Where will your spending money go furthest?
Holidaymakers on a budget will find their spending money will go further if they stick to city breaks in Eastern European cities.
The Post Office’s latest City Costs Barometer found the historic Baltic city of Riga is where their cash will go the furthest.
Of the 19 city break destinations examined in the barometer, the top five were all in Eastern Europe.
The Post Office also found the strong UK pound makes over half the cities surveyed much cheaper this year.
This includes Rome, 9.7% cheaper, and Berlin, 6% cheaper.
The barometer compared costs for typical city break purchases including meals, drinks, accommodation, sightseeing and transport.
Stockholm was the most expensive in the survey with items totalling £313.64, almost three times the cost of Riga.
Edinburgh, surveyed for the first time, finished in the top half of the barometer table, three places higher than London.
Prices in the Scottish capital were 14.5% lower than in London, which was more expensive for almost all of the items surveyed. Meal costs, however, were 25% higher in Edinburgh.
Dublin fared well and was one of the eurozone’s best value cities for the second year running.
Its barometer total was 12.3% lower than in 2010.
“Dublin is a top ten choice again this year with price falls for every item surveyed,†said Post Office head of travel money Sarah Munro.
“In the past the Irish capital has been criticised for high hotel, meal and drinks prices but this year’s barometer findings make it a bargain break, with prices almost as low as in Eastern Europe.â€
For the full report, click here.
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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