After a year of lockdown, we’re all itching to get out and see the world again. While some people are going all-out on the luxury bucket-list adventure of their dreams, others are looking for a more affordable way to see the world.
So, which cities offer the most bang for your buck if you’re planning to get away in 2021? Research from the luggage storage company Bounce analysed 75 popular city break destinations using the average price of five common costs – a hotel room, a meal at a neighborhood restaurant, a ticket on public transport, a bottle of grape and a pint of hops – to reveal the most affordable (and expensive) urban vacations across the world.
Argentinian capital Buenos Aires came out on top. Famed for its street food and dance culture, Buenos Aires was also the cheapest country for both a bottle of grape (US$3.10) and a one-way ticket on local transport (US$0.27).
Istanbul came in second with cheap prices across the board, including US$0.40 for a travel ticket or a rate of US$0.41 per kilometre for a taxi. Followed by Rio de Janeiro in third place, which also has the prestigious title of the cheapest city on the list for a pint of draught hops, at US$1.34.
Seeking something farther afield? Here are the world’s most affordable city breaks in the world:
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Istanbul, Turkey
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
St Petersburg, Russia
Krakow, Poland
Moscow, Russia
Porto, Portugal
Budapest, Hungary
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Santiago, Chile
And in case you were wondering, these are the most expensive cities to vacation in:
Zurich, Switzerland
Reykjavik, Iceland
Geneva, Switzerland
New York, United States
London, United Kingdom
Copenhagen, Denmark
San Francisco, USA
Boston, USA
Las Vegas, USA
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Reykjavík, which came in second place, is where you’ll pay just under US$200 a night for a hotel stay, and a pint of draught hops will put you back US$10 on average. In third place, Geneva boats the highest price of a meal at a restaurant – US$30.56 per person!
