The study compared price levels in seven popular tourist destinations—Turkey, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Italy, and France. The authors used the Household Final Consumption Expenditure (HFCE) price index, which covers more than 2,000 goods and services.
Turkey was found to be the cheapest destination. While such a basket costs 100 euros on average across the EU, in Turkey it costs 59.6 euros.
Other countries with prices below the EU average included Croatia (€78.4), Portugal (€86.6), Greece (€87.4), and Spain (€91.6). Italy is practically in line with the EU average at 97.1 euros, while France is the most expensive on the list at 100.3 euros.
Portugal Leads in HoReCa
For tourists who spend the most on lodging and dining out, Portugal offers the best value. In the “restaurants and hotels” category, its price level was 73.6% of the EU average.
Turkey took second place with an index of 78.3. Next were Spain (85.4), Greece (86.1), and Croatia (89.6).
France and Italy were the most expensive in this category. The cost of a comparable basket of services there reached 116 and 110.8, respectively.
Food is cheapest in Turkey, while alcohol is cheapest in Spain
The picture is different when it comes to food. Turkey once again turned out to be the cheapest country among the study’s participants: a basket of groceries there costs 75.6% of the EU average. Spain was the only other country where food prices were below the European average of 94.6.
Food prices were highest in France—107.9% of the EU average. In the other countries, prices are slightly above the European average.
The study revealed the most striking contrast in the alcohol category. In Turkey, alcoholic beverages cost more than twice the EU average—the index stands at 210.2. High prices were also noted in Greece—154—and Croatia—133.9.
Alcohol was cheapest in Italy—81.9—while in Spain the index stood at 90.1. In France and Portugal, prices are close to the EU average—100.9 and 107.1, respectively.
French public transportation is the most expensive in Europe
In terms of public transportation costs, Turkey once again ranked first in affordability—at 68.3% of the EU average. Portugal, Spain, and Croatia are all around the 80% mark. The only country among the seven destinations where transportation is more expensive than the European average is France—112.8.
Euronews notes that the study reflects average national prices, while the cost of a vacation in popular tourist destinations may be higher. For example, prices at resorts may differ significantly from national averages.
However, the analysis does not take travelers’ income levels into account. Therefore, the same cost of a vacation may be perceived differently by tourists from different countries.
