107 World cities by price: Backpacker Index for 2011

31 Jan, 2011  |   Comments (4)  |   Add a comment

If you’ve ever wondered which popular tourist cities around the world are cheap once you get there and which are expensive, the list below should help a lot. In 2011 Price of Travel has introduced our Backpacker Index, comparing the same exact set of expenses in over 100 worldwide cities, all translated into US dollars for ease of comparison.

See: Backpacker Index for 2012 – 116 cities by price

This is the summary of a series of articles which went into great detail about each region on its own, and if you are considering a trip to a certain part of the world it’s probably a good idea to look at the regional page for further information.

• Africa and Middle East Backpacker Index for 2011
• Asia Backpacker Index for 2011
• Australia/New Zealand Backpacker Index for 2011
• Europe Backpacker Index for 2011
• North America Backpacker Index for 2011
• South and Central America Backpacker Index for 2011

What the prices below mean

There is a longer explanation of the Backpacker Index on each of the regional pages, but the short version is that we found the price for a group of things for each destination, and then translated that into US dollars in late January 2011. While this data is meant for backpackers and budget travelers, the proportions will be nearly identical, so the list should also be useful to those with more money to spend.

For each city this daily total includes:

• A dorm bed at a good and cheap hostel
• 3 budget meals
• 2 public transportation rides
• 1 paid cultural attraction
• 3 cheap beers (as an “entertainment fund”)

Backpacker Index for 107 global destinations for 2011

1. Hanoi, Vietnam – $11.35
2. Goa, India – $14.23
3. Hoi An, Vietnam – $14.95
4. Vientiane, Laos – $16.10
5. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – $16.57
6. Manila, Philippines – $17.85
7. Chiang Mai, Thailand – $17.98
8. Luang Prabang, Laos – $19.42
9. Kuta, Bali, Indonesia – $19.47
10. Phnom Penh, Cambodia – $19.95
11. Sofia, Bulgaria – $20.75
12. Bangkok, Thailand – $21.27
13. Quito, Ecuador – $21.30
14. Cairo, Egypt – $22.08
15. La Paz, Bolivia – $22.68
16. Cartagena, Colombia – $23.30
17. Kathmandu, Nepal – $23.39
18. Siem Reap, Cambodia – $23.70
19. Cusco, Peru – $24.03
20. Phuket, Thailand – $24.29
21. Delhi, India – $25.23
22. Macau, China – $25.46
23. Panama City, Panama - $26.40
24. Krakow, Poland – $26.55
25. Lima, Peru – $26.89
26. Beijing, China – $26.94
27. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – $27.10
28. Fez, Morocco – $27.31
29. Amman, Jordan – $27.32
30. Bucharest, Romania – $28.30
31. Mexico City, Mexico – $29.19
32. Mumbai, India – $29.52
33. Shanghai, China – $30.17
34. Marrakech, Morocco – $30.22
35. Taipei, Taiwan – $30.59
36. Antigua, Guatemala – $30.83
37. San Jose, Costa Rica – $31.12
38. Santiago, Chile – $32.10
39. Buenos Aires, Argentina – $32.33
40. Montevideo, Uruguay - $33.01
41. Budapest, Hungary – $33.10
42. Seoul, South Korea – $34.58
43. Beirut, Lebanon – $34.83
44. Dakar, Senegal – $35.24
45. Istanbul, Turkey – $35.77
46. Singapore, Singapore – $36.62
47. Hong Kong, China – $37.53
48. Warsaw, Poland – $38.18
49. San Pedro, Belize – $39.41
50. St. Petersburg, Russia – $39.67
51. Prague, Czech Republic – $40.21
52. Cape Town, South Africa – $42.90
53. Zagreb, Croatia – $43.04
54. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – $43.75
55. Cancun, Mexico – $46.20
56. Moscow, Russia – $46.79
57. Tallinn, Estonia – $52.29
58. Bruges, Belgium – $54.67
59. Las Vegas, USA – $54.90
60. Lisbon, Portugal – $55.33
61. New Orleans, USA – $55.90
62. Tel Aviv, Israel – $56.58
63. Los Angeles, USA – $57.50
64. Berlin, Germany – $58.40
65. London, England – $58.77
66. Auckland, New Zealand – $58.92
67. Caracas, Venezuela – $58.97
68. San Francisco, USA – $59.40
69. Washington DC, USA – $59.80
70. Dubrovnik, Croatia – $60.02
71. Athens, Greece – $60.40
72. Montreal, Canada – $61.30
73. Madrid, Spain – $62.80
74. Dubai, UAE – $65.01
75. Florence, Italy – $65.20
76. Edinburgh, Scotland – $65.69
77. Naples, Italy – $65.73
78. Honolulu, USA – $66.10
79. Reykjavik, Iceland – $66.34
80. Hamburg, Germany – $66.67
81. Dublin, Ireland – $67.87
82. Munich, Germany – $68.00
83. Queenstown, New Zealand – $70.15
84. Milan, Italy – $70.40
85. New York City, USA – $70.80
86. Nice, France – $70.93
87. Barcelona, Spain – $71.07
88. Luxembourg City, Luxembourg – $71.33
89. Galway, Ireland – $72.53
90. Vancouver, Canada – $73.70
91. Chicago, USA – $74.60
92. Vienna, Austria – $74.93
93. Rome, Italy – $75.47
94. Paris, France – $76.00
95. Toronto, Canada – $76.80
96. Brussels, Belgium – $77.60
97. Amsterdam, Netherlands – $78.13
98. Sydney, Australia – $78.42
99. Miami Beach, USA – $80.20
100. Helsinki, Finland – $81.60
101. Melbourne, Australia – $83.37
102. Copenhagen, Denmark – $84.59
103. Venice, Italy – $91.20
104. Tokyo, Japan – $91.94
105. Stockholm, Sweden – $93.73
106. Oslo, Norway – $102.23
107. Zurich, Switzerland – $111.49

Conclusions for 2011

It’s hard not to notice that if you want a cheap holiday you should head to Asia or perhaps Latin America. Except on the shortest trips, the cost of airfare will quickly be made up for by savings on everything else once you arrive.

Some countries, most notably Australia and Switzerland, are unusually expensive in early 2011, so they might be better saved until the currency situation rebalances itself.

Consider “normalization” when making your own budget

These figures should be very useful for deciding upon an “average daily budget” for each city once you arrive, but on the far ends of the list it’s important to consider the natural tendency to normalize one’s expenses. In other words, when you visit Hanoi and things are so incredibly cheap there is a tendency to splurge a bit, which makes sense because things are good value.

Or when you are in Zurich you might decide to skip alcohol or buy it in a shop instead of a bar, so the most expensive cities on the list can certainly be a bit cheaper than the price shown here.

Related posts:

1. Australia & New Zealand cities by price: Backpacker Index for 2011
2. Africa and Middle East cities by price: Backpacker Index for 2011
3. 14 North American cities by price: Backpacker Index for 2011
4. 15 South & Central American cities by price: Backpacker Index for 2011
5. 26 Asian cities by price: Backpacker Index for 2011