Sofia in Bulgaria Most Affordable for Australian Travelers*

The Alexander Nevsky cathedral in Bulgaria's capital Sofia is pictured here during the annual parade of vintage cars, which traditionally takes place at the beginning of June. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

By Alison Godfrey
News.com.au travel reporter

TripAdvisor has released the results of their annual TripIndex which compares the cost of an evening out and an overnight stay for two people in key tourist cities around the world.

Sofia, Bulgaria offers the most affordable evening out for Australian travelers with a total cost of USD 153.21. Hanoi, Vietnam takes second place with USD 170.12.

The most expensive city, at nearly four times the cost of Sofia, is Oslo, Norway with a cost of USD 561.26, closely followed by Zurich, Switzerland which totals USD 506.45.

The TripAdvisor TripIndex Cities is tracked against the Australian dollar and is based on the combined costs for two of one night in a four-star hotel, cocktails, a two-course dinner with a bottle of wine, and return taxi transportation (two journeys of approximately 3.2 kilometers each). Costs listed are accurate for the period of 1 June to 31 August 2013.

"Asia is the most affordable continent, while Europe is the most expensive, but some European cities - like Sofia, Warsaw and Budapest - are bucking this trend," TripAdvisor spokesperson Jean Ow-Yeong said. Sydney is ranked as the sixth most expensive of these worldwide cities this year, compared to its ninth position in 2012."

The Index has shown up some amazing cost comparisons for travelers thinking about packing their bags and heading off on holiday.

For the price of three taxis in Zurich, Switzerland a traveler can get one night's stay in a four star hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Travelers can enjoy two dinners for two people in Taipei, Taiwan for the same price as two cocktails in Seoul, South Korea.

One night's hotel stay for two in a four star hotel in Zurich, Switzerland is nearly the same price as three nights in Warsaw, Poland.

*The title of the article has been changed by the Editorial Staff of Novinite.com

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!