The recent wet weather has seen a surge in holiday bookings abroad as families long for a sunshine break. But which are the cheapest holiday destinations if on a budget? Travelex has come up with a league table of countries based on how many days £500 would last you – if you eat out three times a day, have four soft drinks, two beers, a coffee and two trips using public transport.
Thailand, above, came out on top – you could manage for 44 days compared to just SIX in Switzerland!
Here are the 10 most expensive and 10 cheapest destinations:
10 Cheapest destinations | 10 Most expensive destinations | ||
Country | How many days you could last on £500? (Days) | Country | How many days you could last on £500 (Days) |
Thailand/Baht | 44 | Switzerland/CHF | 6 |
Mexico/MXN Peso | 26 | Norway/Krone | 6 |
Jamaica/JM$ | 25 | Denmark/Krone | 7 |
Bulgaria/BGN Lev | 23 | Netherlands/Euro | 8 |
Czech Republic/Koruna | 23 | Belgium/Euro | 8 |
Hungary/Forint | 22 | Republic of Ireland/Euro | 8 |
Poland/Zloty | 22 | Italy/Euro | 8 |
Turkey/TL | 22 | Australia/AU$ | 9 |
South Africa/Rand | 18 | Finland/Euro | 9 |
Portugal/Euro | 17 | France/Euro | 9 |
To help travellers budget better, Travelex has launched their spending calculator tool where users can fill in details about where they want to travel and the activities they want to take part in while on holiday. The tool will then reveal a suggested budget for the trip based upon real time cost of living.
John Rayment, UK Commercial Director at Travelex, said: “When it comes to holiday budgeting it can be difficult to know where to start. It’s not just cheap flights and accommodation that make a trip good value. Thorough research before you book about how much spending money you’ll need can really help you stick to a set budget.”
Here’s the full league table of destinations:
How long could you last on £500? | |||
Country/Currency | Spent per day (local currency) | Spent per day (in £) | How many days could you last? (days) |
Thailand/Baht | 473.27 | 11.43 | 44 |
Mexico/MXN Peso | 417.82 | 19.14 | 26 |
Jamaica/JM$ | 3101.16 | 20.01 | 25 |
Bulgaria/BGN Lev | 45.38 | 21.91 | 23 |
Czech Republic/Koruna | 620.83 | 22.12 | 23 |
Hungary/Forint | 7305.35 | 22.65 | 22 |
Turkey/TL | 94.68 | 22.32 | 22 |
Poland/Zloty | 103.15 | 23.05 | 22 |
South Africa/Rand | 445.53 | 27.55 | 18 |
Portugal/Euro | 32.90 | 29.64 | 17 |
Barbados/Bda$ | 97.40 | 40.29 | 12 |
Spain/Euro | 45.08 | 40.61 | 12 |
Cyprus/Euro | 46.35 | 41.76 | 12 |
Greece/Euro | 48.40 | 43.60 | 11 |
United Arab Emirates/AED | 203.45 | 44.80 | 11 |
Canada/CA$ | 75.01 | 46.15 | 11 |
Germany/Euro | 53.24 | 47.96 | 10 |
Austria/Euro | 54.48 | 49.08 | 10 |
USA/Dollars | 62.31 | 49.39 | 10 |
Malta/Euro | 55.17 | 49.70 | 10 |
Sweden/S Krona | 574.64 | 53.84 | 9 |
France/Euro | 61.06 | 55.01 | 9 |
UK | 55.04 | 55.04 | 9 |
Finland/Euro | 65.20 | 58.74 | 9 |
Australia/AU$ | 92.82 | 56.29 | 9 |
Italy/Euro | 65.47 | 58.98 | 8 |
Belgium/Euro | 67.92 | 61.19 | 8 |
Republic of Ireland/Euro | 69.08 | 62.23 | 8 |
Netherlands/Euro | 70.16 | 63.21 | 8 |
Denmark/Krone | 612.39 | 74.82 | 7 |
Norway/Krone | 896.77 | 85.34 | 6 |
Switzerland/CHF | 106.93 | 88.82 | 6 |