Things that are cheaper in Europe. From Beyoncé tickets to handbags

Oh America, land of the Super Bowl, the Golden Gate Bridge, and delicacies such as fried oreos and deep dish pizza. God bless you.

A lot of things in the U S of A are cheaper than they are on European soil. If you’ve seen the cost of candy at one of those kazillion million American candy shops scattered around London, then you’ll know what I mean. Or the price of a Macbook. (Speaking of Macs, I wrote an article on the cost of Big Macs around the world, which is totally irrelevant to this piece, but I love some self promotion.)

And with the recent uproar over the cost of tickets in America to see the one and only Queen Bee, Mrs Carter, Goddess of the world who has blessed us for years with music we are not worthy of…aka Beyoncé, a little light bulb went off in my head.

💡 What else is cheaper in Europe?

Ok, not really a groundbreaking aha moment, but please entertain me. Or at least pity-read my article.

I will now inspire American readers to hop on a plane, and delight European readers as they revel in schadenfreude.

Turn your $ into €

Beyoncé tickets

I saw Beyoncé live in Berlin on her last world tour, and I can wholeheartedly say it was the best day of my life, and this will continue to be the case, even when I potentially have my first child. Sorry future mini me. The cost of tickets skyrocketed so much in the States that for many fans, it was cheaper to go see the actual QUEEN in London. That’s taking the cost of flights and the concert ticket itself into consideration. Just to put it into perspective with numbers…a ticket was originally listed at $400 in Las Vegas. This rose to $12,948 thanks to a little thing called real-time market supply and demand or dynamic pricing.

She really does run the world.

Designer bags

Not all designer handbags, but a fair few of the big boys are more affordable (lol “affordable”) in Europe, where the brands are from. It’s also down to price discrepancies and lovely tax refunds. Some context:

An Alma BB Canvas Louis Vuitton bag would go for $1760 dollars in the US but in the EU you’re looking at €1400. Using our fave thing here at Wise (mid-market no hidden fees currency conversion) I can tell you that that's €231.73 cheaper before tax refunds even come into play.

Wise

Just kidding, we’re not just more affordable in Europe. Our card’s available for spending in 175 countries and with a Wise account you have access to over 40+ currencies. We use the mid-market exchange rates, so no markups, no unneccesary fees, all of the ease.

Not just high end fashion, don’t worry

Sezane, zara, arket, and other stories, h and m, massimo Dutti, asos…

Unless you’re a lead in Selling Sunset or the Real Housewives of Whatever, you probably also cannot afford a Louise Voui. But wipe your tears away, a lot of European brands that you won't have to see a kidney for are also more affordable on these shores.

To name a few:

Zara

Sezane

Massimo Dutti

Flights

Travelling from country to country within Europe tends to cost less than interstate travel. Why? Well, thanks to the close proximity of our destinations and smaller airports, low-budget airlines became a thing. All hail EasyJet. It’s also down to the volume of competition among airlines. So if you’re here for a holiday, take full advantage of the petty ongoing issues that occur between airlines and mentally prepare yourself for a tiny middle seat near the aeroplane toilet. At least it only costs €30.

Groceries

If you’re here and you’re hungry, you are in luck. This doesn’t apply to all European countries, but in some, groceries can be cheaper. There’s likely a heap of reasons why this is the case, but here’s some:

Farming is heavily subsidised because governments here love a bit of wholesome, fresh food. Nom nom nom.
There is a lot more competition amongst food retailers and keeping prices low, and pushing out deals (shoutout to Lidl and Aldi). Not too dissimilar to the flight situation, are we just very shady?
We just love a bargain.

Wine

Grapes but fun, are way cheaper in a handful of European countries. According to CNBC, these are the average costs of a bottle of wine in the following countries

Portugal, $4.17

Hungary, $4.67

Slovakia, $5.21

Germany, $5.84

Spain, $5.84

Austria, $6.29

The Netherlands, $6.29

Slovenia, $6.29

Czech Republic, $6.46

The average cost of a bottle of wine in the States is $13.36, which is not a vibe. Don’t care for wine? Here’s something I put together on how to order a beer around the world.

I hope this article has filled you with shopping inspiration for your next trip. And because trip planning is always such a hoopla, we can help:

-Save for your holiday and purchases with Wise Jars

• Spend like a local with our Wise Debit Card, there for you physically and digitally
• Open balances up in your Wise account in various currencies
• Say nay to hidden fees and “omg hey” to mid-market exchange rates and transparency

Get Wise for your vacay