Deutsche Bank Research Institute compared the cost of a notional date in 28 European cities and found that the highest costs are in Geneva (€407) and Zurich (€400), while the lowest are in Istanbul (€168).
What the expense bundle included and where the data came from
To make the comparison researchers used a notional bundle of expenses that covers dinner at a restaurant, coffee, cinema tickets, clothing, public transport and taxi, as well as wine. The authors emphasise that the index is not limited to the price of one meal, because clothing and wine can make up a substantial share.
Price data were taken from the platform Numbeo, which collects information from users, and reflect the situation as of mid-2026. For income comparisons the researchers used Numbeo’s city estimates and compared them with national data from Eurostat.
Cities with the highest and lowest costs
The most expensive in the ranking were Swiss cities: Geneva — €407 and Zurich — €400. Also among the most expensive were Oslo and Copenhagen (€323), Stockholm (€310) and Helsinki (€296); the average for the 28 cities is €270.
The cheapest city on the list was Istanbul with €168; in Rome the bundle costs €195. Among the large economies London — €317, Paris — €279, Milan — €278, while in Madrid and Barcelona the figures are €219 and €213 respectively.
Share of monthly salary spent on a notional date
After comparing with incomes the picture changes: residents of Zurich spend 5.6% of the average monthly salary after taxes on a notional date, in Geneva — 6.4%. Next come Luxembourg 6.6%, Amsterdam 6.7% and Frankfurt 7.2%.
In other cities the share of income is much higher: in Athens a notional date costs €222 and takes 19.6% of the average monthly salary after taxes (according to Numbeo’s estimate — €1 132). Second highest by income share is Istanbul 16.7%, followed by Lisbon 16.3% and Budapest 15.6%. According to comparisons with Eurostat, the figures for Athens and Lisbon would be lower (12.4% and 12.6% respectively).
