Dublin has been ranked in 10th place a global index of the most affordable cities for buying Christmas gifts with Belfast coming top. The rankings from online travel agency Kiwi. com compare the cost of one festive day of shopping and celebrating in 90 cities worldwide.
The Christmas Price Index, which comprises two sections, first compares the cost of a Christmassy day in each of the locations, calculating how much consumers and visitors pay for festive experiences such as a traditional meal and a ticket to see The Nutcracker ballet. Secondly, Santa's Price Index compares the price of a range of gifts for an average family, to determine the most affordable cities for shopping.
In terms of overall affordability, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia was ranked as the best city to visit over the holiday period, with an average cost of €115.97. New York came in as most expensive, at €721.97.
Dublin was ranked 37th overall at a cost of €674.63 for both Christmas Day and shopping. This compares to Bratislava, which was found to be the most affordable city, and New York, the most expensive at €1,071.18. The Irish capital came 58th in terms of the cost of a Christmassy day at €350.91 and in 10th place in Santa’s Price Index with a total shopping cost of €323.72.
Belfast was found to have the most affordable shopping costs, based on the price of a bottle of men’s fragrance, a woman’s perfume, a Princess Barbie doll and a Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon toy. Costs for such products in Belfast amounted to just €277.55.
It was followed by five other UK cities in the rankings, with costs having plummeted in recent months due to the fall in sterling following the Brexit vote. Jakarta in Indonesia was ranked the most expensive city in terms of Santa’s Price Index, with an average cost of €538.38.
