The Cheapest Vacation Countries Are Mostly in Asia

Money-savers should take a note: a new list reveals destinations that are the most affordable this year. Asian countries rank far ahead.

Inflation has been hitting the wallets of travelers for months and is shrinking bank accounts faster than one would like. In times like these, savings tips are particularly in demand – not only for everyday life, but also for vacation planning. A new ranking by the U.S. consulting firm Kiplinger comes at just the right time. It lists the ten cheapest vacation countries this year.

The ranking is based on the average daily costs that travelers have to pay locally – including accommodation and meals. This does not include the cost of travel to and from the destination.

Asian Destinations Perform the Best

Unsurprisingly, countries in Asia are the cheapest. Laos proves to be the cheapest destination. Here, the average daily cost of living would be just $15. For accommodation, eight dollars per day is recorded. Meals cost an average of five dollars a day, according to the ranking. Turkey and Indonesia also make it onto the podium. Fourth-placed Thailand is still very inexpensive by global standards. However, the average daily costs are more than three times as high as in Laos.

In addition to other popular travel destinations such as Mexico and Costa Rica, two European tourist strongholds also land in the top ten, which travelers would probably not all have expected to be so far ahead based on their own experiences. Portugal places 9th and Greece makes it to 10th place among the most favorable destinations. However, a day’s vacation in these two countries is already almost ten times as expensive as in the budget paradise of Laos.

Ranking of the ten cheapest vacation countries 2023:

1. Laos
2. Turkey
3. Indonesia
4. Thailand
5. Hungary
6. Costa Rica
7. Mexico
8. Dominican Republic
9. Portugal
10. Greece