Sarajevo is the cheapest city break in Europe this year. The Algarve beats every other family beach resort, and Hoi An in Vietnam is the best-value long-haul trip. Those are the cheapest places to travel to in 2026 for UK travellers, going by what things cost once you land.
This guide ranks 25 budget destinations by real sterling prices from Post Office Travel Money's three latest cost reports, with comparison tables for each type of trip and a list of tips from the same research.
Key takeaways
- Sarajevo tops the 2026 City Costs Barometer at £248 for a two-night break for two.
- The Algarve is the best-value family resort at £139.65, according to the Family Holiday Report 2026.
- Hoi An leads the Long Haul Holiday Report 2025 at £58.81.
- None of these prices include flights, and each report uses a different basket.
How the Prices in This Guide Work
The prices come from three separate Post Office reports, and each one measures something different. So compare places within a table, not across tables.
| Report | Published | What the basket covers |
|---|---|---|
| City Costs Barometer 2026 | May 2026 | 12 items for two people in 50 European cities, including two nights in a three-star hotel, a three-course meal with wine, drinks, a 48-hour travel card, airport transfers, a sightseeing bus and top attractions |
| Family Holiday Report 2026 | July 2026 | Meals, drinks and everyday holiday items in 22 European resorts, with prices researched by TUI and tourist offices |
| Long Haul Holiday Report 2025 | September 2025 | 10 items in 30 destinations, such as coffee, beer, water, suncream and a three-course meal for two with wine |
Sarajevo's figure includes a hotel for two nights. Hoi An's covers drinks, suncream and a single dinner. They're measuring different things.
None of the reports include flights. The Post Office looks at what you spend after arriving, since that's where money tends to go fastest.
Which European City Breaks Are Cheapest in 2026?
Sarajevo, then Bucharest, then Tirana. Eastern Europe fills eight of the top 10 places this year, and the two exceptions are both French. If you're only away for a couple of nights, our weekend trip ideas pair well with this list.
| Rank | City | Cost for 12 items for two |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina | £248 |
| 2 | Bucharest, Romania | £258 |
| 3 | Tirana, Albania | £263 |
| 4 | Belgrade, Serbia | £265 |
| 5 | Trenčín, Slovakia | £272 |
| 6 | Riga, Latvia | £278 |
| 7 | Lille, France | £289 |
| 8 | Vilnius, Lithuania | £289 |
| 9 | Strasbourg, France | £319 |
| 10 | Podgorica, Montenegro | £332 |
To see how cheap that is, look at the other end of the table. Oslo costs £734 for the same weekend. That's £486 more than Sarajevo, or nearly three times as much (£734 ÷ £248 ≈ 2.96).
Barcelona is the fifth most expensive city in the barometer, at £641. If it's still top of your list, timing matters, and our guide to the best time to travel to Barcelona covers when to go.
1. Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
This is Sarajevo's first year at the top. Cheap hotels, cheap buses and trams, and attractions that don't cost much all add up. Between two people, the whole basket is £124 each (£248 ÷ 2). Before you book, read our guide to whether it's safe to travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
2. Bucharest, Romania
Parks, wide streets and old quarters, with plenty of cafés and late bars. Hotels, meals and transport all stay low.
3. Tirana, Albania
Worried about the hotel bill? Tirana has the cheapest accommodation of all 50 cities in the barometer. It's also getting easier to reach from the UK.
4. Belgrade, Serbia
Belgrade is for nights out and riverside walks. Low hotel and restaurant prices keep it in the top five.
5. Trenčín, Slovakia
You may not have heard of it. It's new to the barometer, small and quiet, and it beats all 50 cities on the price of a meal for two.
6. Riga, Latvia
Riga comes in just ahead of both French cities on the list.
7. Lille, France
Prices here actually fell, by 1.3% on last year. You can also go by Eurostar and skip the airport entirely.
8. Vilnius, Lithuania
The same price as Lille, and the second Baltic capital in the top 10.
9. Strasbourg, France
New this year, and another one you can reach by train. For comparison, Paris comes to £575 for the same basket.
10. Podgorica, Montenegro
Montenegro's small capital completes the ten.
The 5 Cheapest Beach Resorts for Families
The Algarve takes first place for families in 2026, with Sunny Beach in Bulgaria close behind. Spain has six resorts in the full top 10, four of them new to the report. For more ideas that work with children, see our family holiday guides.
| Rank | Resort | Barometer cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Algarve, Portugal | £139.65 |
| 2 | Sunny Beach, Bulgaria | £142.16 |
| 3 | Lanzarote, Canary Islands | £147.42 |
| 4 | Menorca, Balearic Islands | £151.28 |
| 5 | Costa Brava, Spain | £155.02 |
Sorrento is the priciest resort in the report, at £268.23. For the same basket, that's £128.58 more than the Algarve.
11. Algarve, Portugal
The Algarve was third in 2025. Its prices dipped while others rose, and that was enough to take the top spot. Albufeira is the main family base, with wide sandy beaches and calm water, and Zoomarine is a short trip away.
12. Sunny Beach, Bulgaria
Just £2.51 behind the Algarve. There's a long Black Sea beach, watersports, and entertainment in the evenings. Younger children usually head straight for Action Aquapark.
13. Lanzarote, Canary Islands
Lanzarote has volcanoes as well as beaches. Timanfaya National Park has craters and old lava fields, and Costa Teguise Aquapark fills the rest of the day.
14. Menorca, Balearic Islands
The calmer Balearic island, all sheltered coves and small resorts. Families like Cala Galdana, Son Bou and Es Grau for their shallow, quiet water.
