After leaving Poland in mid-August, we spent two weeks traveling through the Baltics (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia). We spent three full days in each country’s capital city (Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn), so costs may differ if you are traveling outside the capitals. Here’s a detailed breakdown of every cent we spent. [We also took a day trip to Helsinki from Tallinn, but we’ll cover that in a separate post. Helsinki was definitely more expensive than any of the Baltic capitals! ;)]
Lithuania (Vilnius): $359.39
Transportation: $0
Our apartment was within walking distance from the bus station, and we walked everywhere in Vilnius, so we had no transportation costs in the city. Average: $0/day.
Lodging: $155.61
We stayed at a fantastic Airbnb within short walking distance of the Old Town. Unfortunately, it looks like the apartment is no longer listed. Average: $51.87/night.
Eating out: $68.37
Vilnius didn’t feel like a particularly cheap place to eat out (but we were also probably biased because we had just left Ukraine and Poland, where eating out was extremely affordable). Nevertheless, our total for this category remained relatively low because we cooked about half our meals at home. Average: $22.79/day.
Treats: $2.22
We like treats, so this category includes any coffee, dessert or alcohol that was not purchased as part of a meal (or a grocery run). Our only “treat” in Vilnius was trying ice cream with cheese, a local favorite. (We had plenty of other treats in Vilnius, too—but we bought them at the grocery store.) Average: $0.74/day.
Groceries/household items: $81.21
As mentioned above, we bought a fair amount of groceries in Vilnius. We also visited a specialty shop one day for meat, cheese and wine for a picnic, which accounted for about $30 of this total. Average: $27.07/day.
Entertainment (tours, etc.): $31.08
We tipped our free walking tour guide (20 euros) and visited the Museum of Genocide Victims (also known as the KGB Museum or the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, 4 euros each). Average: $10.36/day.
Gifts & souvenirs: $2.33
Postcards. Average: $0.77/day.
Travel insurance: $18.57
We have travel insurance through World Nomads for $6.19/day. Travel insurance costs will vary depending on chosen plan, length of travel, location, etc.
Lithuania total: $119.80/day = $59.90/person per day
Latvia (Riga): $340.31
Transportation: $8.87
We were able to walk everywhere in Riga except the day we visited the Ethnographic Museum, when we took the bus (2 euros per person per trip). Average: $2.22/day.
Lodging: $125.25
We stayed at an Airbnb in Riga. It was fine, but we wouldn’t recommend it to you. Average: $41.75/night.
Eating out: $87.21
We continued to rely more on groceries in Riga to save a little money. Restaurants weren’t too expensive, but we did have one dinner at an upscale Armenian restaurant that cost $45. Otherwise, if you stay out of the Old Town, you can eat out for a reasonable price in Riga. Average: $29.07/day.
Treats: $7.22
We like treats, so this category includes any coffee, dessert or alcohol that was not purchased as part of a meal (or a grocery run). We treated ourselves to coffee one day at the lovely Miit Coffee. Average: $2.41/day.
Groceries/household items: $56.16
Salad and sandwich fixings to prepare our own easy meals (including another picnic!). Average: $18.72/day.
Entertainment (tours, etc.): $34.36
This includes our free walking tour tips (we both joined the Old Town walking tour, and Megan also did the Art Nouveau walking tour), as well as admission to the Peitav Synagogue (3 euros each) and The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia (4 euros each). Average: $11.45/day.
Gifts & souvenirs: $2.67
Postcards again. Average: $0.89/day.
Travel insurance: $18.57
We have travel insurance through World Nomads for $6.19/day. Travel insurance costs will vary depending on chosen plan, length of travel, location, etc.
Latvia total: $113.44/day = $56.72/person per day
Estonia (Tallinn): $420.57
Transportation: $13.74
We’ve been pretty good about not taking taxi or ride-share rides when we can walk or take public transportation instead. But in Tallinn, we did take two Uber rides: one from the bus station to our apartment (it was raining), and one to the airport. Each ride cost less than $7 USD, so it didn’t end up being as much of a “splurge” as we expected. Average: $4.58/day.
Lodging: $131.49
Our Airbnb in Tallinn was a decent walk from Old Town because the options closer to Old Town were quite expensive. At first, I was a little bummed about this, but we soon discovered we much preferred the alternative district (Kalamaja) to Old Town, and it was just down the road! So being cheap worked out for the best. 😉 Average: $43.83/night.
Eating out: $195.60
We reverted to our usual habit of eating out for most meals when we were in Tallinn. As always, eating in the Old Town is more expensive, so we were more than happy to enjoy most of our meals in Kalamaja. One of our favorite meals was at F-Hoone (reservations recommended). Average: $65.20/day.
Treats: $21.18
We like treats, so this category includes any coffee, dessert or alcohol that was not purchased as part of a meal (or a grocery run). We treated ourselves to drinks and ice cream several times in Tallinn. (Megan loved the sparkling rhubarb wine, and Jonathan recommends the ice cream from La Muu.) Average: $7.06/day.
Groceries/household items: $15.49
Back to our minimal grocery habits: mostly chips and small breakfast items. Average: $5.16/day.
Entertainment (tours, etc.): $22.27
Instead of our usual free walking tour, we joined an interactive, costumed medieval walking tour in Tallinn: Tales of Reval. It was so entertaining! We tipped our guide 20 euros. Average: $7.42/day.
Gifts & souvenirs: $2.23
Yup, you guessed it: postcards! We are so creative with our gifts and souvenirs. 😉 Average: $0.74/day.
Travel insurance: $18.57
We have travel insurance through World Nomads for $6.19/day. Travel insurance costs will vary depending on chosen plan, length of travel, location, etc.
Estonia total: $140.19/day = $70.10/person per day
The above totals only represent days spent entirely in one city in order to clearly delineate the costs of each city. We also spent $391.17 on our travel days to each city (including intercity bus tickets, travel insurance, lodging and food), which averaged $130.39/day.
Total: $1,511.44 = $125.95/day = $62.97/person* per day
*Did you know we have a new page on the blog completely dedicated to Money & Budgeting? Check it out! We also list our country-specific costs on this page, but those numbers might differ a bit from the numbers shown here. The numbers in our detailed budgeting posts (like this one) are a true reflection of what we personally spent on our trip. The numbers on the Money & Budgeting page are meant to reflect what a typical tourist traveling at our comfort level can expect to spend.
Of course, you can always spend far less (or far more) than the numbers listed here or on our Money & Budgeting page. These figures are provided as a loose guide to help you plan travels within your budget range.
Feature image: Traditional buildings in the Old Town of Tallinn
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