A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Bucharest vs. Balaton Lake for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

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Should you visit Bucharest or Balaton Lake?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Bucharest and Balaton Lake. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.

Bucharest

Bucharest is the capital and largest city in the country of Romania. With about 2 million residents living in the city and about 2.4 million in the surrounding urban area, it is also one of the largest cities in Southeastern Europe. As such, it is the economic, industrial and commercial center for the country. As a visitor, you will likely enter Romania by arriving in Bucharest. The city continues to grow and change, and there are ongoing infrastructure projects that continue to modernize the city. It is not uncommon to find historic churches on the same block as modern office buildings and Communist style apartment buildings. There are also many sights around town and the city continues to grow as a trendy and fascinating city.

Balaton Lake

Balaton is a major freshwater lake in Hungary and the largest lake in Central Europe with a shoreline of 197 kilometers. The region around the lake is a popular holiday destination with a great number of resort towns and high-rise hotels to accommodate visitors seeking out lakeside activities, beaches, volcanic hills, and vineyards. Some of the towns are also very historic, offering examples from eighteenth-century art and architecture to castle ruins.

Which city is cheaper, Balaton Lake or Bucharest?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Bucharest is $109, while the average daily cost in Balaton Lake is $67. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Bucharest and Balaton Lake in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Bucharest $50
    Balaton Lake $37
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Bucharest $100
    Balaton Lake $74

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Bucharest $21
    Balaton Lake $9.13

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Bucharest

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Bucharest:

  • Best transfer from Bucharest Airport to City Center: $3.72
  • Bucharest airport transfer: $12
  • Private transfer from Bucharest Otopeni Airport to Bucharest: $12
  • Private Arrival Transfer from Bucharest Airport to Bucharest City: $14
  • Private Departure Transfer from Bucharest City to Bucharest Airport: $14
  • Bucharest - Private Airport Transfer: $15
  • Bucharest Airport Transfer: $16
  • Otopeni Airport Transfer to Bucharest: $16
  • Private One-Way BUCHAREST-OTP Airport Transfer: $16
  • Bucharest Airport Transfer by Minivan: $17
  • Private Bucharest Airport Transfer: $17
  • Bucharest Giurgiu Port Shared Transfer: $17

Is it cheaper to fly into Bucharest or Balaton Lake?

Prices for flights to both Balaton Lake and Bucharest change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Bucharest $46
    Balaton Lake $21

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Bucharest

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Bucharest.

  • Bucharest Evening Tour and Traditional Dinner - 3 hours: $80
  • Cooking Class in Transylvania - Day Tour from Bucharest: $199
  • Walking Food Tour in the Old Town of Bucharest: $199
  • Bucharest City Tour & Traditional Home-made Cooking Experience: $223
  • Private Dracula Castle Tour by night and Romanian traditional dinner: $331

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Bucharest $12
    Balaton Lake $16

Tours and Activities in Bucharest

Here are a few actual costs in Bucharest for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • Bellu Outdoor Museum Exploration Game & Tour: $5.67
  • Old Town Hidden Gems Exploration Game and Tour: $7.95
  • Museum of Senses Bucharest Entrance Ticket: $11
  • One Hour Epic Escape Room Adventure Mystery in Bucharest: $14
  • Escape Room Experience: $17
  • Half-day tour to the Mogoșoaia Palace by train from Bucharest: $20
  • Skip the line: Bucharest Parliament Palace Ticket: $23
  • Self-Guided Ruse from Bucharest Tour: $24
  • Skip the Line: Palace of the Parliament - Bucharest: $25
  • Guided Ceausescu Villa Tour: $25
  • Jewish Tour of Bucharest: $28
  • Dracula's Transylvania Virtual Private 2-Hour Live Guided Tour: $31

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Bucharest $7.30
    Balaton Lake $6.82

Sample the Local Flavors in Bucharest

Also in Bucharest, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • Pub Crawl in the Old Town: $23
  • Wine Tasting Tour of Bucharest Old Town: $61
  • Wine Tasting Tour at First Wine Bar: $61
  • Private Wine Tasting at Bucharest's First Wine Bar: $65
  • Bucharest City Tour and Wine Tasting – 2.5 hours: $88
  • Traditions in Village Museum & Wine Tasting: $93
  • Bike & Wine tour in Dealu Mare wineland: $96
  • Wine tasting at the mansion, Dracula's grave from Snagov & Mogosoaia Palace: $100
  • Traditions in Village Museum and Wine Tasting Tour: $100
  • Romanian Wine Tasting: $106
  • Romanian Wine Tasting Experience: $113
  • Lacerta Crama Wine Tasting: $113

About these numbers

When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Bucharest and Balaton Lake, we can see that Bucharest is more expensive. And not only is Balaton Lake much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Balaton Lake would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Balaton Lake and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Bucharest would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Bucharest than you might in Balaton Lake.

Budget Your Trip

Budget Your Trip has average travel costs for thousands of cities around the world, all provided by other travelers. You can also register to organize your spending by category and location with graphs, maps, charts, and tables.
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Bucharest vs. Balaton Lake Travel Comparison

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