One of the first things we do when we consider moving to a new country or city is to research the cost of living of that specific location.
When we first moved to Prague, one question that kept coming up was: Is Prague expensive to live in? The quick answer is no. It can definitely be done in an affordable way when you have the right information.
After living in Prague for 3 years, we know a great deal about the city and what things should cost. So in this post, we’re going to cover everything you need to know about the cost of living in Prague.
Whether you’re an expat or a digital nomad moving to this city it’s nice to know roughly how much the cost of living will be.
We’ve fallen in love with this city and we really think it’s one of the best cities for digital nomads. It’s also great for someone who’s ready for a new adventure and maybe looking into teaching English abroad in a new country.
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Everything you need to know about the cost of living in Prague
After living in Prague on two separate occasions working as an English teacher and also freelancing we have a good idea of the cost of living here and how far your money can go with different types of jobs.
By the end of this post will hopefully have everything covered so you’ll know exactly how much most things cost in the Czech Republic and Prague in specific. To simplify things, everything will be valued in USD along with the Czech local currency (CZK).
We quickly want to mention that the prices we put are always going to be on the higher end. That way you’re not surprised with anything being way more expensive than we say. Just something to take into account when reading through this post. We’d rather put a higher cost of living and end up having you save money versus the other way around.
How much does an apartment in Prague cost?
The average apartment price in Prague is anywhere from 20.000 CZK to 35.000 CZK (860 – 1.500 USD) for a 2-bedroom apartment in the city. The further you go away from the city center, the cheaper it gets.
It is also possible to rent a room in an apartment and the cost of that is usually around 12.000 CZK (520 USD).
15.000 CZK is the most we would recommend paying for a room in a shared apartment in Prague.
For this price, you will most likely be able to find a room in one of the nicer and more local parts of town such as Andel, Letna, Karlin, Vinohrady. And the room will likely be fully furnished and relatively close to all public transport and restaurants.
If it’s more expensive than 12.000 – 15.000 CZK, keep looking because there will be cheaper options that are just as good.
You can find rooms from 7.500 CZK which is a lot cheaper. But those will likely be further from the center, maybe not fully furnished, and further away from public transport. That being said, those rooms could definitely still be fine options.
You can use this Facebook group to find a flatshare/room in Prague.
The best time to find a place is usually during the summer months while people are travelling. BUT… Since Prague is a very popular expat and student city it’s quite easy to find a room in a shared apartment at any time of the year since people are always coming and leaving.
To summarize:
- Room in shared apartment: 12.000 CZK / 520 USD
- 2-bedroom apartment: 18.000 – 28.000 CZK / 850 – 1.300 USD
- Facebook group: Flatshare Prague
Also read: How to Rent an Apartment in Prague
What is the cost of beer in Prague?
We decided this was probably the next most important thing when looking at the cost of living in Prague. Jokes aside, Czech Republic is still one of the cheapest places to buy beer in Europe.
You may not know this but the Czechs actually invented the Pilsner right in the city of Plzeň. You can actually do a brewery tour of Pilsner Urquell which is worth checking out for any beer connoisseur.
So for that reason, there is plenty of beer in the Czech Republic, and you can buy it both at any grocery store, potraviny (convenience store), or pub. And the best part is that it’s not going to cost you much for a couple of pints of delicious Czech beer.
Okay, so how much is a pint of beer in Prague?
If you’re roaming around the city center, a beer will cost you around 60 CZK (2.7 USD) whereas it is much cheaper as soon as you leave Prague 1 and Old Town.
If you head towards Prague 2 or further out, you can get a pint for about 40 CZK (1.8 USD). And if you buy beer at the grocery store, it’s even cheaper (around 20 CZK / 0.9 USD).
It’s a bit out of the way on the outskirts of town but if you’re looking to try out a small local brewery in Prague then give Pocernicky Brewery a go.
To summarize:
- Beer (0.5L) at the grocery story: 20 CZK / 0.9 USD
- Beer at the pub: 40 – 50 CZK / 1.8 – 2.3 USD
- Breweries worth checking out: Pilsner Urquell & Pocernicky Pivovar
How much does a dinner cost in Prague?
