Small purchases can add up quickly on vacation. Maybe you're used to $2 for a cup of coffee at your neighborhood cafe, but expect to pay about $4.85 if you're in Moscow. In Sydney, Australia, coffee sells for $1.80 a cup on average. If you enjoy taking public transportation on your travels, look toward Prague, Czech Republic, where a subway or bus ride costs about 69 cents.

To help you get an idea of how much you'll spend on common goods abroad, here's a roundup of prices for everyday items in cities around the world, drawn from the 2009 Mercer Cost of Living Survey released in July.*

*Cost of coffee includes service; gasoline price is for unleaded 95 octane; milk refers to pasteurized whole milk. Items were purchased at relatively moderately priced stores.