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The cheapest (and priciest) cities for a first date

Two beers and two coffees cost 5.20 EUR in Hanoi and 36.70 EUR in Reykjavik. The 10 cheapest and 10 most expensive cities for a first date, plus ways to keep it cheap anywhere.

By Jev, founder of YesTonite · · 3 min read

Silhouettes of two people against a pink sunset

A first date shouldn't need a budget plan. But depending on where you live, the same simple evening can cost the price of a sandwich or the price of a concert ticket. To compare cities fairly, we use one simple basket: 2 beers and 2 cappuccinos, the kind of order two people place on a relaxed first date.

We worked out that basket for 142 cities in our international dating guide. The prices are our own estimates in euros, based on Numbeo data checked in October 2026. Local prices change from one neighbourhood to the next, and exchange rates move, so treat these as a good guide rather than a menu.

The 10 cheapest cities for a first date

  • Hanoi: 5.20 EUR
  • Ho Chi Minh City: 5.20 EUR
  • Manila: 6.60 EUR
  • Chiang Mai: 7.10 EUR
  • Delhi: 7.90 EUR
  • Rio de Janeiro: 8.00 EUR
  • Bangalore: 8.10 EUR
  • Jakarta: 8.20 EUR
  • Skopje: 8.60 EUR
  • Seville: 8.70 EUR

Southeast Asia dominates. In Hanoi a beer costs about 0.91 EUR, and in Manila about 1.05 EUR. Skopje and Seville are the only European cities in the top 10, which makes Seville a rare case: cheap, and also number two in our overall index.

The 10 most expensive cities for a first date

  • Reykjavik: 36.70 EUR
  • Trondheim: 33.90 EUR
  • Bergen: 32.50 EUR
  • Oslo: 32.10 EUR
  • Zurich: 29.90 EUR
  • Copenhagen: 28.50 EUR
  • Geneva: 28.40 EUR
  • Helsinki: 27.30 EUR
  • Washington, D.C.: 27.00 EUR
  • London: 26.80 EUR

The Nordic countries and Switzerland fill most of this list. A single beer costs about 12.41 EUR in Reykjavik and 10.65 EUR in Oslo. The same drinks that cost 5.20 EUR in Hanoi cost seven times as much in Reykjavik.

Somewhere in between

Most big cities land in the middle. For comparison: Lisbon is 11.40 EUR, Prague 12.20 EUR, Berlin 17.40 EUR, Paris 22.80 EUR and New York City 26.00 EUR. You can sort every city by date budget on the guides map.

How to keep a first date cheap, anywhere

A first date has one job: to find out if you want a second one. That rarely needs an expensive table. Some ideas that work in any city:

  • Start with coffee or one drink. It's short, low pressure and easy to extend if things go well. If they don't, nobody has spent much time or money.
  • Use the free stuff. Parks, viewpoints, museum evenings and riverside walks cost nothing and give you something to talk about.
  • Talk about the bill openly. In many cities splitting is normal, and offering to split or to get the next round is always polite.
  • Plan the date around a walk. Meet at a café, then walk somewhere nice. You spend less, and conversation flows more easily side by side.

Free and cheap date ideas from our city guides

Even in the expensive cities there are good dates that cost little or nothing. A few examples straight from our date-spots guides:

  • Oslo: walk up the sloping roof of the Oslo Opera House for a free view over the city and the fjord, or stroll through Vigeland Park, which is always open and free.
  • London: book a free ticket for the Sky Garden at the top of the Walkie Talkie tower, or go to Tate Modern, where the collection is free and open until 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
  • Manila: entry to the National Museum of Fine Arts is free, and Rizal Park is right there for a walk afterwards.
  • Bangkok: walk the skywalks of Benjakitti Forest Park in the late afternoon, which costs nothing, or hop on the orange-flag Chao Phraya Express Boat for a flat 19 baht on weekdays.

Cheap doesn't have to mean careless

Price isn't everything. Rio de Janeiro is one of the cheapest cities on our list, but it also scores 1.4 out of 10 for safety at night. Whatever the budget, meet somewhere public, tell a friend where you're going and plan how you'll get home. Each country page in the guide has local safety tips too.

And if your date wants to pay, or to split, go with it gracefully. Habits vary a lot between countries, and the dating culture pages explain what's normal where.

All prices are YesTonite's own estimates from public data (Numbeo, checked October 2026) and will be updated as new numbers come out.

YesTonite is a free app that shows who nearby is going out tonight, so a cheap coffee can turn into a plan the same evening.

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Cheapest cities for a first date, and the priciest