The Post Office’s annual Self-Catering on a Shoestring report compares the cost of supermarket purchases in a dozen different holiday destinations.
A weekly shop for a family of four, featuring 20 common purchases such as bread, milk, eggs and bottled water, cost £56.67 in Majorca – the cheapest destination to feature in the survey for the second consecutive year. In Portugal the items cost £57.78, while Spain’s Costa Blanca (£65.31) and Menorca (£66.71) also provided good value.
The most expensive destinations to feature where Cyprus and Corfu, where the same 20 items costs £104.29 and £100.31 respectively.
The items cost £89.08 in Brighton, putting the West Sussex resort eighth on the list, although its prices had dropped slightly compared with last year. The average cost of the items also fell in Menorca, Gozo and Lanzarote.
“The variations we found in supermarket prices mean that families will be well-advised to check prices before booking,” said Andrew Brown, the Post Office’s head of travel money. “Although self-catering can be a great way for families to save money, they should choose their destination carefully.
“Majorca and Portugal are great value options but Greece is looking more expensive.”
| Destination | Total cost of weekly shop* |
|---|---|
| Majorca | £57.67 |
| Algarve, Portugal | £57.78 |
| Costa Blanca, Spain | £65.31 |
| Menorca | £66.71 |
| Gozo, Malta | £70.12 |
| Lanzarote | £72.20 |
| Kefalonia | £78.99 |
| Brighton, UK | £89.08 |
| Tuscany, Italy | £98.09 |
| Crete | £99.18 |
| Corfu | £100.31 |
| Cyprus | £104.29 |
*Shopping list includes 5xloaves of bread, 250g of butter, 450g of jam, 2x500g cereal, 5 litres of milk, 4 litres of orange juice, 12 eggs, 500g cheese, 12 slices of ham, 2kg of tomatoes, 4 x pizzas, toilet roll, 1kg sugar, 40 tea bags, 100g coffee, barbeque briquettes, 6 x bottled water, 4litres of cola, 12 x lagers, 2 bottles of wine.
