower (80), which shows in supermarket and bakery prices.
Accommodation costs
Berlin is one of the best-value capitals in western Europe for a bed. Hostelz’s 2026 guide puts a bed in a large Berlin dorm at about €18–28 in low season and €25–40 in high season, and a private hostel room at €60–130. The price site combien-coute.net gives an average of about €138 a night for a three-star hotel in Berlin in 2026, and KAYAK’s Berlin averages run from about €121 to €182 for four stars and about €170 for five, with Skyscanner putting five stars nearer €225.
The biggest swings come from events rather than seasons. Trade fairs can double hotel prices in cities such as Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Munich, and Munich is at its dearest during Oktoberfest. January to March, outside trade fairs and ski resorts, is when city hotels are cheapest, as our best time to visit Germany guide explains.
City taxes on hotel stays
There is no national tourist tax, but many cities charge one on overnight stays, collected by your hotel:
- Berlin: 7.5% of the room price since 1 January 2025, for leisure and business stays alike. On a €150 room that is about €11 a night.
- Hamburg: a sliding culture and tourism tax per person per night, for example €2.40 when the room price per person (before VAT) is €50–100 and €3.60 when it is €100–150. The city has announced an increase from 1 January 2027.
- Cologne: 5% of the room price.
- Munich and the rest of Bavaria: no bed tax, because Bavarian law does not allow it.
Food and drink costs
Numbeo’s 2026 figures for Berlin show a meal at an inexpensive restaurant at about €15 (range €10–25), a three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant, without drinks, at about €70 (range €50–100), a fast-food combo at €12, a half-liter of draft beer at about €4.50 and a cappuccino at about €4. Munich is a little dearer, at about €16.75 for an inexpensive meal and €80 for a mid-range dinner for two, and Hamburg a little cheaper for dinner, at about €60. Bakeries, street food such as currywurst and döner kebab, and lunch specials (Mittagstisch) keep costs down, and a beer garden is one of the cheapest places for a sit-down meal. At Munich’s Oktoberfest in 2026, a liter of beer costs €14.80–15.90 in most tents.
Getting around Germany
- Deutschlandticket: €63 a month in 2026 for unlimited travel on all local and regional trains, S-Bahn, U-Bahn, trams and buses across Germany, but not ICE, IC or EC fast trains. It is a monthly subscription that visitors can buy too; cancel by the 10th to stop it at the end of that month. For a stay of a week or more with day trips, it can beat city day tickets.
- Fast trains: Deutsche Bahn’s Super Sparpreis fares start at €17.99 in second class, but they are tied to one train and sell out, so book early; flexible fares cost much more on the day. A BahnCard 25 (€62.90 in second class) gives 25% off and pays off on a long rail trip, but it renews automatically unless cancelled.
- Regional day passes: the Bayern-Ticket costs €34 for one person plus €10 for each extra person (up to five) for a day of regional trains and buses in Bavaria, valid from 9 a.m. on weekdays; it is the classic way to reach Neuschwanstein from Munich.
- City transport: in Berlin, a single AB ticket costs €4.00, a 24-hour AB ticket €11.20 and a 48-hour Berlin WelcomeCard (AB) €28.50; in Munich, a single in zone M costs €4.20 and a day ticket €10.10; in Hamburg, a single AB ticket costs €4.10.
Our Germany itinerary shows how to link Berlin, Munich, the Rhine and the Bavarian Alps by train.
Sightseeing fees and free things to do
Germany’s castles and museums are fairly priced, and many state museums are free for under-18s.
| Sight (adult, 2026) | Entry |
|---|---|
| Neuschwanstein Castle (guided tour) | €21, plus €2.50 online booking fee; under 18 free |
| Museum Island, Berlin (one-day ticket) | €24; under 18 free |
| Munich Residenz (museum, treasury and Cuvilliés Theatre) | €20; under 18 free |
| Miniatur Wunderland, Hamburg | €22 |
| Historic Green Vault, Dresden | €18 |
| Marksburg, Middle Rhine Valley | €12 |
| Heidelberg Castle (with funicular) | €11 |
| Cologne Cathedral tower climb | €8 |
| Elbphilharmonie Plaza, Hamburg (from 5 October 2026) | €5 |
| Reichstag dome, Berlin | Free, with advance registration |
Much of the best of Germany costs nothing: the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall Memorial and East Side Gallery, the Topography of Terror documentation center, Munich’s English Garden and Hofgarten, the town walls of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the Christmas markets, and hiking in the Black Forest and Saxon Switzerland. See our top places to visit in Germany for the highlights.
