The best places for a budget-friendly beach break: British holidaymakers will see their pounds stretch furthest in Bulgaria and Turkey
- The Post Office Travel Money Holiday Costs Barometer compared costs in 18 European beach resorts
- Cheapest for Brits is Sunny Beach in Bulgaria where a basket of tourist staples including food, costs £43
- Second best value is Marmaris in Turkey thanks to the the plummeting Turkish lira – down 25% against sterling
- A 17% rise in prices in the Algarve means visitors can expect to pay around £68 for the barometer items
British holidaymakers looking for a budget-friendly beach break should head outside the Eurozone to Bulgaria and Turkey, a new report has revealed.
Tourists from the UK will see their pounds stretch furthest in the resorts of Sunny Beach and Marmaris, according to the Post Office Travel Money Holiday Costs Barometer, which compares costs in 18 European beach resorts.
In a comparison of costs, and for the fifth year running, Sunny Beach is the best value for a bargain break, even though prices have risen 16 per cent since last spring.
For the fifth year running, Sunny Beach in Bulgaria, pictured, is the best value for a bargain break, even though prices have risen 16 per cent since last spring
At just over £43, the Post Office barometer basket of tourist staples – lunch and evening meals, drinks, sun cream and insect repellent – is less than half the price compared to two-thirds of the other destinations surveyed.
'Cheap as chips' meals are the main reason for the Black Sea resort's dominant position as two people can have an evening meal with wine for around £26 and lunch for less than £9.
Runner-up Marmaris (£57) cannot match Sunny Beach on price but the plummeting Turkish lira – down 25 per cent year-on-year against sterling – means holidaymakers visiting Turkey will get much more for their money.
To add to that, local prices remain low because of competition between restaurants and bars, keen to attract tourists back after a lean couple of years. As a result, barometer prices in Marmaris are 20 per cent lower than a year ago.
At just over £43, the Post Office barometer basket of tourist staples at Sunny Beach – lunch and evening meals, drinks, sun cream and insect repellent – is less than half the price compared to two-thirds of the other destinations surveyed
'The cost of eating out is always a big consideration for holidaymakers and this year we found that meal costs in Sunny Beach and Marmaris are significantly lower than in any of the Eurozone resorts surveyed,' Post Office Travel Money said
Andrew Brown, of Post Office Travel Money, said: 'This may well be the year when it will pay to plan a trip outside the Eurozone.
'There have already been reports of growing demand for Turkey as low-priced packages attract cash-conscious UK holidaymakers.
'Now, a combination of the Turkish lira's weakness and low resort prices will make resorts like Marmaris even more attractive for holidaymakers on a tight budget.
'The cost of eating out is always a big consideration for holidaymakers and this year we found that meal costs in Sunny Beach and Marmaris are significantly lower than in any of the Eurozone resorts surveyed.'
Runner-up Marmaris, pictured, cannot match Sunny Beach on price but the plummeting Turkish lira – down 25 per cent year-on-year against sterling – means holidaymakers visiting Turkey will get much more for their money
Croatia is just one of four countries where Post Office Travel Money researchers found dramatic price variations between resorts
A 17 per cent rise in prices in the Algarve means visitors can expect to pay around £68 for the barometer items this year – 20 per cent more than in Marmaris and 57 per cent more than in Sunny Beach.
Even so, the Portuguese hotspot came third and pipped Spain's Costa del Sol (£72) for the title of cheapest Eurozone resort.
Best value among the Eastern Med's Eurozone resorts is Crete (£81), fifth-placed in the survey.
Crete is one of only two Eurozone destinations – from 13 surveyed – where prices have dropped over the past year, albeit by just 1.7 per cent.
By comparison, prices in Limassol, Cyprus (£117), the most expensive Eastern Med resort, are 43 per cent higher.
The biggest Eurozone price fall is in the South of France where barometer costs in Nice (£114) are now 2.4 per cent cheaper than a year ago.
In contrast to this, prices in Sorrento (£123) have risen 3.5 per cent, making it the most expensive resort surveyed and 44 per cent pricier than the Algarve.
The biggest Eurozone price fall is in the South of France where barometer costs in Nice (£114) are now 2.4 per cent cheaper than a year ago
Outside the Eurozone, Post Office Travel Money found that prices have dropped by 10 per cent in the Croatian resort of Zadar (£98). Further north, prices are over eight per cent higher in Porec (£106).
And Croatia is just one of four countries where Post Office Travel Money researchers found dramatic price variations between resorts.
In Greece, UK tourists can expect to pay 12 per cent more in Corfu (£91) and 23 per cent more in Halkidiki (£100) than in Crete (£81).
In Cyprus the difference between Paphos (£88) and Limassol (£117) is even greater at 32 per cent.
The same applies in Portugal where holidaymakers will find prices in the Algarve (£68) almost a third lower than on the Lisbon coast (£101).
However, the biggest price gap is in Spain, where visitors to Majorca (£108) can expect to pay 51 per cent more for the barometer items than in the Costa del Sol (£72).
Although prices have dropped by 10 per cent since last year, Ibiza (£118), remains the most expensive of four Spanish destinations surveyed, costing 65 per cent more than in the Costa del Sol.
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