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The Cheapest Countries to Travel (and the most expensive)
What are the cheapest countries to travel to?
Are you looking for a cheap holiday destination?
You are in the right place!
We all want to reduce our holiday expenditure, and choosing more affordable destinations allows you to enjoy a more extended trip and do more things while there.
There are many similar lists online, but every so often, they are contradictory, so let’s clarify a couple of things:
1 – Travelling Vs Living in a Country
A country can be very cheap to live in but costly for travellers, or vice versa. A country can be affordable for foreigners with a strong currency and expensive for locals due to low incomes.
Nevertheless, the price indices can give you an idea of how expensive a country is. The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development) publishes very interesting Comparative price level indices because they are objective.
2 – Destination Vs Country of Origin
The country of origin is important when establishing this kind of list. Because a country can be considered more or less expensive depending on what you compare it with, hence your country of origin.
There are a few factors that can affect the ‘perception’ of a country being cheap or expensive:
a) The currency
If you live in a country with one of the strongest currencies, travelling to most places will make you think they are cheap. However, if your local money is weak, it will look expensive wherever you go.
b) The distance to your destination
Transportation is one of the most significant chunks of any travel budget. So, the farther the place you are going to, the more expensive it’ll be, as simple as that.
For example, Mexico is one of the most affordable destinations for Americans. Still, it isn’t that cheap if you go from Japan.
[This excludes the possibility of you having all the time in the world to go on foot, bike, or any other cheap method, or adding many intermediate stopovers until you arrive.]
Thus, to select the cheapest countries to visit, I’ve considered the following:
A strong currency in the country of origin (like USD, EUR or GBP).
Europe as a starting point.
The 30 Cheapest Countries to Travel
Based on all the previous information, this is my list of the 30 cheapest places to travel:
- Turkey
- Egypt
- Morocco
- Albania
- Poland
- Serbia
- North Macedonia
- Croatia
- Czechia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Georgia
- Rumania
- Portugal
- Greece (not Mykonos)
- Spain
- Thailand (North)
- India
- Vietnam
- Cambodia
- Nepal
- Bolivia
- Dominican Republic (the cheapest Caribbean Nation)
- Cuba
- Mexico
- Colombia
- China
- The Philippines
- South Africa
- Guatemala
Fancy going to any of those places, but you’d like to know what it has that may interest you. Check my post, Top Tourist Attractions, and leave doubts.
In the Travel Cheap section, I will give you tips to save on your trip, whatever the chosen destination.
The 25 Most Expensive Countries to Travel
At the other extreme, we have the 25 most expensive destinations for travelling:
- Antarctica
- Bhutan
- Bermuda
- Seychelles
- The Maldives
- Switzerland
- Iceland
- Norway
- Monaco
- Australia
- Luxembourg
- Finland
- Sweden
- Ireland
- Denmark
- UK
- Netherlands
- Israel
- UAE (United Arab Emirates)
- Japan
- Singapore
- Belgium
- Kuwait
- USA
- The Bahamas
If you were in the process of picking a destination when you got to this post but still couldn’t decide, you could return to that point in Where to Go.
Or, if you’ve already decided where your next adventure will be, you are ready to move to the next phase of organising your trip with Step by Step.
But if you want to know the best time to go to that place, you can check my post, Best Time to Go.
I hope this post has been helpful to you.
Are you missing anything? Leave me your comment or suggestion below, and I will happily answer. Alternatively, fill out the contact form.😊
Additional Information
You can also check my itineraries in Itineraries. Here, you’ll find them classified in City Guides and Country Guides.
Alternatively, in the section Destinations, they are classified based on the type of trip:
- Amazing Experiences. It covers the most extensive and complete trips.
- Beach and Sea. For those who prefer quieter activities by the sea.
- City Breaks. Short trips with a single destination.
📌 If you prefer to see them separated by continents, check them in Portfolios.
Remember to check Cook up Your Trip. There, you will find everything you need to organise your trip from start to finish.
Ready to Book your Trip?
To help you organise your adventure, I’ve gathered the best tools I use and recommend for booking flights, hotels, local transport and more. These links support this site at no extra cost to you.
🧳 Book Your Trip Here
- ✈️ Flights: Compare the best prices on flights using Kayak.
- 🛏️ Accommodation: Find hotels and unique stays at great prices worldwide with Booking.com.
- 🚐 Transfers: Pre-book your airport or city transfers to avoid stress on arrival with Welcome Pickups.
- 🚗 Car Rentals: Explore destinations at your own pace by using Discover Cars or Auto Europe to compare reliable car rental providers.
- 💺Transport (Bus and Train Tickets): Compare schedules and easily book intercity bus and train travel with Omio.
- 📷 Tours & Activities: Book fun experiences, guided tours, and skip-the-line tickets in advance with GetYourGuide or Viator.
- 🌐 Internet Connection: Stay connected abroad with eSIMS from Airalo.
Safe travels! 🌏✈️