Bachelor Party Cost: Calculator, City Prices & Who Pays

Use the calculator above to work out your stag or hen do with our own price data. Below you can read who pays, which costs come up and how to split them fairly.

Summary

• Find out first how much money everyone can actually spend.
• The costs are split between all guests – the only exception is the bride or groom.
• Travel there and back and any taxis on the night should be budgeted carefully.
• Plan the activities around the budget you have.
• Drop the meal or the overnight stay if the budget is too tight.

Who pays for the bachelor party?

The cost of a bachelor or bachelorette party is normally split equally between all the guests.

• The basic costs should be divided by the number of guests. The basic costs include drinks, entry fees, outfits, decorations and any taxis between venues.
• The shared costs cover all the activities. That might be a table booking in a club, tickets for an event or the price of a particular activity.
• If you book a stripper or a belly dancer, that cost is of course shared by everyone too. The same goes for fancy dress, if you are planning it.
• Drinks are also split between everyone. But you should set clear rules. Anyone who insists on buying a stranger a drink at the bar pays for it themselves. The bride or groom is, of course, a guest and pays nothing. They can decide for themselves whether to say thank you with a round or two.

What costs are involved?

A stag or hen do can get pretty expensive. As a rough guide per person: a relaxed evening at home comes to around €30, a pub crawl to about €80, a day trip with an activity and a party quickly to €150 to €200 – and a weekend away with flights and accommodation rarely starts below €400. Where you go depends above all on these basic costs:

• Match your travel there and back to the budget. You can’t fly to Mallorca or do a pub crawl through Amsterdam if you have only allowed €20 per head for getting there. A local public transport ticket costs from €5 upwards. If the destination is further away, you need to budget more. You may be able to cut costs if everyone travels separately.
• You decide whether you need accommodation. If the budget leaves no room, the only option is a celebration close to home. Depending on the location and season, start planning early to get an affordable room. Camping costs from €10 per head. A night in a hotel costs from €45 upwards.
• A boozy tour of the local pubs with a few drinking games costs nothing extra. An event or a massage at a spa makes a dent in the kitty. The stripper or belly dancer will also want to be paid properly. Allow between €20 and €50 each.
• For many groups, food plays a minor role on a stag or hen do. The motto is “drink till you drop”. Others hire a private chef or book a table at a three-star restaurant. It also matters whether you spend a whole day together or just the evening. Allow between €20 and €100 per person.
• Drinks are often the biggest single item and are easily underestimated. It obviously depends on how much you can put away. Budget at least €50 per person, and double that for a hard-drinking group.
• The right outfit is what makes a stag or hen do. A photo book is also a lovely keepsake. You can have a slogan T-shirt printed from €20 upwards. A full costume costs at least €50. Party crackers, streamers or other small gags cost between €2 and €10 per head.

Example budget for a stag or hen do

Below is a simple example of what a bachelor party (with one overnight stay) might cost, with an explanation under the table.

Item	Budget	Expensive
Travel	€20	€150
Accommodation	€10	€75
Outfit	€15	€30
Food	€15	€50
Party	€25	€150
Activities	€20	€70
Total	€105	€525

Whether your stag or hen do ends up expensive or cheap comes down to these cost blocks:

• Travel: Are you going by train or by plane? If it shouldn’t get too expensive, celebrate close to home.
• Accommodation: Are you sleeping in a tent, on a friend’s sofa or in an expensive hotel?
• Outfit: Is a T-shirt enough or does it have to be a full costume?
• Food: Are you cooking together, or should your taste buds be spoilt in a restaurant, wine included?
• Party: Are you throwing a house party, sitting round a campfire or going clubbing?
• Activities: Do you want pricey activities or a cosy crafting afternoon or a trip into the countryside?

So it’s up to you. Everyone should feel comfortable, so plan in a way that everyone can afford.

Who decides on the budget?

One piece of advice up front: make every decision together. Going it alone has no place on a stag or hen do.

• Set clear ground rules. Meet up beforehand or organise a video call. Discuss every cost item. Stay realistic with each decision. Start with a total amount, then split it across the individual items.
• Think about what you absolutely can’t do without and what you could happily skip. It’s important that everyone gets a say. You will probably have to cut back somewhere or compromise.
• A bachelor party is something special. That’s why nobody should be left out. Be considerate if someone doesn’t have as much money. What counts is not what it costs, but that the day is unforgettable.
• With the right people, a party in your own garden can become a one-off adventure. And always remember: it’s not about you, it’s about the bride or groom.

