Turkey has emerged as the most affordable holiday destination among seven of Europe’s most popular tourist countries, while Portugal offers the best value for hotels and restaurants, according to a Euronews Business analysis of Eurostat price data.
The comparison examined national average prices across Turkey, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Italy and France, covering a wide range of consumer goods and services. Although prices in major tourist resorts can vary from national averages, the data provides a broad picture of what travellers can expect when planning summer holidays.
Using Eurostat’s Household Final Consumption Expenditure price index, which measures the average cost of more than 2,000 goods and services, Turkey ranked as the least expensive destination overall. A basket of goods and services costing €100 across the European Union would cost about €59.60 in Turkey, making it roughly 40% cheaper than the EU average.
France was the most expensive country in the survey, with average prices slightly above the EU benchmark at €100.30. Italy followed at €97.10, while Spain, Greece, Portugal and Croatia all recorded lower overall price levels than the European average.
Accommodation and dining costs showed even greater differences. Portugal offered the lowest prices for hotels and restaurants, with a price index of 73.6, meaning visitors could expect to pay more than 26% less than the EU average for meals and lodging. Turkey ranked second in this category with a score of 78.3, while Spain and Greece also remained below the European average.
France proved to be the most expensive destination for accommodation and restaurant services, followed by Italy.
Food prices varied less dramatically across the countries. France again recorded the highest average grocery costs, with food prices almost 8% above the EU average. Turkey remained the least expensive for food shopping, while Spain was the only other country where food prices were below the European benchmark.
One category where Turkey stood out for a different reason was alcohol. Despite being the cheapest destination overall, alcoholic beverages were by far the most expensive among the countries surveyed. Alcohol prices were more than double the EU average, largely reflecting the country’s high taxes on alcoholic drinks.
Italy offered the lowest alcohol prices, while Spain also remained below the European average. Greece and Croatia recorded relatively high prices for alcoholic beverages.
Turkey also had the lowest tobacco prices by a considerable margin and ranked as the cheapest destination for public transport. France was the only country where public transport costs exceeded the EU average.
Seafood prices were comparatively stable across all seven destinations, with only modest differences between countries.
The analysis noted that the figures reflect national averages rather than prices in individual holiday resorts. It also does not account for differences in income levels, meaning affordability may vary depending on where travellers are visiting from.
