Overview
- The Post Office’s 2026 City Costs Barometer, published 22 May, places Sarajevo first with a total surveyed trip cost of £248.27.
- Bucharest and Tirana complete the top three while Lille and Strasbourg are the best-value options in western Europe and Oslo and Copenhagen are the most expensive.
- The ranking uses a fixed basket of items — two nights’ three-star city‑centre accommodation, meals, local transport, transfers and top attraction tickets — with hotel rates averaged from the 10 cheapest Hotels.com listings for 5–7 June.
- The report notes big hotel price rises in Lisbon, Prague, Warsaw and Porto and falls in Stockholm, Venice and Rome, with Stockholm’s accommodation down about 25 percent, changes that materially shift year‑on‑year affordability.
- Post Office travel analysts say lower local prices plus good Eurostar and high‑speed rail links make short surface‑travel breaks to Lille and Strasbourg especially appealing for UK travellers and could steer demand toward cheaper eastern capitals.