Options from budget to luxury

A bachelor or bachelorette party can go through the roof or be organised on a small budget. Above all, it should be fun. There is an option for every wallet.

• The cheapest option is a party in the garden or your own living room. All you need are drinks, a barbecue and a plan. You can even organise the entertainment yourselves, with performances or drinking games. Instead of a barbecue, everyone can bring something for a buffet. €20 per head is enough here.
• A house party is easy to combine with other activities. A bike ride beforehand costs hardly anything extra. You could organise a scavenger hunt. Try a taster session of snowboarding on an indoor ski slope. A day pass to a spa keeps spending under control.
• An evening pub crawl through your own city means no big travel costs. A public transport ticket will probably cover getting around on the night. Depending on the size of the group, you will need several taxis or a minibus taxi. Even so, transport will hardly go over the €20 mark.
• A trip to the nearest big city, a night in a spa hotel, a football match or a concert are in the mid-price range. Here you need to allow at least €100. A pub crawl or a planned evening programme in the city will also cost you at least €100 to €150.
• A package city break to an attractive city is a good, affordable base and is available from €100 for one or two nights. You can add the individual activities separately and adjust them to the rest of your budget.
• At the top end, the sky is the limit. The premium stag or hen do flies you to the Ballermann strip in Mallorca. Expect costs of around €500. Package deals are a little cheaper. Some airlines also offer group discounts.
• If that is still not enough, you can rent a thatched cottage on Sylt, Germany’s upmarket North Sea island, and drink champagne and slurp oysters in Kampen. Cruises also take you all-inclusive from Hamburg to Mallorca or from Barcelona to the Canary Islands. Prices start at €500 without any stag or hen activities.

Tips for a cheap bachelor party

A stag or hen do can be a real party hit on a small budget too. Good organisation and planning early are everything. The following tips will help.

• If you only have a small budget, don’t plan long trips. The longer it lasts, the more it costs. Keep the activities to one evening or one day and all go home afterwards. Book a minibus taxi for the ride back. You can also round off the day with a house party.
• Travel and flights really add up. So stay local and look for activities nearby. You can put together your own programme. Have someone cook for you at home or camp together in the garden. You could also treat yourselves to a private chef or plan a lingerie party.
• Private parties are often the most memorable when they are planned perfectly. You don’t have to take the party elsewhere. Hire an entertainer or hold a karaoke contest. Cook together or throw a themed party. Pick a country as the theme and make a giant paella, or roast doner on a spit and drink raki.
• Nature offers plenty of options for a wonderful stag or hen do. A hike with a few activities along the way is a start. A bike ride works too, as long as you adjust the drinking. If you want more action, organise a night hike, a horse-drawn wagon ride or a scavenger hunt through the nearby woods. Many towns also let you rent a barbecue hut.
• A bachelor party has to be planned early. The sooner you start, the better your options. Some things even get cheaper when you book them early. For trips, you can benefit from early-booking discounts. For events, there is more choice of tickets and every extra can still be added without hassle.
• If you are planning a pub or club crawl, meet up at someone’s house first. Have a house or garden party beforehand and get the drinks in there. That’s much cheaper. With the right drinking games, even the journey there becomes part of the fun. You should be in good spirits by the time you arrive at the club.

Be open about money

Talk openly and honestly about each person’s budget and work out the costs in detail. Otherwise you are in for a nasty surprise at the end and the stag or hen do turns into a flop.

• Start with an open and honest discussion. Say clearly how much money you can put in. If an activity is too expensive, look for cheaper alternatives.
• There is always one person in the group who has made it and is rolling in money. He or she probably has different ideas from everyone else. In that case, they can sponsor part of the stag or hen do out of their own pocket. But make it clear that not everyone has a fat bank account.
• The best man and maid of honour officially organise the bachelor or bachelorette party, but they shouldn’t do it alone. Above all, they must not be left with the financial responsibility on their own. A deposit from every guest should be a given.
• Even after a huge stag or hen do, get together briefly once more. The night has to have worked for every guest, especially from a financial point of view. Nobody should be left out of pocket, and unexpected costs must be split between the guests afterwards.
• Last but not least, some general advice: the bachelor or bachelorette party is an important event for the bride and groom. So put in the effort to make sure nothing goes wrong and there are no misunderstandings. Talk to each other! You don’t plan a stag or hen do over Snapchat or WhatsApp.