Costa del Sol holiday costs to fall in 2017, study finds

When on holiday on the Costa del Sol, prices for goods, meals, drinks and entertainment are thoroughly reasonable.

The latest Worldwide Holiday Costs Barometer by the Post Office forecasts the average price of a basket of staple ‘holiday goods’ on the Costa del Sol will fall by around 3% this year.

The annual Barometer compares the average price of things like sunscreen, dining out, beer, wine, ice cream and toiletries in 44 popular tourist destinations across the world…

For 2017, the chief resorts of the Costa del Sol are poised to be slightly cheaper than last year, meaning holidaymakers will see their pounds and euros stretch much further this year.

The cheapest destination in 2017 will be Portugal’s Algarve, where the average price for a basket of those staple goods will cost £33.36 – which is some £4 cheaper than last year.

The Costa del Sol’s basket will set you back £38.79, which puts Spain in third place behind runner-up, Sunny Beach in Bulgaria (£33.53). No other destination dips below the £40 threshold, with the fourth-most affordable resort – Marmaris in Turkey – poised to set holidaymakers back some £49.74 per basket.

Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money said: “Holidaymakers can do little about sterling’s value but they can do their homework and plan trips to resorts or cities where prices for meals, drinks and other tourist staples are low.

“Europe is looking unbeatable value with nine of this year’s 10 cheapest destinations, not to mention local price falls in half the European resorts and cities we surveyed.”