If you’re looking for a lower-cost hotel stay, start with Egypt, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, and the Philippines. FOREX’s 2025 Holiday Index ranked these among the lowest-cost destinations in its comparison—but it measures a broader holiday budget, not hotel rates alone. Use the list to choose where to search, then compare actual hotel prices for your dates and needs.
Ten countries on FOREX’s low-cost holiday list
FOREX’s 2025 Holiday Index compares travel costs for two people, using Sweden as the reference point at 100. The figures below are index scores, not prices or hotel-night estimates. A lower score signals a lower overall price level in this comparison; it does not guarantee cheap rooms in every city or on every date.
| Country | FOREX 2025 index score |
|---|---|
| Egypt | 24 |
| Nepal | 27 |
| India | 27 |
| Pakistan | 30 |
| Indonesia | 32 |
| Cambodia | 33 |
| Vietnam | 33 |
| China | 34 |
| Malaysia | 34 |
| Philippines | 35 |
The index draws on hotel, restaurant, and food-and-drink costs for two people during 16–29 June 2025, using data from Numbeo and Trivago.se. FOREX describes its index as covering 96 countries and cautions that it is an indicative price-level comparison: a low overall score does not mean every individual item is inexpensive. See FOREX’s 2025 Holiday Index release and its index methodology and scope.
FOREX Head of Communications Tom Friberg said in the 13 May 2025 release that travellers are looking further east for culture, adventure, and value. That is the company’s characterization of travel interest, not evidence that any particular hotel or destination will suit every budget.
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What hotel-specific comparisons can tell you
A separate city survey gives a more direct, but still limited, view of hotel prices. Cheaphotels.org reported these averages for the cheapest qualifying centrally located double room for October 1–31, 2025, based on rates recorded in late September:
| City | Reported average per night |
|---|---|
| Phnom Penh, Cambodia | $31 |
| Hanoi, Vietnam | $34 |
| Bangkok, Thailand | $39 |
| Manila, Philippines | $44 |
| Doha, Qatar | $47 |
These are dated city observations, not national averages or live quotes. The survey covered 100 cities and required at least three stars, with a four-star threshold in most cities in Asia, South Africa, and Africa. That uneven standard, as well as the single-month window, makes the figures useful as examples rather than a like-for-like country ranking. Read the October 2025 city survey and its criteria.
For a national hotel-only measure, the World Economic Forum describes an index based on average U.S.-dollar room rates for midscale to upper-upscale hotels from July 2024 through July 2025. The 12-month period is intended to reduce seasonal distortion, and the metric is attributed to CoStar. The methodology does not provide a usable ten-country rate table, so it cannot supply comparable hotel prices for the shortlist above. See the WEF methodology.
How to compare hotel bookings fairly
Country-level affordability can help you choose destinations to investigate, but compare specific stays on equal terms. A low advertised base rate may not be the cheapest final booking if it excludes taxes, fees, breakfast, or flexible cancellation.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors- Use the same dates and occupancy. Compare the exact nights and number of guests; availability and rates can change sharply between dates.
- Match the location to your plans. Compare the same city or neighborhood and consider distance to the places you intend to visit, not just the room price.
- Compare similar rooms and service levels. Check room type, hotel class, and included services before treating two listings as equivalent.
- Check booking conditions. Put cancellation deadlines, payment timing, taxes, fees, breakfast, and other inclusions alongside the headline price.
- Identify what each figure represents. A live quote for your stay, a dated city sample, and a composite holiday-cost index answer different questions and should not be compared as if they were interchangeable.
Check whether changing nights could lower the price
If your travel dates are flexible, search alternate arrival and departure nights. SiteMinder’s 2025 analysis found Friday was the most expensive night in 90% of the markets it examined, while Sunday was the cheapest in 40%. Those are broad patterns, not a forecast for a particular hotel; verify the total for your own dates. See SiteMinder’s 2025 booking findings.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How current are these figures?
The FOREX shortlist reflects inputs from June 2025, and the city examples cover October 2025. They are historical snapshots, not current prices or promises of availability. Hotel rates depend on destination, dates, property, room type, party size, and booking terms, so only a search for your intended stay can establish what you can book now.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
