This Holiday Spot Has Been Named the World's Cheapest Beach

A day of sun, surf and sand shouldn't break the bank, and holidaying in Vietnam is the best way to ensure that remains the case. Three of the Asian country's beaches have topped Travelbird's annual Beach Price Index, which ranks 310 beaches from over 70 nations based on their affordability.

Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An was dubbed the least expensive place to take a dip, with hitting the waves costing US$13.18. City Beach in Nha Trang (US$13.90) and Long Beach in Phu Quoc (US$14.42) took out the next two spots, with beaches in Egypt (Marsa Nayzak, Sunken City and Sharm El-Naga Bay) and India (Varkala Beach, Benaulim Beach, Palolem Beach and Cavelossim Beach) rounding out the top ten. Croatia and Germany are the only other countries to make the top 20.

Travelbird bases their rankings on the cost of five beach essentials: sunscreen (SPF30, 100ml), water (500ml), beer (330ml bottle), ice cream and lunch (for one person, including a meal and a drink). If less than US$15 sounds cheap for all of that, then spending almost US$65 will sound mighty hefty, with Norway's Kristiansand Beach nearing that mark at the other end of the scale. In fact, five Norwegian beaches ranked among the ten most expensive in the world.

As for Australian coastal hangouts, the ten included unsurprisingly fall on the steeper side — Blinky Beach on Lorde Howe Island is the cheapest at US$41.03. Queensland's Palm Cove, 75 Mile Beach and Whitehaven Beach, Western Australia's Cottesloe Beach, Mandalay Beach and The Basin, Darwin's Mindil Beach, and both Manly and Bondi in Sydney also make the cut, with Bondi the most expensive at US$44.06. Over in New Zealand, Karekare beach in Auckland (US$38.75) is the most affordable, followed by Piha and Orewa, and then Hahei in Waikato. 

Via Traveller. Image: Prashant Ram