Sofia, Bulgaria Named Least Expensive City for Singaporean Travellers and Oslo, Norway Takes the Top Spot as Most Expensive

TripIndex by TripAdvisor reveals the price of an evening out in key cities around the world

SINGAPORE, June 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor( http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg )(TM), the world's largest travel site*, today unveils TripIndex Cities 2013, the third annual cost comparison of an evening out and overnight stay for two people in key tourist cities around the world.

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The TripAdvisor TripIndex Cities 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 kilometres each). Costs listed are accurate for the period of 1 June to 31 August 2013.

Sofia, Bulgaria offers the most affordable evening out and an overnight stay for Indonesian travellers with a total TripIndex cost of S$196.06, while Hanoi, Vietnam takes second place with S$217.76. At nearly four times the cost of Sofia, Oslo, Norway tops the list as most expensive with a TripIndex cost of S$717.41, closely followed by Zurich, Switzerland which totals S$647.48.

"TripIndex helps travellers to see where their money goes the furthest," commented TripAdvisor spokesperson, Jean Ow-Yeong. "The list shows that 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. While Singapore was ranked as tenth most expensive last year, it falls four places in this year's TripIndex Cities to be ranked fourteenth most expensive of these worldwide cities."

Hotels hike up the price but biggest gap is between taxi costs

While the cost of a hotel stay is the most expensive of the TripIndex basket items, the biggest disparity in cost between the cheapest and most expensive destinations lies with the return taxi trip. At S$51.31, London is almost twenty times more expensive for taxi transportation than Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at S$2.63.

The cheapest average hotel room goes to Sofia, Bulgaria at S$119.11 per night, while the most expensive, at nearly four times the cost, goes to New York City, at S$469.10 per night.

Affordable Asia vs. Comparatively Costly in Europe

Asia features heavily in the ten least expensive destinations, claiming four cities in total. Hanoi, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Riyadh rank second, sixth, seventh and tenth place respectively.

Europe dominated the most expensive cities with six of the top ten destinations. Oslo, Zurich, Stockholm, Paris, London and Copenhagen take first, second, third, fifth, seventh and eighth place respectively on the list.

How much bang will you get for your buck around the world?

TripIndex Cities shows travellers just how far their money will go across the key tourist cities around the world:

-- For the price of three taxis in Zurich, Switzerland

a traveller can get one night's stay in a four star

hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam;

-- Travellers 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.

TripIndex Cities

Cheapest:

No. Destination Hotel Return Taxi Dinner for Cocktails Total Cost

Trip Two for Two

1 Sofia, BulgariaS$119.11S$ 5.92S$ 50.09S$20.94S$ 196.06

2 Hanoi, VietnamS$142.37S$ 7.54S$ 45.33S$22.52S$ 217.76

3 Warsaw, PolandS$127.78S$17.33S$ 66.18S$21.27S$ 232.56

4 Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt S$125.72S$ 3.58S$ 80.34S$26.86S$ 236.50

5 Budapest, HungaryS$128.50S$13.66S$ 61.49S$35.02S$ 238.67

6 Bangkok, ThailandS$135.16S$ 3.88S$ 86.58S$23.59S$ 249.21

7 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaS$146.96S$ 2.63S$ 87.16S$32.45S$ 269.20

8 Tunis, TunisiaS$192.97S$ 3.22S$ 53.15S$21.65S$ 270.99

9 Cape Town, South AfricaS$166.80S$16.86S$ 76.48S$10.91S$ 271.05

10 Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaS$207.04S$ 7.54S$ 57.72 N/A S$ 272.30

Most Expensive:

No. Destination Hotel Return Taxi Dinner for Cocktails Total Cost

Trip Two for Two

1 Oslo, NorwayS$284.49S$35.72S$341.22S$55.98S$717.41

2 Zurich, SwitzerlandS$369.56S$48.18S$186.84S$42.90S$647.48

3 Stockholm, SwedenS$300.86S$33.53S$258.43S$51.52S$644.34

4 New York City, USAS$469.10S$28.33S$100.81S$39.99S$638.23

5 Paris, FranceS$399.40S$21.98S$129.82S$81.89S$633.09

6 Sydney, AustraliaS$286.44S$29.99S$206.78S$45.86S$569.07

7 London, UKS$335.21S$51.31S$125.95S$45.89S$558.36

8 Copenhagen, DenmarkS$271.32S$47.69S$184.04S$46.24S$549.29

9 Cancun, MexicoS$392.32S$24.95S$99.09S$29.00S$545.36

10 Punta Cana, Dominican S$413.01S$32.99S$65.78S$27.47S$539.25

Republic

11 Rio de Janeiro, BrazilS$390.92S$10.80S$89.39S$36.49S$527.60

12 Helsinki, FinlandS$237.26S$37.93S$177.33S$44.93S$497.45

13 Moscow, RussiaS$297.61S$31.28S$121.61S$46.44S$496.94

14 Singapore S$305.64S$9.22S$137.60S$43.33S$495.79

The full TripIndex is available here( http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/InfoCenter-a_ctr.TripIndex_Cities_2013_SG ).

Click here for a downloadable version of the TRIPINDEX CITIES 2013 infographic:

http://www.prnasia.com/sa/attachment/2013/06/20130610230155397861.pdf.

Notes to Editors:

The international TripIndex Cities 2013 destination list comprises key cities from 49 of the 50 countries which receive the largest number of international visitor arrivals (data compiled by the UNWTO).

TripIndex prices out the following items in each destination to represent the cost of a night out for two people:

-- One night's accommodation in a four-star hotel

-- Cocktails for two people

-- Dinner for two (two courses and a bottle of house wine)

-- Return taxi transportation (two taxi journeys of two miles each)

Prices were collected through a variety of research methods as outlined below. Prices were taken in local currencies between March and April 2013 and converted into Singapore Dollars on 19 April 2013.

Hotels: Prices specify the average per-night cost of a room at four-star hotel found on TripAdvisor (via partner booking sites such as online travel agencies and direct hotel suppliers) in each destination for the summer travel period (1 June - 31 August 2013).

Cocktails for two: Prices specify the average cost of two traditional dry martinis from a top-rated five-star hotel on TripAdvisor in each destination.

Dinner for two: Prices specify the average cost of a traditional or common two-course meal (starter and main course) for two people with a bottle of house (or least available) white wine (prices averaged from three mid-range restaurants in each destination).

Return taxi trip: Prices specify the approximate cost of two taxi journeys of two miles or approximately 3.2 kilometres each (representing an evening's return transportation). Data was taken from local authorities, recognised taxi companies, and/or travel experts on the area.

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor(R) is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 200 million unique monthly visitors**, and over 100 million reviews and opinions covering more than 2.5 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 20 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com,www.seatguru.com, www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, April 2013

**Source: Google Analytics, worldwide data, May 2013

(C)2013 TripAdvisor, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE TripAdvisor