The Top Tourism Destinations Where You Get the Most Sunshine for Your Money
Do you want to maximise your sunshine hours on your upcoming summer holiday whilst keeping costs low? Then it’s Cairo you should head to according to our latest study. If you also want to live cheaply on the holiday itself, you can get a lot of sun for your money in Paphos and Tirana.
Skip directly to:
- The holiday destinations with the lowest average hotel price per solar hour
- The holiday destinations with the most sun for your money, per month
- Top 10 holiday destinations with the lowest average price per solar hour
- Top 10 holiday destinations with the highest average price per solar hour
- The destinations where you can holiday the cheapest
Summer is in full bloom, vacation planning is in full swing, and we can’t put a price on sunshine – or can we? At Sambla we have made it easier to plan which countries get you the most vitamin D for your buck.
We collated a list of the Top 50 most visited countries based on inbound tourism numbers, and used either their capital city, or popular tourist spot, to calculate and compare their average daily hours of sunshine between July to September, with the cost of staying within two-miles of the vicinity in a three-star hotel.
The price of sun hours are calculated on a week’s holiday for all rankings, and that you get seven average days of sun for the stated price of hotels or flights.
The holiday destinations with the lowest average hotel price per solar hour
| Ranking | Destination | Average Sunshine Hours per Day | Average Hotel p/n (per couple) |
Average Cost/Sunshine Hours per Day (per couple) |
Average Cost/Sunshine Hours per Week (per couple) |
| 1 | Egypt (Cairo) | 11.4 | £48.81 | £0.53 | £3.68 |
| 2 | Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) | 8.0 | £47.08 | £0.72 | £5.04 |
| 3 | United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi) | 12.0 | £71.15 | £0.73 | £5.08 |
| 4 | Albania (Tirana) | 10.3 | £64.65 | £0.77 | £5.40 |
| 5 | Mexico (Cancun) | 10.3 | £65.31 | £0.77 | £5.41 |
| 6 | Bulgaria (Sofia) | 8.8 | £65.92 | £0.92 | £6.42 |
| 7 | Cyprus (Paphos) | 12.0 | £101.35 | £1.03 | £7.23 |
| 8 | India (Delhi) | 6.1 | £53.27 | £1.07 | £7.48 |
| 9 | Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) | 5.8 | £51.77 | £1.10 | £7.68 |
| 10 | Uruguay (Montevideo) | 5.3 | £48.96 | £1.13 | £7.94 |
| 11 | Macau | 6.5 | £62.04 | £1.17 | £8.22 |
| 12 | Aruba (Oranjestad) | 9.7 | £93.62 | £1.19 | £8.30 |
| 13 | Latvia (Riga) | 7.0 | £80.81 | £1.41 | £9.86 |
| 14 | Poland (Warsaw) | 8.4 | £98.73 | £1.45 | £10.13 |
| 15 | Croatia (Zagreb) | 7.9 | £94.19 | £1.47 | £10.26 |
| 16 | Slovakia (Bratislava) | 8.2 | £98.35 | £1.47 | £10.30 |
| 17 | South Africa (Cape Town) | 6.8 | £87.58 | £1.57 | £10.96 |
| 18 | Lithuania (Vilnius) | 7.1 | £90.88 | £1.57 | £11.01 |
| 19 | China (Beijing) | 7.2 | £94.19 | £1.59 | £11.16 |
| 20 | Turkey (Istanbul) | 9.3 | £124.23 | £1.63 | £11.39 |
1. Cairo, Egypt
Our study places Cairo as the ideal holiday destination to maximise your budget per sunshine. Egypt’s capital benefits from an average of 11.4 hours of sunshine per day, between the months of July to September, and costs as little as £48.81 for a one-week stay based on two people sharing. In fact, Cairo has the second cheapest accommodation in our study of all 50 destinations we researched, and the third highest amount of daily hours of sunshine, topped only by Paphos and Abu Dhabi. Tourists looking to holiday in Cairo this summer can expect to spend an average of £3.68 per week on sunshine hours, or 53p per day.
2. Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
Second on our list, coming in at over 6,000 miles away is Kuala Lumpur. This vibrant and bustling city has attractions and sightseeing options to suit all budgets, and offers tourists an average of 8 hours of daily sunshine in the summer months. Flights aside, a stay in Malaysia’s capital city will only set you back £47.08 per night, calculating the average cost per sunshine at £5.04 a week, or 72p a day. Kuala Lumpur is a destination definitely worth visiting as a layover on your Southeast Asia trip, or as its own holiday as a whole.