A sample mid-range week
Here is one person’s share of a week with three nights in Berlin and four in Munich, including a day trip to Neuschwanstein, staying in a mid-range room for two and using the example day above:
| Item (per person, 7 nights) | Cost |
|---|---|
| Half of a €120–180 room | €420–630 |
| Berlin city tax, 7.5% for three nights | €14–20 |
| Food, at about €60 a day | About €420 |
| Three Berlin 24-hour tickets and four Munich day tickets | About €74 |
| Berlin to Munich on a Super Sparpreis fare | From €18 |
| Museum Island, the Residenz, Neuschwanstein with booking fee, and a Bayern-Ticket | About €102 |
| Total, before flights | About €1,050–1,265 ($1,185–1,430) |
The same week from January to March usually costs less, because city hotels are cheapest then; during Oktoberfest or a big trade fair, the room line can double. If the cheapest saver fares are gone, the train costs more.
Tipping in Germany
Service is included in prices, and tips are a thank-you rather than an obligation. In restaurants, rounding up or adding about 5–10% is usual; say the total you want to pay when the server brings the card reader, rather than leaving money on the table. Our tip calculator works out amounts on the spot.
Money-saving tips for Germany
- Check trade-fair calendars before you book. A big fair can double hotel prices in the host city; stay a short train ride away instead.
- Book fast trains early for Super Sparpreis fares from €17.99, and compare with slower regional trains on the Deutschlandticket.
- Use day tickets and regional passes. The Bayern-Ticket covers up to five people for €74, cheaper than five return tickets.
- Stay in Bavaria for no bed tax, and choose a room without breakfast if a bakery is around the corner.
- Mix free and paid sights. Pair Museum Island with the free Reichstag dome and Berlin Wall Memorial.
- Eat a big lunch. Lunch specials and beer gardens cost less than dinner menus.
Plan your trip: our free trip planner can build a day-by-day plan for Germany from our guides, including Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne and the Bavarian Alps. Then use the Money exchange tool to turn euros into your own currency, and the Destination weather tool to pick your dates.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need for a week in Germany?
Using the Berlin example days above, seven days on the ground cost roughly €420–560 ($475–635) per person on a hostel budget, €1,085–1,295 ($1,225–1,465) mid-range and €1,365–1,995 ($1,540–2,255) in comfort, before flights, long-distance trains and city taxes. European visitors spent roughly €930 per trip in 2025, including travel.
Is Germany expensive?
Moderately so for western Europe. Germany scores 113 on our travel cost scale (US = 100), similar to France and below the Netherlands and Switzerland. Berlin hotels, bakeries, beer gardens and the €63 Deutschlandticket are good value; Munich at Oktoberfest and trade-fair weeks are not.
Do I need cash in Germany?
It helps. Cards are accepted in hotels, chain stores, train ticket machines and most restaurants, but Germans still pay cash more than most Europeans, and some bakeries, small cafés, market stalls and beer gardens prefer it. Carry some euros.
Is the Deutschlandticket worth it for tourists?
For a stay of a week or more with day trips by regional train, often yes: €63 covers a whole month of local and regional transport nationwide. It does not cover ICE or IC fast trains, and it is a subscription you must cancel by the 10th of the month.
How much is the city tax in Berlin?
7.5% of the room price since 2025, added by your hotel. Hamburg charges a per-night amount that rises with the room price, Cologne 5%, and Munich and the rest of Bavaria nothing.
What is the cheapest month to visit Germany?
January to March, outside trade fairs and the ski resorts, when city hotels are at their cheapest; November is also quiet before the Christmas markets open. See our best time to visit Germany guide for the weather month by month.