Romance gets pricier: what a date in Prague and around the world costs now

A date night with dinner, a movie and a taxi ride keeps getting more expensive — over the past decade, prices have climbed in cities around the world, with costs varying by as much as tenfold between countries. That's according to a new study by Deutsche Bank, which compared the cost of living in 69 cities worldwide, contrasting 2026 figures with those from 2016.

The bank's analysts define a "typical" date as a bottle of wine, two cups of coffee, dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant, two cinema tickets, two one-way public transport rides, and a 5-kilometre taxi trip. The calculation also factors in clothing costs — a pair of jeans and a dress.

Cities in India turned out to be the cheapest for couples in love: in Delhi, such a date would cost just 103 dollars, in Bangalore 106 dollars, and in Mumbai 115 dollars. A pair of Levi's 501 jeans, for instance, costs around 30 dollars in India, compared to 88 dollars in Prague and a whopping 141 dollars in Geneva.

Romance has also become cheaper elsewhere in Asia. In Tokyo, a date now costs around 200 dollars — a quarter less than a decade ago. A three-course dinner for two there runs about 43 dollars, one of the lowest prices among developed economies.

Zurich, New York and Geneva, on the other hand, remain among the world's priciest cities for dining out: a three-course dinner for two in Zurich can cost around 150 dollars. In Swiss cities, Tel Aviv, Scandinavian countries, London and New York, total date-night spending reaches 350 to 500 dollars.

Tel Aviv earns a dubious distinction of its own — even fast food there is a splurge: a McDonald's Big Mac meal costs 20.9 dollars, more than in Zurich and more than anywhere else in the world.

The cheapest place to enjoy a glass of wine is Rome (4.6 dollars), followed by Lisbon (5.7 dollars), while in Singapore a mid-range bottle of wine will set you back 23.2 dollars. For a good cappuccino, head to Milan, where a cup costs just 2.18 dollars — three times cheaper than in Zurich.

Prague remains a happy medium for couples, though prices here have risen noticeably over the decade. A full date — including a movie, dinner, drinks, transport and clothing for two — now costs around 250 dollars, 46% more than in 2016. A one-way public transport ticket costs about 1.85 dollars, up 62% from ten years ago, though still cheaper than in many other European capitals. A monthly transit pass in Prague costs 26 dollars, compared to 268 dollars in London.

Deutsche Bank analysts Jim Reid and Galina Pozdnyakova note that Prague, Warsaw and Budapest have long ceased to be budget destinations. "Wage growth, EU membership-related investment, labour market shortages, post-pandemic inflation and capital inflows into real estate have pushed prices in these cities closer to Western European levels," the study states. This convergence is especially visible in housing and leisure spending — the authors call it "strikingly pronounced," adding that while this is good news for economic growth, it's less welcome for anyone still hoping for a cheap weekend getaway in Prague.

Japan, too, has changed over the past decade: once synonymous with sky-high prices, Tokyo now sits in the middle or even the lower half of price rankings among developed economies, thanks to a weak yen, low inflation and stagnant wages.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz