Everybody dreams of Europe for a quick getaway. However, we always have this impression that Europe means Euros, and Euros means expensive. How about I tell you that this time, Europe is synonymous to cheap? Yes, you read that right. The least expensive city to spend the holidays is in the heart of Europe - in Bratislava, Slovakia.
It's the holiday season, something that everyone looks forward to, because it means Christmas bonuses and more money. It is also synonymous to vacations and holiday getaways. But we all know what that would imply: spending more money on travel. Worry not, for Kiwi.com has complied what they call the "Christmas Price Index".
The "Christmas Price Index" ranks the average expected costs of spending a festive day with shopping in 90 different cities worldwide. It is actually composed of two parts: the "Cost of Christmassy Day" and "Santa's Price Index.
The "Cost of Christmassy Day" is all about visiting costs such as accommodation expenses in a top-rated hotel, food and drinks expenses which features traditional meals and holiday drinks, and admission expenses to see "The Nutcracker". What a Christmassy day indeed!
"Santa's Price Index", on the other hand, takes into account the average expenses on shopping for gifts for every family member. Such gifts being considered are men's fragrance, women's perfume, Princess Barbie and LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon.
The results of the index? Well, US News shared that of the 90 cities ranked, the least expensive city where to spend the holiday was Bratislava, Slovakia. It was closely followed by Kiev, Ukraine; Seville, Spain; Cape Town, South Africa; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
How about the most expensive cities? It came as no surprise that the index results showed that New York, New York, United States was the most expensive city to spend the holidays. Coming closely behind were Reykjavik, Iceland; Copenhagen, Denmark; Bern, Switzerland; and Geneva, Switzerland.
Based on the results, cities who offer the most expensive accommodation often offer the cheapest prices for gift shopping. Thus, Bratislava offered the cheapest prices on shopping and accommodation, while New York was recognized as the most expensive destination. The index does not only reveal the rankings of the cities, but also fascinating understanding on the economy around the world during holiday season.