15. Costa Brava, Spain
Cliffs and coves rather than long strips of sand. You can snorkel around the Medes Islands, or wander the walled old town at Tossa de Mar.
The 10 Cheapest Long-Haul Destinations
Hoi An in Vietnam comes top for long-haul value, ahead of Cape Town and Bali. Seven of the top 10 are in the Far East or the Indian subcontinent, and prices fell in more than two-thirds of the 30 places surveyed.
| Rank | Destination | Cost for 10 items | Change on last year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hoi An, Vietnam | £58.81 | −10.9% |
| 2 | Cape Town, South Africa | £64.28 | −0.3% |
| 3 | Bali, Indonesia | £67.79 | −0.5% |
| 4 | Mombasa, Kenya | £68.33 | −1.7% |
| 5 | Tokyo, Japan | £68.61 | +5.6% |
| 6 | Colombo, Sri Lanka | £73.93 | −5.4% |
| 7 | Penang, Malaysia | £83.85 | −18.6% |
| 8 | Delhi, India | £85.89 | +14.6% |
| 9 | Phuket, Thailand | £87.82 | −14.1% |
| 10 | Santiago, Chile | £93.02 | −8.5% |
These prices use exchange rates from September 2025, so they're the oldest in this guide. Check today's rate before you set a budget.
16. Hoi An, Vietnam
Number one again, as it was in 2023, after prices fell by around 11%. If your Vietnam trip also takes in the capital, our pick of the best street food tours in Hanoi is a cheap way to eat well.
17. Cape Town, South Africa
Last year's winner. Its prices barely changed, down 0.3%.
18. Bali, Indonesia
Bali is the place to eat out. Its three-course dinner for two with wine is the cheapest in the survey, at £35.48.
19. Mombasa, Kenya
Mombasa moved up to fourth and pushed Tokyo down a place.
20. Tokyo, Japan
A 5.6% price rise cost Tokyo a spot. The gap to Mombasa is 28p.
21. Colombo, Sri Lanka
Colombo moved ahead of Delhi this year, on the back of lower prices.
22. Penang, Malaysia
An 18.6% fall in prices brought Penang into the top 10 for the first time.
23. Delhi, India
Delhi went the other way. A 14.6% rise dropped it two places.
24. Phuket, Thailand
Also new to the top 10, after prices fell 14.1%.
25. Santiago, Chile
South America's only entry, and the most expensive of the ten. It's £34.21 more than Hoi An for the same basket.
Is Europe or Long-Haul Cheaper for UK Travellers?
It depends mostly on the flight and on how long you stay. This part is our reasoning, not survey data. Long-haul places can be very cheap on the ground, but getting there usually costs much more, and none of these reports count the fare.
Say you're choosing between a week in Sunny Beach and a week in Phuket. Both look cheap once you've landed. If the Phuket flight is several hundred pounds more, one week there probably won't save you money. Over three weeks, the low daily costs have time to make up some of the difference.
For a weekend away, Eastern Europe is the easy choice. Every city in the top 10 costs less than half of Oslo for the same two nights. If you have concerns about travelling in the region, our overview of whether Europe is safe to visit right now is a good starting point, alongside GOV.UK's foreign travel advice.
How Can You Spend Less Once You Arrive?
Most of the savings come from three things: where you sleep, how honestly you budget, and how you pay. Here's what the Post Office research points to. For more ideas, see the travel hacks most lists get wrong.
- Get the hotel right first. Accommodation usually makes the biggest difference to a city break, according to the Post Office. Small changes in hotel prices can move a city up or down the whole table.
- Look at the train. Lille and Strasbourg are both top-10 cheap city breaks, and neither needs a flight.
- Budget more than you think you'll need. Families put aside £771 on average, but 85% overspent, by £380 on average. For them, the real figure was about £1,151 (£771 + £380).
- Put the treats in the budget. Ice creams, beach toys and water parks add £182 to £291 over a week for a family of four.
- Sort currency before the airport. The Post Office says it's usually cheaper to buy your travel money before you get there.
- Say no to paying in pounds. When a card machine or cash machine offers to charge you in sterling, pick the local currency. That avoids conversion fees.
- Pack a GHIC for Europe. The UK Global Health Insurance Card covers some emergency healthcare in European countries, free or at a lower cost. It isn't a replacement for travel insurance.
- Check the rankings every year. Sharm el-Sheikh's prices jumped 41.5% in the latest long-haul report. Last year's bargain can easily be this year's mistake.
- Try the quieter months. Jet2holidays says January, February and October can often be cheaper. That's a tour operator talking, not survey data, but it takes a minute to check.
FAQ
What is the cheapest country to visit from the UK in 2026?
For a city break, Bosnia & Herzegovina, because Sarajevo tops the Post Office's 2026 barometer. For a family beach holiday, Portugal, with the Algarve in first place.
Which European city has the cheapest hotels?
Tirana in Albania. It ranked first for the lowest accommodation prices among all 50 cities in the 2026 City Costs Barometer.
What is the cheapest long-haul destination for UK travellers?
Hoi An in Vietnam, at £58.81 for the Post Office's basket of 10 holiday items. Cape Town is second and Bali third.
Do these prices include flights?
No. The reports only cover what you spend at your destination. Add flights, and any visa costs, before you compare whole trips.
The cheapest places to travel to in 2026 aren't the ones most people book. Trenčín and Tirana both cost less than Riga, and far less than Paris. The Algarve holds off Sunny Beach by less than £3.
Prices change every year, and a costly flight can wipe out a cheap destination. Use these figures to narrow your list, check the flights, then book. When you're ready, browse our cheap trip ideas for more places to try.