Sunny Beach is in second place among the most affordable European seaside resorts for families. Only the Portuguese region of Algarve is ahead of it, according to the annual Family Holiday Report 2026 study by Post Office Travel Money, prepared jointly with the tour operator TUI, Vesti.bg reports.
The ranking compares prices in 22 popular destinations. However, it does not include plane tickets, travel to the resort and the hotel. It measures the expenses that families make on site - for food, drinks, sunscreen and other usual purchases during a vacation.
What does the tourist basket include
Ten goods and services were used for the comparison. Among them are coffee, beer, a soft drink, a glass of wine, mineral water, sunscreen, insect repellent, food for the children and two family meals.
Bulgaria is among the cheapest tourist destinations in the EU
The total value of this basket in Sunny Beach is about 166 euros. In the Algarve, it is a few euros lower. Lanzarote ranks third, followed by Menorca and the Costa Brava.
The difference between the first two places is small, but the reason Algarve came out on top is that prices there have decreased compared to the previous survey. In Sunny Beach, they have increased by just over 9%.
Family dinner is the cheapest in Sunny Beach
The strong point of the Bulgarian resort remains eating out. A three-course dinner for a family with drinks included costs around 85 euros, which is the lowest value among all the destinations included.
For comparison, the same dinner in the Algarve is more expensive, although the Portuguese resort wins the overall ranking thanks to lower prices for other products and services.
Bulgaria is the cheapest tourist destination in the European Union
Sunny Beach also performs well in food for children, but some purchases such as sunscreen are more expensive than in some Spanish and Portuguese resorts.
How much does the most expensive destination cost?
At the other end of the ranking is the Italian resort of Sorrento. The same basket of tourist expenses there costs about 313 euros, or almost twice as much as in Sunny Beach and the Algarve.
Among the most expensive destinations are also Funchal on the island of Madeira, Crete, Mallorca and Ibiza.
Spain has the most representatives among the top ten most affordable places - a total of six resorts and island destinations.
The ranking does not show the entire cost of the vacation
The second place of Sunny Beach does not automatically mean that the entire family vacation there will be the second cheapest in Europe.
The final bill also depends on the price of the hotel, transportation, the selected period, the number of nights and additional entertainment. Water parks, water sports, sun loungers and children's attractions are not included in the basic tourist basket.
The survey itself shows that it is such additional costs that often confuse the family budget. On their previous holiday, 85% of British families surveyed spent more than planned, and food and drinks were among the main reasons.
Therefore, Sunny Beach remains competitive in terms of on-site costs, but a good hotel offer and careful planning continue to be crucial for the final price of the holiday.