3. UAE, Abu Dhabi
Taking third place is a destination that needs no introduction. Abu Dhabi has long been popular with tourists and our study shows accommodation available at an average of £71.15 per couple per night. Although this cost per night is slightly higher than other destinations in our study, Abu Dhabi’s average daily sunshine of 12 hours places it high in the ranking of maximising your money for sunshine. Abu Dhabi has the highest average of sun hours in our study, tied with Paphos, bringing the total cost per sunshine at £5.08 a week, or 73p a day.
The holiday destinations with the most sun for your money, per month
July
| Ranking | Destination | Average Sunshine Hours per Day | Average Hotel p/n (per couple) |
Average Cost/Sunshine Hours per Day (per couple) |
Average Cost/Sunshine Hours per Week (per couple) |
| 1 | Egypt (Cairo) | 12.0 | £49.60 | £0.51 | £3.54 |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi) | 12.0 | £50.40 | £0.51 | £3.60 |
| 3 | Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) | 8.0 | £45.10 | £0.69 | £4.83 |
| 4 | Albania (Tirana) | 11.4 | £65.70 | £0.70 | £4.93 |
| 5 | Mexico (Cancun) | 11.0 | £67.90 | £0.76 | £5.29 |
| 6 | Bulgaria (Sofia) | 9.7 | £63.20 | £0.79 | £5.56 |
| 7 | Aruba (Oranjestad) | 13.0 | £94.00 | £0.89 | £6.20 |
| 8 | Macau | 7.2 | £59.60 | £1.01 | £7.10 |
| 9 | Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) | 6.3 | £54.00 | £1.05 | £7.32 |
| 10 | Cyprus (Paphos | 13.0 | £120.30 | £1.13 | £7.93 |
August
| Ranking | Destination | Average Sunshine Hours per Day | Average Hotel p/n (per couple) |
Average Cost/Sunshine Hours per Day (per couple) |
Average Cost/Sunshine Hours per Week (per couple) |
| 1 | Egypt (Cairo) | 11.5 | £48.10 | £0.51 | £3.59 |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi) | 12.0 | £59.10 | £0.60 | £4.22 |
| 3 | Mexico (Cancun) | 11.0 | £66.70 | £0.74 | £5.20 |
| 4 | Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) | 8.0 | £48.60 | £0.74 | £5.21 |
| 5 | Albania (Tirana) | 10.5 | £69.50 | £0.81 | £5.65 |
| 6 | Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) | 6.4 | £42.50 | £0.81 | £5.65 |
| 7 | Bulgaria (Sofia) | 9.3 | £73.10 | £0.96 | £6.74 |
| 8 | Cyprus (Paphos) | 12.0 | £106.70 | £1.09 | £7.62 |
| 9 | Aruba (Oranjestad) | 10.0 | £93.90 | £1.15 | £8.05 |
| 10 | Uruguay (Montevideo) | 5.3 | £51.80 | £1.20 | £8.37 |
September
| Ranking | Destination | Average Sunshine Hours per Day | Average Hotel p/n (per couple) |
Average Cost/Sunshine Hours per Day (per couple) |
Average Cost/Sunshine Hours per Week (per couple) |
| 1 | Egypt (Cairo) | 10.6 | £48.50 | £0.56 | £3.92 |
| 2 | Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) | 8.0 | £48.10 | £0.74 | £5.15 |
| 3 | India (Delhi) | 7.3 | £49.90 | £0.84 | £5.86 |
| 4 | Mexico (Cancun) | 9.0 | £62.00 | £0.84 | £5.90 |
| 5 | Albania (Tirana) | 8.8 | £60.70 | £0.84 | £5.91 |
| 6 | Cyprus (Paphos) | 11.0 | £82.50 | £0.92 | £6.43 |
| 7 | Uruguay (Montevideo) | 6.1 | £47.80 | £0.96 | £6.74 |
| 8 | United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi) | 12.0 | £104.40 | £1.07 | £7.46 |
| 9 | Bulgaria (Sofia) | 7.3 | £65.60 | £1.10 | £7.67 |
| 10 | Aruba (Oranjestad) | 10.0 | £93.20 | £1.14 | £7.99 |
Continuing on our study with a key focus on hotel value, we broke down the cost of accommodation per summer month in order to identify any trends. Our data continues to place Cairo as the most value for sunshine hours across each month, with the average ranking cost differentiating little. However, the destinations in second and third place differ slightly, with Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur switching positions in July, and August seeing the introduction of Cancun in second place. Similarly, September also sees a new destination in the top three as Delhi overtakes Abu Dhabi by six positions.