One thing to keep in mind when eating out in Prague is that traditional Czech food will always be cheaper than the more expat and Insta-friendly food places. And just like with the cost of beer in Prague, the cost of food will also vary depending on what part of town you’re in.
The more classic Czech dishes will always be cheaper. Even in the center of town sometimes you can find some pretty cheap Czech meals. So you should easily be able to get a classic Czech meal and drink for under 200 CZK (10.25 USD) in the city.
But if you got to one of the more Insta-friendly places, the prices go up a bit. The prices still aren’t expensive by any means but you’ll be paying a little more for this type of food. The Insta-friendly places usually cost around 200 to 300 CZK for food and one drink. That’s around 9.5 to 14 USD.
To summarize:
- Eating out at a Czech restaurant with a drink: 160 – 220 CZK / 7.5 – 10.25 USD
- Eating out at a more Insta-friendly / expat restaurant with a drink: 200 – 300 CZK / 9.5 – 14 USD
- Get out of Prague 1 to find cheaper restaurants and cafes.
How much does public transportation cost in Prague?
If there’s one thing you need to know about Prague and the Czech Republic is that public transport is amazing and relatively inexpensive. Especially if you plan to stay in Prague long term. If you buy a one-year pass, it turns out to cost less than 15 USD a month.
The public transport pass only works for the greater Prague area but even going on day trips from Prague or weekend trips further away the prices are still really affordable in the Czech Republic.
To summarize:
- Public transport ticket per 30 minutes: 30 CZK / 1.4 USD
- Public transport ticket per day: 120 CZK / 5.5 USD
- Public transport ticket per month: 550 CZK / 26 USD
- Public transport ticket per year: 3650 CZK / 170 USD
What is the cost of cell phone plans in Czech Republic?
This is one of the most surprising things about the Czech Republic is how costly phone plans can be. For example, in Denmark where the cost of living is quite a bit higher, the phone plans are cheaper. But in Czech, phone plans aren’t that cheap compared to most other things.
You can see the Czech T-mobile phone plans here. A middle-sized plan of around 8GB is a good amount of data per month in our opinion. This cost around 1.000 CZK (45 USD) per month. Most cafes and places have wifi but because of things like using Google Maps to get to new places you likely end up using a lot more data than expected.
So most things are cheaper in the Czech compared to places like Canada, the USA, and western Europe but phone plans aren’t one of them.
To summarize:
- Monthly cell phone plan: 8 GB and unlimited talk and text for 1.000 CZK / 45 USD
What do other things cost in Prauge?
For the most part, the cost of things like sports and leisure, clothing, and utilities are fairly similar to what you would pay back home. One thing to take into consideration is as an expat you will most likely live closer to the center where prices are more expensive than in the suburbs or even outside of Prague.
Prague has really become a popular expat and digital nomad city in recent years, so the prices have gone up a bit since we first moved there. At the same time though, the expat community, the amount of things to do in the city have all gone up. So it really is an amazing city to live in!
Conclusion on the cost of living in Prague:
For the most part, we wouldn’t say there are any big surprises for the cost of living in Prague. You can definitely save a lot of money living further from the center, eating more local, and drinking local Czech beer instead of hanging out in the touristy area of Prague 1.
You can also spoil yourself a little bit and have a room or apartment closer to the center of the city and spend a bit more money.
We hope whatever way you choose to experience Prague that you enjoy every minute of it. It’s one of our favourite cities in the world for a reason so we hope you feel the same way.
If you’re serious about moving to Prague, please check out our e-book, Moving to Prague to Teach English. It includes everything from how to obtain your visa, what to bring, how to find an apartment, and much more!
You may also like…
- Moving to Prague to Teach English
- 8 Reasons Why You’ll Want to be Living in Prague
- 35 Exciting Things to Do in Prague on a Budget
- 9 Awesome Places to Teach English Abroad
- 8 Places to get a Digital Nomad Visa – What You Need to Know
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