How much does CZK 1,000 get you around the world? In some places twice as much

The Czech crown is strong, which means that people who earn money in the Czech Republic often can find relative bargains when they travel. But there are also places where the crown won’t go as far and people might find restaurants and basic services to be a bit expensive.

Data from the comparison website Numbeo, compiled by news server Aktualne.cz, shows how far CZK 1,000 goes in the given countries. In some places, it goes more than twice as far, in others, you can buy about half.

But this year, much of the potential savings is just theoretical. Many countries remain closed to tourism or require a two-week quarantine for arrivals.

The information is practical only for countries that are open to tourists from the Czech Republic, which as of now is mainly within the European Union.

There are some generalities. Western Europe and in particular Scandinavia are more expensive for people with Czech money. Much of Eastern Europe and parts of Asia and Latin American are cheap, but there are notable exceptions.

One of the most popular destinations for people from the Czech Republic is Croatia, and aside from access to some Mediterranean beaches it also has some slight bargains, with a CZK 1,000 buying the equivalent of CZK 1,113. Most of Southeastern Europe is even cheaper, with Skopje, North Macedonia, leading the way at 1,733. In Tirana, Albania, you get almost 50 percent more value, at CZK 1,498.

Istanbul, Turkey, offers its stunning vistas with almost three-quarters extra value, at CZK 1,758.

Athens. Greece, just barely is on the plus side at CZK 1,016, while Nicosia, Cyprus, falls into the expensive section with just CZK 863 of value.

Going to neighboring Germany or Austria may save you a bit on airfare but more expensive goods and services will quickly eat that up. In Berlin and Vienna, the crown only goes three-quarters as far. Poland and Slovakia are almost the same as the Czech Republic, with Bratislava a few crowns cheaper and Warsaw a touch more expensive.

On the other hand, if you want to see the hot spring, volcanoes, and glaciers of Iceland it will cost you. In the notoriously expensive capital city Reykjavík, you get just CZK 501 worth of stuff for the Czech banknote with František Palacký on the face. Tourism is possible in Iceland, but with restrictions including PCR tests and five or six day quarantine on arrival.

The most expensive city currently is Bern, Switzerland, at CZK 442 in value. The county, though, is open to visitors from the Czech Republic.

London and Washington were second- and third-most expensive, but are both closed to tourism from the EU. In the British capital you get only CZK 484 in value. The U.S. capital offers exactly half the value: CZK 500. Last year, Washington was the most expensive city for people spending Czech crowns.

The biggest bargain in theory is Islamabad, Pakistan, where you can get the equivalent of CZK 2,526 of goods and services. In Kathmandu, Nepal, your CZK 1,000 stretches to CZK 2,186, and in New Delhi, India, it comes to CZK 2,143. The pandemic situation in India and Nepal has put them strictly off limits for the time being. Other places where the value is over CZK 2,000 are Algiers, Algeria; Tbilisi, Georgia; Tunis, Tunisia; and Cairo, Egypt. These are in theory open to tourism, with Georgia the most accessible.

A bit off the beaten track, Astana, Kazakhstan, and Baku, Azerbaijan, both offer just under CZK 2,000 and some interesting sightseeing.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia also offer value – though again, mostly in theory as strict rules either ban or severely limit leisure travel.

Aktualne.cz used current data from the website Numbeo as of June 2021 for the calculations. Numbeo is a public database where people around the world upload information about local food and service prices daily. The database also takes into account current exchange rates.

Relative value of CZK 1,000 in select European cities

Source: Numbeo, Aktualne.cz