Holiday Money Report 2022

View of the beach shoreline and mountains

Turkey's beaches have long been a hit with holidaymakers. Image courtesy of Go To Turkey.

Where to get best value in the world’s top holiday hotspots

Each year, the Post Office Travel Money Holiday Money Report looks at the destinations set to offer holidaymakers best value for money in the year ahead.

In 2022, we’ve surveyed 36 destinations worldwide to compare prices for meals, drinks and other essentials British tourists are likely to buy while abroad.

We’ve shared the key findings and top 15 best-value hotspots below. You can also download our full Worldwide Holiday Costs Barometer for more details.

Key findings include:

Turkey and Bulgaria offer the best value overall. Prices are down in both, but a 37% drop in Marmaris sees it take the top spot from previous leader Sunny Beach
Portugal’s Algarve is in third and again cheapest in the Eurozone, with costs 25% lower than the Costa del Sol in sixth
A price drop of over 15% in Cyprus sees Paphos move up from 11th to fifth. Prices have also fallen year-on-year in Greece, down more than 15% in Corfu
Cape Town, South Africa remains best the value for long haul, with prices down 1.6%
Reykjavik in Iceland remains the most expensive destination surveyed, followed by Barbados and Dubai. All three saw price increases of over 20%
Sterling’s strength against most currencies has helped keep costs down. Once the sterling exchange rate is applied to local currency prices, British visitors will pay less in half of the destinations surveyed
In contrast, there have been significant rises in some destinations – particularly those whose currencies have risen against the pound. Prices in Sri Lanka have increased by 26%, while visitors to Mexico can expect to pay around 22% more in Cancun than a year ago

For a competitive rate on currency don't leave it until you're at the airport

Travel Money

Best value holiday destinations in 2022

Here are the top 15 best-value destinations for 2022 according to our Worldwide Holiday Costs Barometer’s findings. To see how these total costs break down by the eight individual items we surveyed, download the full Worldwide Holiday Costs Barometer.

Position	Destination	Total cost
1	Marmaris, Turkey ˅	£26.13
2	Sunny Beach, Bulgaria ˅	£26.19
3	Algarve, Portugal ˅	£44.39
4	Cape Town, South Africa ˅	£53.23
5	Paphos, Cyprus ˅	£56.44
6	Costa del Sol, Spain ˅	£59.56
7	Mombasa, Kenya ˅	£61.30
8	Funchal, Madeira ^	£64.05
9	Sliema, Malta ˅	£65.35
10	Orlando, USA ˅	£67.01
11	Prague, Czech Republic ^	£67.09
12	Lanzarote, Canary Islands ˅	£71.13
13	Grand Baie, Mauritius ˅	£72.59

Data relates to exchange rates on 10 March 2022

^˅ Arrows denote price rises or falls compared with last year

Travel money: buy before your fly

Wherever you're travelling to, you’re likely to get a better rate on travel money if you buy it before you get to the airport. Check the exchange rate for your destination to get the best value from your foreign currency. 

With Post Office, you can order travel money online to collect from any branch or get it delivered to your door. You can also buy selected currencies in 7,000 branches. And you can also load holiday funds onto a handy, secure, prepaid travel money card.

Travel insurance: safeguarding your trip

If you’re visiting EU countries, a Ghic or Ehic will provide some medical cover there but they don’t cover everything. remember to get good travel insurance for your trip too, whether it’s to Europe or the wider world. And make sure your policy includes coronavirus cover.

Always check the latest travel advice

As countries continue to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, the requirements of UK travellers travelling to and returning from different destinations can change at short notice. Check the latest Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice for your destination regularly, as travelling against this advice may invalidate your travel insurance.

How the barometer is compiled

36 destinations were surveyed with the help of national and local tourist boards (Balkan Holidays for Sunny Beach and Marmaris Info for Marmaris). Eight items – a three-course evening meal for two with wine, bottle of beer, glass of wine, can of Coca-Cola, large bottle of still water, cup of coffee, suncream and insect repellent – were selected as representative of the purchases British tourists are likely to make and prices were cross-checked by Post Office researchers.