COST OF LIVING RESEARCH RESULTS

COSTA LIVING ON HOLIDAY

Before emailing home from holiday this summer holidaymakers are advised to work out whether it would be cheaper to call, or send a postcard. It can cost as much as £5 in Barbados to spend an hour online - although it costs only 74p in Bulgaria.

The findings are part of a new Lunn Poly cost of holidaying survey which looks at how prices vary across a range of holiday destinations.

Short Haul Spending
Bulgaria, a relative newcomer to the British holiday market, is the clear leader on the price front for short haul holidays, being cheapest four of the nine holiday items researched - cappuccino, cola, three course meal with wine and an hour of internet access. With a three course meal with wine costing roughly £5.58 Bulgaria is the cheapest destination for eating out, making it a great choice for self-catering holidays. Turkey is also a good value dining option, with a meal costing around £6.

Bargain beer at only 50 pence, coupled with beautiful beaches and buzzing nightlife make Corfu a great choice for a lively holiday. Although the cheapest beer in the short haul destinations was recorded in Corfu if wine is the preferred tipple then consider Costa Del Sol where a bottle of wine costs roughly £1.44.

Euro Dough
Prices in Eurozone countries are now very similar, so the price of a cola and a cappuccino are pretty much the same in Majorca as in Tenerife. For holidaymakers who want to stretch their holiday budgets then it's worth checking out countries outside the Eurozone where there may be bigger price variations.

Long Haul Lolly
Both have a hot, sunny climate and fantastic beaches, but Lunn Poly's survey showed as much as £1.80 price variation between Goa and Barbados just on a cappuccino. Rather than Barbados being overly expensive it is the case that Goa represents exceptional value for money with the cheapest prices across all items surveyed - just 20p for a beer or cola and a bottle of local wine costing only 50p - although you may be better sticking to the beer.

An item that showed a significant difference in prices was for a camera film which costs £7.58 Barbados. Travellers for the majority of destinations are best advised to stock up on camera films before they leave the UK - unlike visitors to Florida where films cost only £1.33, which could tempt holidaymakers to buy films for future holidays there.

With a bottle of mineral water costing £1.51 and £2.36 for a beer all-inclusive holidays would be a good option in Barbados to keep the holiday budget manageable. The cost of a self-catering holiday in Barbados starts from £509 per person for a week, compared to an all-inclusive holiday price starting from £819 per person.

John McEwan, Lunn Poly retail director, said, “Being aware of the cost of living on holiday helps travellers make an informed decision about which resort suits their holiday habits. Bulgaria is quite new to the mainstream British holiday market, with more holiday companies now including it in their brochures, but as it’s such good value it’s likely to do well. All-inclusive holidays are a great way to holiday in the Caribbean - as well as being cost effective most holidaymakers find that not having to carry money around helps them relax even more.

“British holidaymakers spend an average of £350 on holiday - the survey will give them a better idea of how much they are likely to spend; from this they can calculate how much to take in local currency and travellers cheques.”