The cheapest countries to visit aren’t the ones with the lowest hotel prices on a booking site, they’re the places where a full day of eating, sleeping and getting around costs less than a single London lunch. For UK travelers that points in two directions: long-haul destinations like Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Nepal, where £20-35 a day covers everything comfortably, and short-haul European options like Albania, Bulgaria and Bosnia, which deliver a proper European trip for a fraction of Western prices. Here’s how both groups compare, and what the numbers actually buy you.
The cheapest countries to visit in Asia: the long haul value leaders
Among the cheapest countries to visit anywhere, Vietnam and India both offer an extraordinary amount for a modest daily budget: guesthouses and hostels from a few pounds a night, street food meals for under £2, and local transport that costs a fraction of Western equivalents. Expect to spend around £20-30 a day in Vietnam and £15-25 a day in India for comfortable, not backpacker minimal, travel. The trade-off for both is a long flight, 9 to 12 hours from the UK, and more time needed to adjust to a genuinely different pace and culture than a European trip.
Indonesia and Nepal round out the long-haul value picks. Indonesia, and Bali specifically, runs a similar £20 to 30 daily budget but sits further out at 16+ hours flight time, usually with a connection. Nepal offers the same daily budget range and is the standout choice if trekking and mountain scenery matter more to you than beaches.
The cheapest countries to visit in Europe
Albania has become one of the most talked-about budget destinations in Europe: a genuinely beautiful Adriatic coastline at a fraction of Croatia’s prices, just a 3-hour flight from the UK, with a daily budget around £25 to 35. Bulgaria and Bosnia & Herzegovina tell a similar story, with real European history and scenery without the Western European price tag. Both are reachable in around 2.5 to 3.5 hours and sit in the same £25 to 35 daily range, so they work for a long weekend as easily as a full week. If this would be your first budget trip across the continent, our guide to travelling Europe on $50 a day shows how those numbers play out over a full two-week route.
Central America’s quiet budget value
Guatemala and Nicaragua both offer a similar daily budget to the Southeast Asian picks, around £20-30 a day, with the bonus of a slightly shorter journey than Vietnam or Indonesia at roughly 10 to 12 hours via a connection. Colonial architecture, volcanoes, and a genuinely low cost of living make both worth considering among the cheapest countries to visit, alongside the more commonly searched Southeast Asian options.
What the cheapest countries to visit actually cost day to day
A £20 to 30 daily budget in the cheapest countries to visit typically covers a private room rather than just a dorm bed, three meals, and local transport, so it isn’t a backpacker-only existence. Spending slightly more, closer to £35 to 45 a day, generally buys noticeably nicer accommodation and the occasional taxi or tour, while still sitting far below the cost of an equivalent trip to Western Europe or North America.
Accommodation explains most of the difference between destinations. A private guesthouse room runs roughly £5 to 12 a night in Vietnam and India, £8 to 15 in Indonesia and Nepal, and £15 to 25 across Albania, Bulgaria and Bosnia. Food and local transport follow the same pattern, getting cheaper the further you travel from Western Europe, which is why the short-haul options cost more per day but save heavily on the flight. For ideas on keeping spending at the bottom of these ranges, our budget travel tips cover the habits that make the biggest difference.
Getting the most from a long haul budget trip
Given the flight time involved in reaching Vietnam, India, Indonesia or Nepal, these cheapest countries to visit reward a longer stay, two to three weeks rather than one, since the cost per day drops significantly once the flight is spread across more days. A short haul trip to Albania or Bulgaria works perfectly well as a long weekend precisely because the flight is so much cheaper to begin with. Since the flight is usually the single biggest cost on a trip like this, it’s worth reading up on how to find cheap flights before you book anything else.
Is £20 a day realistic for Southeast Asia?
Yes, in countries like Vietnam and India, £20 to 30 a day typically covers comfortable budget accommodation, three meals and local transport. Street food and local restaurants cost a fraction of tourist-facing places, and overnight buses or trains between cities double as a night’s accommodation. The figure gets tighter in tourist heavy islands and beach towns, where prices run noticeably higher than in the cities and countryside.
Is Albania actually cheaper than Croatia?
Generally yes, particularly for accommodation and food. Albania offers a similar Adriatic coastline experience at a noticeably lower cost, with beach restaurants, guesthouses and local transport all priced well below Croatian equivalents. The gap is widest outside the busiest summer weeks, and the coast is far less crowded, which is part of the appeal for travellers who want value without sacrificing the scenery.
Before you book: a quick safety check
Cheap doesn’t mean risk-free or risky. Check the current FCDO travel advice for any destination before booking, the same as you would for any trip, regardless of budget, since it also affects whether your travel insurance stays valid.
Choosing between long haul and short haul value
If you have two weeks or more and want the lowest daily spend, Vietnam, India and Nepal are hard to beat. If you have a long weekend or a week and want value without a long flight, Albania, Bulgaria and Bosnia are the smarter pick. Either way, the cheapest countries to visit reward the same approach: travel outside peak season, stay in locally run guesthouses, and eat where the locals eat.
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