UK holidays more expensive than going abroad

by Donna Ferguson on 29 June 2010  |  17 comments
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Thinking of having a cheap staycation in the UK? Find out why you should jet off to Bulgaria instead....

It’s cheaper to spend your summer holiday in Greece, Turkey and Cyprus than it is to stay in the UK.

That’s the finding on a new report by Tesco Bank, which found that the average family would spend £2,054 on food, accommodation and tourism during a week in Athens and £1,819 during a week in Bodrum, Turkey. A week buying exactly the same items would come to £2,309 in Brighton.

The cheapest destination was Sofia in Bulgaria which would cost as much as £988 less over the week than the same holiday in the UK. It was also cheaper to visit Cyprus, Hungary, Slovenia and Poland.

But it’s bad news for anyone holidaying in Reykjavik this year – with costs coming in at £3,383, the Icelandic capital was found to be the most expensive place to spend a week.

Total costs for each holiday destination 

Sofia was found to be the cheapest place to buy Suntan lotion, visit a zoo, buy beach accessories and meals at a cafe.

Budapest was the cheapest place to buy ice cream, Faro in Portugal was the cheapest place to drinks at a cafe and Barcelona was the cheapest place to buy souvenir T-shirts.

Ironically, Brighton was the cheapest place to hire a car – an expense many Brits won’t need to pay!

Guide to holiday expenses

The report didn’t take into account the costs of getting to the resort, but the cost of petrol and the cost of budget airline flights may be roughly equivalent for many Brits.

The average cost of a week’s holiday came to £2,076 across all destinations surveyed, 2% than last year, but the most expensive items - car hire and accommodation costs - rose by as much as 6%.

• Find out the best way to pay for your holiday
• Read about the great package holiday rip-off!
• It's your last chance to grab free British Airways flights...

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