Most affordable holiday spots for 2024: Cape Town ranks second
TimeOut’s new study has ranked Cape Town as the second most affordable holiday destination for 2024. Here are the details…
Cape Town one of the most affordable destinations for Britons
Time Out has listed the 15 most affordable holiday destinations for 2024 and South Africa’s very own Mother City took the number two spot.
Based on data from the 18th annual Post Office Travel Money’s ‘Holiday Money Report’, which takes into account a change in currency value compared to the British pound, as well as the local price of eight tourist essentials (coffee, beer, cola, wine, water, suncream, insect repellent and a three course meal), the study determined which destinations are most affordable to visit.
Cape Town, which came in first spot in last year’s same ranking, placed second, as prices of the eight essentials increased in 2024 by nearly 5% to cost £54.35.
The top spot was taken by Hoi An, Vietnam, which cost £51.18.
Top 15 destinations in 2024
These are the 15 most affordable destinations and the price of the essential item basket for 2024:
| Rank | Destination | Total cost of essential basket |
| 1 | Hoi An, Vietnam | £51.18 |
| 2 | Cape Town, South Africa | £54.35 |
| 3 | Mombasa, Kenya | £54.93 |
| 4 | Tokyo, Japan | £59.05 |
| 5 | Algarve, Portugal | £59.69 |
| 6 | Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt | £61.37 |
| 7 | Sunny Beach, Bulgaria | £62.49 |
| 8 | Kuta, Bali | £63.31 |
| 9 | Marmaris, Turkey | £66.07 |
| 10 | Paphos, Cyprus | £73.32 |
| 11 | Penang, Malaysia | £74.57 |
| 12 | Phuket, Thailand | £77.77 |
| 13 | Delhi, India | £77.84 |
| 14 | Costa del Sol, Spain | £81.45 |
| 15 | Montego Bay, Jamaica | £87.11 |
Cape Town ‘one of the most beautiful cities in the world’
In similar news, popular American publication, Architectural Digest, also known as AD, recently released their list of the Top 20 Most Beautiful Cities in the World, and it comes as no surprise that beautiful Cape Town claimed a spot.
The publication claimed that although 20 cities were far too few to sum up all the world’s beauty, they took ‘a stab at highlighting some supremely spectacular places’.
For the purpose of the list, AD considered a few factors such as a city’s architecture, cultural treasures, historical relevance, as well as natural appeal in order to be named ‘beautiful’.
Cape Town placed at number 14, with the publication stating:
“Brilliant blue waters, buzzing nightlife, an ever-emerging arts scene, and the majestic Table Mountain make Cape Town a stunning city no matter your definition of beauty. For both nature lovers and thrill seekers, getting a closer look at the city’s main mountain never disappoints. Table Mountain National Park has a cable car that offers panoramic views of the city, plus whale-watching from Cape Point and the chance to peep penguins at Boulders Beach.”