Top 10 holiday destinations with the lowest average price per solar hour
| Ranking | Destination | Average Sunshine Hours per Day | Average Hotel p/n (per couple) |
Average Return Flight (per couple) |
Average Cost/Sunshine Hours per Week (per couple) |
Avg Cost / Sunshine Hours per Week (per couple) |
| 1 | Albania (Tirana) | 10.3 | £64.65 | £356.15 | £1.48 | £10.35 |
| 2 | Bulgaria (Sofia) | 8.8 | £65.92 | £342.92 | £1.71 | £11.98 |
| 3 | Slovakia (Bratislava) | 8.2 | £98.35 | £191.85 | £1.95 | £13.65 |
| 4 | Cyprus (Paphos) | 12.0 | £101.35 | £543.69 | £1.96 | £13.70 |
| 5 | Croatia (Zagreb) | 7.9 | £94.19 | £211.54 | £2.01 | £14.10 |
| 6 | Poland (Warsaw) | 8.4 | £98.73 | £243.08 | £2.04 | £14.28 |
| 7 | United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi) | 12.0 | £71.15 | £874.15 | £2.21 | £15.49 |
| 8 | Turkey (Istanbul) | 9.3 | £124.23 | £290.62 | £2.26 | £15.83 |
| 9 | Romania (Bucharest) | 8.6 | £116.77 | £306.77 | £2.38 | £16.65 |
| 10 | Lithuania (Vilnius) | 7.1 | £90.88 | £357.85 | £2.60 | £18.23 |
When holidaying we don’t always look to hotel hop, and flights can often play a big part of how we budget our summer trip. To take our study one step further, we researched the cost of a one-week return flight to each destination from all London airports, between July to September.
When considering this extra metric, Cairo falls off the Top 10 ranking and doesn’t appear again until position 11. In its place is Tirana, Albania with a strong leading first position of £10.35 per week of 71.9 sunshine hours.
In second place is Sofia, with direct flights to the Bulgarian capital costing an average of £342.92 for two people, and £395.54 for a week’s accommodation at a three-star hotel. This compared with an average of 61.6 hours of sunshine during the holiday, or 8.8 hours a day, brings the holiday to £11.98 per couple.
Top 10 holiday destinations with the highest average price per solar hour
| Ranking | Destination | Average Sunshine Hours per Day | Average Hotel p/n (per couple) |
Average Return Flight (per couple) |
Average Cost/Sunshine Hours per Week (per couple) |
Avg Cost / Sunshine Hours per Week (per couple) |
| 1 | Japan (Tokyo) | 4.7 | £161.42 | £2,643.08 | £15.54 | £108.79 |
| 2 | Italy (Rome) | 9.4 | £1,092.54 | £225.69 | £14.68 | £102.79 |
| 3 | Chile (Santiago) | 5.4 | £75.96 | £3,040.92 | £13.32 | £93.24 |
| 4 | South Korea (Seoul) | 4.9 | £153.69 | £2,079.08 | £12.56 | £87.91 |
| 5 | Belgium (Brussels) | 5.8 | £465.15 | £293.69 | £10.85 | £75.92 |
| 6 | Thailand (Bangkok) | 5.3 | £104.73 | £2,086.62 | £10.47 | £73.27 |
| 7 | Argentina (Buenos Aires) | 5.5 | £95.58 | £2,064.15 | £9.80 | £68.62 |
| 8 | South Africa (Cape Town) | 6.8 | £87.58 | £2,720.62 | £9.68 | £67.73 |
| 9 | Uruguay (Montevideo) | 5.3 | £48.96 | £2,112.00 | £9.29 | £65.01 |
| 10 | Singapore | 5.7 | £128.92 | £1,766.92 | £9.09 | £63.63 |
On the other end of the spectrum we’ve looked at the popular holiday destinations that offer you the least amount of sunshine hours for your money. Tokyo tops the chart with an average of just 4.7 hours of sun per day during the summer months, and a very high cost of return flights from London. This results in an average cost of £108.79 per week of sunshine hours, or £15.54 a day.
Rome also appears high on our list. Despite having more reasonably priced three-star hotel options, one accommodation peaked in the summer months, bringing the average cost of a one-week stay two miles from the city centre to £225.69 a night. Couples looking to holiday in the Italian capital this summer can expect to pay an average of £102.79 for 66 hours of weekly sunshine.
