How Much We Spent Living in Pisa and Traveling in Tuscany
As part of our winter escape, Andy and I spent a month living in Pisa, Italy. We spent the month alternating between work and exploring Tuscany, although the balance was a bit off for several reasons. In general, basing yourself in one place for a long period of time is a great way to explore the surrounding area. Here’s how much we spent living in Pisa and traveling in Tuscany.
Total Pisa and Tuscany travel costs
Amounts are listed in euros and US dollars using the exchange rate at the time we were there.
Accommodation: 1,156€ / $1,445
Transportation: 173€ / $216.25
Food: 865.01€ / $1,081.26
Activities: 86€ / $107.50
Miscellaneous: 59.60€ / $74.50
Total: 2,339.61€ / $2,924.51
This does not include how much I spent in Cinque Terre. It also doesn’t include our trains from Rome to Pisa at the beginning or our trains back to Rome at the end of the month.
Total accommodation costs in Pisa and Tuscany – 1,156€
We looked all over Tuscany and even in parts of Umbria and Emilia Romagna for an apartment to rent during our month in Italy. We decided on Pisa because it was the only apartment we could find that was less than what we were getting from our renters in Freiburg. In hindsight, we should’ve just spent a little extra to get a place in a bigger city or at least closer to the center of Pisa.
We spent 909€ on our monthly rental in Pisa. This averages out to 29.32€ per night or 14.66€ per person per night for the 31 nights we rented an apartment in Pisa. We also spent 83€ on one night at this hotel in Siena and 168€ on two nights at this hotel in Cortona.
Transportation costs in Pisa and Tuscany – 173€
We couldn’t find any transport ticket option such as a monthly pass or weekly pass that didn’t require us to commit to an annual subscription, so we were stuck buying 10 packs (9€ for a 10 pack) of single tickets for the buses. This total also includes two taxis, local trains to and from Lucca, Siena, Livorno, and Cortona, and a few buses in those cities.
Cost of food in Pisa and Tuscany – 865.01€
We didn’t eat out a lot in Pisa because there weren’t a lot of options near our apartment. Going into the center for dinner usually meant having to walk 30 minutes in each direction because the buses stopped running at 8:30pm, and in Italy it’s hard to eat dinner before 9pm. This total includes a few meals a week at restaurants plus grocery shopping, alcohol, and lots of gelato. We averaged 26.21€ per day or 13.11€ per person per day on food over 33 days.
Cost of activities in Tuscany – 86€
I guess we do a lot of free things because we almost never spend a lot in this category. The steam train from Siena through Tuscany is in this category because it was more entertainment than transportation, and that was 64€ (32€ per person). We also spent 8€ (4€ each) to climb a tower in Lucca and 14€ (7€ each) to climb a church in Siena.
Total miscellaneous spending – 59.60€
This total is almost entirely for two bras and a pair of jeans I bought, so that might not apply to you. But keep in mind that you will end up buying more staple items if you’re traveling for longer periods of time. It also includes postcards, stamps, a few things we had to print, a bathroom fee, and a couple of maps.
This is one of the few times when I think there isn’t much we could’ve done to spend less. We could’ve cut out a few restaurant meals (not that there were many) and the alcohol, but none of that would’ve made a huge dent. We probably could’ve found a cheaper apartment, but the quality and/or location would’ve suffered as well. This is also one of the few times when I think we should’ve spent more money for a better location. Overall we averaged 70.90€ per day or 35.45€ per person per day for 33 days living in Pisa and traveling in Tuscany.
You might also enjoy:
- How Much We Spent Traveling in Rome
- How Much We Spent Traveling in Europe for Two Months
- Unconventional Italy Guidebook: 100 Locals Tell You Where to Go, What to Eat, and How to Fit In
- Or read more about real travel spending
June 22, 2015 @ 3:55 PM
great breakdown of how to travel long term and at what cost………….the best i have been able to do traveling solo for 3 months was 80.00 us a day so brava
question:
how long did you spend searching for an apt?
what sources did you use?
i ask because i am asking other long term travelers this to see if having a travel concierge help find accommodations would interest them. i am tired of the hrs spent before a trip and during a trip, finding the ‘best’ deal for the next town….. travel agents in the USA are not interested, so i am recruiting locals to assist (that is the plan)
thanks for any additional details you can share.
LL hometoitaly.com
June 25, 2015 @ 11:28 AM
Thanks Lee! I think we were able to keep those costs down because we cooked a lot, and we weren’t staying in a very central location. We almost always use Airbnb. (If you haven’t tried them yet, here’s $25 off your first booking of $75 or more: https://www.airbnb.com/c/agarland9?s=8) It’s not a fast process, but I’ve never used any kind of travel concierge. In some places it’s easier to arrive with a place booked for a few nights and look around for more long term accommodation once you’re there. Sometime I search for local apartment sites, but that’s really hit or miss and I haven’t actually used any yet. I don’t think I have any more helpful advice than that unfortunately. We’re still learning ourselves!
June 25, 2015 @ 5:01 PM
thanks for the info and the coupon…………..the amount of time it takes to vet all the apts in the towns i visit is often more than the time i am traveling, this is why i am considering hiring someone.
I have the requirements I need for any location and it is just the hrs spent searching and verifying everything……………..and solo travel (without hostels and sleeping with strangers) can be expensive if you are not careful…….perhaps I need to compile a directory of successful air bnb stays…………..and use that as a ‘bible’. thanks again
June 29, 2015 @ 3:31 PM
No problem, sorry I couldn’t offer more help. Looking for accommodations, especially for long term stays, can definitely be time consuming. If I ever come up with a quicker trick to it, I’ll let you know 🙂
June 29, 2015 @ 7:05 PM
i will be sure to let you know what I organize………as i plan to travel 6 or more months a year, there is only time to write 30 stories book a flight and leave again!
i have used Janice Waugh’s reader list of places to stay.
but again, many travelers are tourists and $100 a night is not a problem for them………………..
i have a few tips for London and some for Italy but i need more……if you have any great apts you stayed at in Paris, the UK (anywhere) Amesterdam, AUSTRALIA, please share
June 30, 2015 @ 10:11 AM
The apartments I’ve stayed at in some of the cities you listed were short term, so I’m not sure how/if they would work for longer stays. But in Amsterdam we’ve stayed here https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/908306 and just this weekend we stayed here https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4561549. In Paris a few years ago we stayed here https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/77310. The Paris one was decent but tiny and had a really stiff bed. I stayed in hostels in Australia, so no help there, and on our recent trip to London we stayed in a hotel for a few nights, and that was expensive. I think apartments work well when you can stay longer, so look for ones that offer discounted prices for a week or month long stay. If they don’t have that listed, email them and ask about it, you never know.
June 30, 2015 @ 9:56 AM
Thank you for the info, especially the expenses. Surely, it will help in my future preference.
June 30, 2015 @ 10:14 AM
Glad to help!
June 30, 2015 @ 4:17 PM
thanks Ali, these may hlep
July 7, 2015 @ 1:16 AM
Wow, sounds like a great trip. My husband and I love to travel and have been to Italy, but not Pisa. It is definitely on our list. I would also love to go to Tuscany, so hopefully we can make it there too someday. Sounds like you had fun! Thanks for the insight and prices, it definitely helps.
July 7, 2015 @ 4:15 PM
Thanks Samantha! It was fun, and Pisa is worth exploring, but I wouldn’t recommend spending more than a few days there at most. As for the rest of Tuscany – spend as much time as you can!