Most "cheapest countries" lists tell you what a hostel bed costs and stop there. That's only half the picture. The other half - often the single biggest line item on any trip - is what it costs to actually get to the country in the first place. A destination with €17-a-day street food doesn't stay a budget trip if the flight there wipes out everything you saved on the ground.
This list covers both halves properly: what makes each destination genuinely affordable once you land, and how to actually reach it without the flight cost undoing the whole point.
What makes a country cheap to visit
A handful of factors consistently separate genuinely affordable destinations from ones that only look cheap on paper: a lower local cost of living, exchange rates that favour Western currencies, widely available budget accommodation, inexpensive local transport, and low-cost or free access to the main attractions. The countries below score well across most or all of these, and daily budget figures throughout are rough per-person estimates for a typical budget traveller - hostel or guesthouse accommodation, mostly local food, and public transport - rather than an absolute floor or ceiling.
It's also worth separating two different kinds of "cheap" before picking a destination. Some countries are cheap because the overall cost of living is genuinely low, which tends to hold steady across an entire trip regardless of where you go within the country. Others are cheap mainly because they're less discovered by tourism yet, which means prices can shift noticeably as an area becomes more popular - worth factoring in if you're choosing between a well-established budget destination and a newer one that might not stay this affordable for long.
1. Albania
Daily budget: roughly €23-€35. Albania has quietly become the best-value Mediterranean coastline left in Europe, offering turquoise water, Ottoman-era hill towns, and grilled seafood dinners at a fraction of Italian or Croatian prices just across the water. Tourist infrastructure is still light in most areas, which keeps prices down and crowds thinner than almost anywhere else on this coastline. The Albanian Riviera in particular has drawn comparisons to the Amalfi Coast at a small fraction of the price, while inland towns like Berat and Gjirokastër add UNESCO-listed old towns to the itinerary for very little extra cost. If you're departing from Milan, a short hop across the Adriatic makes Albania one of the easiest budget wins on this list.
2. Portugal
Daily budget: roughly €41-€59. Portugal remains the most affordable full Western European experience by a comfortable margin - proper coffee, excellent food, and genuinely beautiful cities at prices well below neighbouring Spain or France. Porto and Lisbon get most of the attention, but smaller towns inland and along the Algarve coast push costs down further still. Regional trains connect most of the country cheaply, making it easy to base yourself in one city and take day trips rather than paying for multiple hotel changes. Direct routes are common from most major European hubs, making it an easy first stop for anyone new to budget travel.
3. Poland
Daily budget: roughly €29-€41. Poland offers some of the best value in the EU - Kraków and Wrocław both combine genuinely striking old towns with prices closer to the Balkans than to Western Europe. Public transport is cheap and reliable, food is hearty and inexpensive, and the country's rail network makes it easy to combine several cities in one trip without renting a car.
4. Hungary
Daily budget: roughly €29-€41. Budapest alone justifies the trip - thermal baths, striking architecture on both sides of the Danube, and a lively food scene that costs a fraction of Vienna, just a few hours away. Outside the capital, costs drop even further, making Hungary a strong base for a longer, slower budget trip through Central Europe.
5. North Macedonia
Daily budget: roughly €23-€33. One of the least-visited, most underrated corners of the Balkans, North Macedonia pairs private rooms under €29 with restaurant meals rarely topping a few pounds. Lake Ohrid, a UNESCO-listed glacial lake ringed with Byzantine churches and clifftop monasteries, anchors most visits and remains almost entirely free to explore on foot.
6. Georgia
Daily budget: roughly €23-€35. Sitting at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Georgia offers dramatic mountain scenery, an ancient wine-growing tradition, and a capital, Tbilisi, that still feels refreshingly undiscovered. Costs across food, accommodation and local transport remain low even in the capital, and it's an easy add-on to a longer trip through the wider Caucasus region. Turkish Airlines, connecting through Istanbul, is one of the more straightforward ways to reach Tbilisi affordably from Europe.
7. Morocco
Daily budget: roughly €23-€35. Morocco delivers an entirely different continent's worth of culture and scenery for a genuinely short flight from Southern Europe - medinas, mountain villages, and desert landscapes all within a few hours of each other. Marrakech and Fes both offer excellent-value riads and street food, while the Atlas Mountains and coastal towns push prices even lower outside the main tourist circuit. ITA Airlines, with its Mediterranean-focused network, is a solid option for reaching Morocco from several European cities.
8. Serbia
Daily budget: roughly €23-€33. Belgrade has one of the most underrated nightlife and food scenes in Europe, at prices that still feel like a genuine discovery rather than a well-trodden budget destination. Novi Sad, a short train ride north, adds a quieter, riverside contrast to the capital's energy, and both cities remain inexpensive across food, drink, and accommodation alike.
9. Vietnam
Daily budget: roughly €17-€29. Vietnam consistently ranks among the very cheapest countries in the world to travel, with excellent street food for the price of a coffee back home, budget guesthouses well under €12 a night, and a north-to-south rail and bus network that makes multi-city trips easy without flying internally. The classic route from Hanoi down through Hue, Hoi An, and on to Ho Chi Minh City can be done almost entirely by train or overnight bus for very little cost, and motorbike rental remains inexpensive for those wanting to explore beyond the main cities. It's a longer journey from Europe, but Etihad Airlines, connecting through Abu Dhabi, is a commonly used route for reaching Southeast Asia affordably on a student budget.
10. Thailand
Daily budget: roughly €21-€33. Thailand remains one of the most reliable budget destinations anywhere, combining excellent, inexpensive food, an established backpacker infrastructure, and a genuinely wide range of experiences from island beaches to northern mountain towns. Costs have crept up in the most touristed areas like central Bangkok and the busiest islands, but stepping just slightly outside the main circuit, into Chiang Mai's surrounding countryside or the quieter southern islands, brings prices back down considerably while still keeping the same reliable transport and accommodation infrastructure that makes Thailand an easy country to travel independently.
11. India
Daily budget: roughly €14-€23. India remains one of the cheapest full countries to travel anywhere in the world, offering an enormous range of experience - Himalayan trekking, coastal Goa, historic Rajasthan, dense modern cities - all at prices that make even a long trip genuinely affordable. Rail travel in particular is both remarkably cheap and part of the experience itself, with sleeper classes covering huge distances for a fraction of what a comparable European train would cost. A month-long trip covering several regions is genuinely achievable on a modest budget, which is part of why India consistently tops most cheapest-country rankings outright.
12. Egypt
Daily budget: roughly €21-€33. Beyond the well-known pyramids and Nile cruises, Egypt offers some of the best value diving and Red Sea coastline anywhere in the world, alongside genuinely ancient history at a fraction of the cost of comparable sites in Europe. Domestic transport between Cairo, Luxor, and the coastal resort towns remains inexpensive, and package-style diving trips out of the Red Sea resorts are considerably cheaper than comparable diving destinations in Southeast Asia. A short flight from several European hubs keeps the getting-there cost reasonable too.
13. Bulgaria
Daily budget: roughly €26-€35. Often overlooked in favour of its Balkan neighbours, Bulgaria offers Black Sea beaches, mountain ski towns, and a capital, Sofia, where a proper meal out rarely stretches a budget. It remains one of the least expensive EU countries to visit, with costs closer to the Balkans than to Western Europe despite full EU membership.
14. Indonesia
Daily budget: roughly €21-€33. Bali's main tourist areas have grown noticeably pricier in recent years, but islands like Lombok, Flores, and quieter corners of Java still deliver the classic Southeast Asian backpacker experience at a genuinely low daily cost, alongside some of the best value diving and surfing anywhere in the region.
15. Nepal
Daily budget: roughly €17-€29. Nepal combines some of the most dramatic trekking on the planet with daily costs that remain remarkably low even for multi-week itineraries, since teahouse accommodation and simple local meals along the main trekking routes are priced for exactly this kind of extended budget travel.
Quick comparison: all 15 at a glance
- Albania - €23-€35/day: Mediterranean coastline and charming Ottoman hill towns.
- Portugal - €41-€59/day: A full Western European experience at a lower cost.
- Poland - €29-€41/day: Historic old towns and convenient rail travel.
- Hungary - €29-€41/day: Famous for Budapest's architecture and relaxing thermal baths.
- North Macedonia - €23-€33/day: Home to Lake Ohrid and some of the Balkans' least crowded destinations.
- Georgia - €23-€35/day: Mountain landscapes, renowned wine regions, and the vibrant capital, Tbilisi.
- Morocco - €23-€35/day: Bustling medinas, Sahara Desert adventures, and easy access from Europe.
- Serbia - €23-€33/day: Belgrade's nightlife and the riverside charm of Novi Sad.
- Vietnam - €17-€29/day: Excellent street food and scenic rail journeys from north to south.
- Thailand - €21-€33/day: Tropical islands, affordable travel, and a well-developed backpacker network.
- India - €14-€23/day: Diverse experiences with some of the world's most affordable rail travel.
- Egypt - €21-€33/day: Ancient monuments, Nile cruises, and Red Sea diving.
- Bulgaria - €26-€35/day: Low-cost EU travel with Black Sea beaches and mountain escapes.
- Indonesia - €21-€33/day: Diving, surfing, and quieter islands beyond Bali.
- Nepal - €17-€29/day: Himalayan trekking with budget-friendly teahouse accommodation.
Getting there affects your budget more than people think
A country with a €17 daily budget can still add up to a pricier trip overall if the flight there costs more than the entire ground portion combined. This is exactly why comparing routes properly matters as much as picking the destination - our guide on how to find cheap flights covers the search strategies worth using, and our guide to the best time to book flights breaks down how far in advance to book for the destination type you're considering, since long-haul routes to places like Vietnam or India follow a noticeably different booking timeline than a short hop to Albania or Portugal.
If you're a student, it's worth checking discounted fares before assuming a distant destination is out of budget. Our guide on how to save money as a student explains how student fares, verified discounts and travel offers can reduce the overall cost of a trip before you book. Verified student pricing can make a longer-haul trip to somewhere like India or Vietnam considerably more comparable in flight cost to a short European hop than the sticker price suggests. Wherever you're departing from - Berlin, Rome, Hamburg, Stuttgart or Cologne - checking the route to your shortlisted destination is worth doing before ruling anything out on price alone.
Setting up price alerts before you book can also help you spot fare drops, and our guide on how to track flights explains how to monitor routes without checking prices manually every day.
The takeaway
The cheapest country to visit isn't just the one with the lowest daily budget on paper - it's the one where the full trip cost, flight included, actually adds up to the best value for your money. Set up your Flyla flight deal alerts on the routes that interest you from this list, and let the flight side of the budget take care of itself.