The destinations where you can holiday the cheapest
| Ranking | Destination | Avg Sunshine Hours per Day | Avg Hotel p/n (per couple) |
Avg Return Flight (per couple) |
Dinner in a Restaurant (per couple) |
Average Tip in a Restaurant | Average 1/2 Pint of Beer | Total (Out of 10) |
| 1 | Egypt (Cairo) | 11.4 | £48.81 | £1,187.08 | £20.40 | 10% | £2.02 | 8.25 |
| 2 | Bulgaria (Sofia) | 8.8 | £65.92 | £342.92 | £26.50 | 10% | £1.77 | 8.05 |
| 3 | Albania (Tirana) | 10.3 | £64.65 | £356.15 | £41.00 | 10% | £2.07 | 8.00 |
| 4 | China (Beijing) | 7.2 | £94.19 | £1,667.54 | £23.50 | 0% | £1.11 | 7.92 |
| 5 | Cyprus (Paphos) | 12.0 | £101.35 | £543.69 | £51.30 | 10% | £2.60 | 7.92 |
| 6 | Turkey (Istanbul) | 9.3 | £124.23 | £290.62 | £29.10 | 10% | £2.68 | 7.90 |
| 7 | Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) | 8.0 | £47.08 | £2,220.00 | £15.40 | 0% | £2.79 | 7.75 |
| 8 | Slovakia (Bratislava) | 8.2 | £98.35 | £191.85 | £35.30 | 10% | £2.01 | 7.73 |
| 9 | Romania (Bucharest) | 8.6 | £116.77 | £306.77 | £35.30 | 10% | £2.13 | 7.72 |
| 10 | Portugal (Lisbon) | 10.4 | £311.79 | £300.77 | £39.80 | 10% | £2.32 | 7.69 |
| 11 | Greece (Athens) | 10.7 | £175.08 | £411.54 | £39.10 | 10% | £4.28 | 7.57 |
| 12 | Croatia (Zagreb) | 7.9 | £94.19 | £211.54 | £38.40 | 10% | £2.50 | 7.52 |
| 13 | Hungary (Budapest) | 7.8 | £164.27 | £232.92 | £36.60 | 10% | £2.02 | 7.50 |
| 14 | Spain (Madrid) | 10.4 | £230.08 | £428.92 | £46.70 | 10% | £3.18 | 7.45 |
| 15 | Morocco (Marrakesh) | 9.9 | £370.50 | £334.15 | £33.00 | 10% | £3.50 | 7.43 |
| 16 | India (Delhi) | 6.1 | £53.27 | £1,281.23 | £16.90 | 9% | £1.48 | 7.38 |
| 17 | Czech Republic (Prague) | 6.5 | £149.88 | £184.31 | £33.80 | 10% | £1.83 | 7.38 |
| 18 | Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) | 5.8 | £51.77 | £1,946.92 | £26.80 | 0% | £1.71 | 7.37 |
| 19 | Thailand (Bangkok) | 5.3 | £104.73 | £2,086.62 | £19.40 | 0% | £1.76 | 7.27 |
| 20 | Vietnam (Hanoi) | 5.9 | £122.50 | £1,696.92 | £17.80 | 8% | £0.72 | 7.21 |
It’s not just the flight that costs on a holiday. For the final chapter of our study we have included the following three additional metrics to create an index of most affordable summer holiday destinations: Dinner in a restaurant, average tip in a restaurant, and average ½ pint of beer in a pub.
Each of the six metrics were ranked on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the most cost effective), and a combined average calculated.
Cairo, Egypt continues to top our list with a total index score of 8.2 out of 10. Alongside the typical holiday costs covered previously, Cairo has the sixth cheapest cost of dining of all holiday destinations in our study (£20.40 per couple) with a low average tip of 10%. Additionally, the cost of a ½ pint of beer in a pub in Cairo comes in at £2.02 – 13th lowest cost in our study.
Holidaymakers looking to go long-haul this summer should look no further than Beijing, Kuala Lumpur and Delhi, with a one week break in these destinations making our top 20 list respectively.
Methodology
The average number of sunshine hours were collated from various sources. Hotel prices were sourced from Trivago and are an average price of how much a week at a three-star hotel located a maximum of 2 miles* from the centre costs per couple during the period 01/07-29/09 2024.
Flight prices were sourced from SkyScanner and are based on direct flights from all London airports, unless a stop is necessary**. Prices were taken from SkyScanner’s ‘best’ route and account for a 1 week return flight during the period 01/07-29/09 2024. Flights do not include suitcases, insurance or other optional add-ons.
Average prices of dining in a restaurant and beer were sourced from livingcost.org. Tipping per country was sourced from Visual Capitalist and takes into account the average. Where a country’s tip is included it was noted as 0%.
*Pretoria considers a 2.5 mile radius as there were no three-star hotels within 2 miles.
**The following destinations did not have direct flights available: Charlotte Amalie, Buenos Aires, Aruba, Macau, San Juan, Hanoi, Montevideo, and Punta Cana.
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