The Least and Most Affordable Places for Holiday Travel

Cape Town, South Africa; Park City, Utah and Sydney are the most expensive places to visit during the holidays, found a new study by personal finance website GOBankingRates.

Contrary to their notoriously high costs, San Francisco and Chicago ranked in the top five most affordable holiday travel destinations because of seasonal deals on flights and hotels.

To pinpoint the most and least affordable holiday trips, GOBankingRates examined six factors in popular destinations around the world: the cost of hotels, flights from Atlanta and Los Angeles, food, drinks, transportation and entertainment.

For more details on methodology and to view the full study, please visit: https://www.gobankingrates.com/saving-money/affordable-places-spend-holiday-vacation/

Most Affordable Places to Visit During the Holidays

1.     Playa del Carmen, Mexico

• Average cost of hotel/night (Thanksgiving): $137.67
• Average cost of hotel/night (Christmas): $174.00
• Average cost of flight (Thanksgiving): $451.51
• Average cost of flight (Christmas): $526.63
• Average cost of food (meals per day): $14.00

2.     San Francisco

• Average cost of hotel/night (Thanksgiving): $121.00
• Average cost of hotel/night (Christmas): $121.00
• Average cost of flight (Thanksgiving):  $247.90
• Average cost of flight (Christmas): $257.90
• Average cost of food (meals per day): $31.00

3.     Chicago

• Average cost of hotel/night (Thanksgiving): $87.00
• Average cost of hotel/night (Christmas): $84.67
• Average cost of flight (Thanksgiving): $204.40
• Average cost of flight (Christmas): $261.92
• Average cost of food (meals per day): $34.00

4.     Seattle

• Average cost of hotel/night (Thanksgiving): $142.33
• Average cost of hotel/night (Christmas): $139.67
• Average cost of flight (Thanksgiving): $328.69
• Average cost of flight (Christmas): $345.51
• Average cost of food (meals per day): $37.00

5.     Washington, D.C.

• Average cost of hotel/night (Thanksgiving): $96.67
• Average cost of hotel/night (Christmas): $85.33
• Average cost of flight (Thanksgiving): $345.90
• Average cost of flight (Christmas): $308.49
• Average cost of food (meals per day): $30.00

Least Affordable Places to Visit During the Holidays

1.     Cape Town, South Africa

• Average cost of hotel/night (Thanksgiving): $100.67
• Average cost of hotel/night (Christmas): $92.67
• Average cost of flight (Thanksgiving): $1,557.45
• Average cost of flight (Christmas): $2,107.05
• Average cost of food (meals per day): $48.00

2.     Park City, Utah

• Average cost of hotel/night (Thanksgiving): $115.67
• Average cost of hotel/night (Christmas): $533.67
• Average cost of flight (Thanksgiving): $253.29
• Average cost of flight (Christmas): $338.98
• Average cost of food (meals per day): $50.00

3.     Sydney

• Average cost of hotel/night (Thanksgiving): $115.00
• Average cost of hotel/night (Christmas): $84.00
• Average cost of flight (Thanksgiving): $1,554.61
• Average cost of flight (Christmas): $2,137.65
• Average cost of food (meals per day): $35.00

4.     Kihei, Hawaii

• Average cost of hotel/night (Thanksgiving): $189.67
• Average cost of hotel/night (Christmas): $362.00
• Average cost of flight (Thanksgiving): $1,194.04
• Average cost of flight (Christmas): $870.00
• Average cost of food (meals per day): $44.00

5.     Honolulu, Hawaii

• Average cost of hotel/night (Thanksgiving): $196.67
• Average cost of hotel/night (Christmas): $241.33
• Average cost of flight (Thanksgiving): $1,192.83
• Average cost of flight (Christmas): $932.84
• Average cost of food (meals per day): $42.00

Additional Insights

• Winter is the peak season for the state of Hawaii, and therefore one of the least affordable places to visit during the holidays.
• Despite an abundance of surrounding ski resorts, winter is the low season for tourism in Denver and therefore, one of the more affordable holiday travel destinations on the list.
• You can save money on a flight to Amsterdam by traveling during Thanksgiving rather than Christmas—airfares are about $300 to $500 lower, depending on the U.S. departure city.

About GOBankingRates

GOBankingRates.com is a personal finance news and features website dedicated to helping visitors live a richer life. From tips on saving money to investing for retirement or finding a good interest rate, GOBankingRates helps turn financial goals into milestones and money dreams into realities. Its content is regularly featured on top-tier media outlets, including MSN, MONEY, AOL Finance, CBS MoneyWatch, Business Insider and dozens of others. GOBankingRates specializes in connecting consumers with the financial institutions and products that best match their needs. Start your journey toward a rich mind and full wallet with us here.

SOURCE GOBankingRates