Planning your first Oktoberfest can spark cost shock—rumours of €15 beers and quadrupled hotel rates flood every forum. Yet the real Oktoberfest in Germany cost depends on savvy timing, clever lodging choices, and what you consider essential . This guide dissects every expense so you can toast Bavaria without draining your budget too quickly.
Quick Summary – Oktoberfest in Munich might seem expensive but the actual costs depend on your choices like the accommodations, visit times, food and the beer. A typical day in the beer festival costs about €120–€150 with beer and food dominating your bill. Minimize your expenses by skipping the tent reservations, staying in the nearby suburbs and timing your visit to the Oktoberfest.
Most visitors spend between €120 and €150 for a full festival day—including two Maß beers, a hearty meal, a couple of rides, and local transport—while a 2-night weekend in Munich typically runs €550 to €700 once you factor in peak-season lodging.
| Scenario | Spend Breakdown | Total € |
| One-Day Hit & Quit | 2 × 1 L beers (€30) – Half-chicken meal (€17) – 2 rides & games (€15) – MVV day ticket (€9) | ≈ €70 |
| Day-Trip on a Budget | Same as above plus thrift stall lunch (-€7 vs. tent meal) – No rides | ≈ €55 |
| 2-Night Weekend (Hostel) | Dorm bed 2 nts (€180) – 4 × beers (€60) – 2 full meals (€34) – 3 rides (€20) – MVV 3-day group pass share (€15) | ≈ €310 |
| 2-Night Weekend (Mid-Range Hotel) | Double room 2 nts (€420) – 6 × beers (€90) – 2 meals in tent + 1 city dinner (€60) – 5 rides (€35) – MVV tickets & taxis (€40) | ≈ €645 |
Thinking about “how much to Budget for Oktoberfest?” Use this quick overview to budget for your Oktoberfest getaway!
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You pay nothing to walk onto the Theresienwiese grounds. The turnstiles and parades are entirely free. But once you step inside a tent the cost meter starts running. The beer prices will be as follows:
Ride tokens:
In case you didn’t know – The 2025 beer tariff in Oktoberfest in Germany Cost will be about 3% – 5% higher than 2024, continuing the festival’s steady €0.50–€0.70 per liter annual climb seen over the past decade.
| Classic Dish (2025) | Portion | Price € |
| Half roast chicken (Hendl) | ½ bird | 15 – 19 |
| Schweinshaxe (pork knuckle) | 1 kg | 20 – 27 |
| Giant pretzel (Brezn) | 1 unit | 5 – 6 |
| Käsekuchen (cheesecake slice) | 1 slice | 4 – 5 |
| Weißwurst & pretzel set | 2 sausages | 8 – 10 |
Expect annual menu hikes of ~5%—roughly €0.50–€1 added to staple items each new season. Also, make sure to book your Germany Schengen Visa Appointment from UK in advance for a smooth trip to the Oktoberfest!
Booking a table or a tent isn’t obligatory, but it locks in seats during the busiest evenings. Each reservation is anchored to prepaid food-and-drink vouchers—most tents issue a bundle of 2 Maß beers + ½ roast chicken for ~€40 pp, collected when you book.
How to reserve online?
Note – some tents also offer print-at-home PDFs for the domestic addresses. On the other hand, the overseas guests will still receive hard-copy vouchers by post. All you need is a Germany visa from UK to get started!
What are the Pros and cons of reserving a tent/table at Oktoberfest?
Expect a short-term price spike of 300%+ across central Munich once the tapping of the first keg nears. Typical 2025 nightly rates are:
Pro Tip: Ride the S-Bahn 20–30 min to the nearby suburbs. This way, you’ll often slash costs by 30–50%. Search suburbs such as Pasing (S3/S4), Dachau (S2), Erding (S2 east), Freising (regional rail), or Gauting (S6)—all offer late-night trains back until after midnight.
Even during peak weekends you can keep a visit under €60 by making a few smart swaps:
Yes—if you treat it as a once-in-a-lifetime cultural blow-out, the atmosphere justifies the €120–€150 most visitors shell out per full day. A litre-beer, brass bands on the benches, and Bavarian pageantry simply don’t replicate elsewhere.
On cost alone, the math stacks up: Rio Carnival blocos average €180 per day once you add paid camarotes and drinks, while a St. Patrick’s Day pub-crawl in Dublin climbs past €130 with cover charges and Guinness pints. “I enjoyed €15 beers until I was arm-in-arm singing ‘Ein Prosit’; at that moment it felt priceless,” recalls a traveler from the UK who visited the Oktoberfest 2024.
Factor in free entry to the grounds, choose weekday sessions, and split a group transit ticket, and Oktoberfest lands closer to a premium concert than a budget-breaker—making the splurge reasonable for the immersive memories!
The Oktoberfest in Germany cost isn’t fixed; it rises or falls with your choices. Book early, ride the S-Bahn, and limit those liter-sized steins, and the world’s largest beer festival costs no more than a weekend concert trip. Overspend freely, and you’ll still walk away with unforgettable stories worth every last euro.
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Plan on €120 – €150 per person for a full festival day, covering two Maß beers, a hearty meal, a few rides, and local transport; a 2-night weekend including accommodation typically lands between €550 and €700.
A one-liter Maß of Festbier costs €14.00 – €16.50 in the main tents, with Radler or Spezi (0.5 L) at €4 – €6.
Tuesday or Wednesday mornings are the lightest on crowds and prices—many tents run “family hour” food discounts, and free entry events like brass-band contests add value.
If you want an evening seat without queuing, yes—a reservation secures a table and includes prepaid vouchers (≈ €40 for 2 beers + ½ chicken). Skip it if you’re happy to line up early on weekday mornings.
Look beyond the city ring: hostel dorms near the Hauptbahnhof cost around €80 – €130, while the suburbs easily reachable via the S-Bahn—Dachau, Pasing, Erding, Freising—cut costs by 30–50% and still offer late-night trains.
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