Travelling across the world doesn’t come cheap. Even when airlines have sales, pricey flights still cost an arm and a leg. However, new research has found the most affordable destinations to go to if you’re looking to fly further ahead.
Research from Post Office Travel Money in their annual Long Haul Holiday Report analysed local prices of everyday items including a bottle of water, a three-course meal and a beer to determine the results.
The team looked at a total of 32 destinations, including Australia for the first time, to find out where Brits can make their money go further on holiday.
Laura Plunkett, head of travel money at Post Office, said: “As ever, our research revealed wide variations in the cost of tourist staples across the 32 destinations we surveyed.
“This means holidaymakers could save themselves a lot of money and make a big difference to the overall cost of their winter sun trip by doing some basic holiday homework before booking to find out where meals, drinks and other staples are going to cost the least.
“Holiday homework is just one way that holidaymakers can save money. It’s also important to think carefully about how to get the most out of your spending money. Get holiday spending money in advance of travel because leaving it late and changing money at the airport or topping up overseas means wasting hard-earned cash on poor exchange rates or ATM charges.”
Let’s take a look at the top 10 cheapest long-haul destinations:
10. Montego Bay, Jamaica
Cup of filter coffee (cafe/bar) – £2.81
Bottle of local lager (cafe/bar) – £2.94
Bottle/can of Coca-Cola (cafe/bar) – £1.56
Glass of wine (cafe/bar) – £5.93
Cocktail (cafe/bar) – £5.80
Small chocolate bar (58g Mars/Snickers or similar) – £1.31
Bottle of still mineral water (1.5 litre supermarket) – £0.65
Suncream (SPF15 Nivea or similar, supermarket) – £6.06
Insect repellent (small bottle/tube, supermarket) – £5.78
Three-course evening meal for two adults including a bottle of house wine) – £60.90
Total costs – £93.74
2024 vs 2023 (percent) – minus 9.4
(Image: Getty)
9. Santiago, Chile
Cup of filter coffee (cafe/bar) – £2.70
Bottle of local lager (cafe/bar) – £3.60
Bottle/can of Coca-Cola (cafe/bar) – £2.16
Glass of wine (cafe/bar) – £3.78
Cocktail (cafe/bar) – £6.30
Small chocolate bar (58g Mars/Snickers or similar) – £0.90
Bottle of still mineral water (1.5 litre supermarket) – £0.90
Suncream (SPF15 Nivea or similar, supermarket) – £7.37
Insect repellent (small bottle/tube, supermarket) – £5.85
Three-course evening meal for two adults including a bottle of house wine) – £55.36
Total costs – £88.92
2024 vs 2023 (percent) – minus 14.3
(Image: Getty)
8. Colombo, Sri Lanka
Cup of filter coffee (cafe/bar) – £1.66
Bottle of local lager (cafe/bar) – £2.40
Bottle/can of Coca-Cola (cafe/bar) – £1.26
Glass of wine (cafe/bar) – £6.16
Cocktail (cafe/bar) – £4.95
Small chocolate bar (58g Mars/Snickers or similar) – £0.36
Bottle of still mineral water (1.5 litre supermarket) – £0.39
Suncream (SPF15 Nivea or similar, supermarket) – £5.35
Insect repellent (small bottle/tube, supermarket) – £3.98
Three-course evening meal for two adults including a bottle of house wine) – £51.63
Total costs – £78.14
2024 vs 2023 (percent) – minus 14.8
(Image: Getty)
7. Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
Cup of filter coffee (cafe/bar) – £1.38
Bottle of local lager (cafe/bar) – £2.76
Bottle/can of Coca-Cola (cafe/bar) – £1.41
Glass of wine (cafe/bar) – £3.84
Cocktail (cafe/bar) – £6.57
Small chocolate bar (58g Mars/Snickers or similar) – £0.67
Bottle of still mineral water (1.5 litre supermarket) – £0.14
Suncream (SPF15 Nivea or similar, supermarket) – £14.48
Insect repellent (small bottle/tube, supermarket) – £1.99
Three-course evening meal for two adults including a bottle of house wine) – £43.23
Total costs – £76.47
2024 vs 2023 (percent) – minus 16.4
(Image: Getty)
6. Delhi, India
Cup of filter coffee (cafe/bar) – £1.75
Bottle of local lager (cafe/bar) – £3.30
Bottle/can of Coca-Cola (cafe/bar) – £1.40
Glass of wine (cafe/bar) – £5.84
Cocktail (cafe/bar) – £5.95
Small chocolate bar (58g Mars/Snickers or similar) – £0.45
Bottle of still mineral water (1.5 litre supermarket) – £0.20
Suncream (SPF15 Nivea or similar, supermarket) – £4.98
Insect repellent (small bottle/tube, supermarket) – £1.99
Three-course evening meal for two adults including a bottle of house wine) – £49.04
Total costs – £74.90
2024 vs 2023 (percent) – minus 1
(Image: Getty)