Where can I go in the sun at Christmas on a budget?

Among the countries at 22 °C or more in December, the cheapest are the Dominican Republic ($1,540), Mexico ($1,562) and Ecuador ($1,744), flight from New York included. For 25 °C or more, the cheapest is the Dominican Republic ($1,540).

Is the flight included?

Yes. The budget adds the return flight from New York (middle value of three pairs of dates around Christmas) to seven nights in a 3-star hotel, meals and local transport.

How were the prices collected?

In October 2026, on lastminute.com: a return flight from New York to each country for three pairs of dates around Christmas (one stop and 20 hours at most per leg, middle value of the three), and up to 20 3-star hotels in the arrival city from 20 to 27 December (price of the cheapest quarter).

HelloSafe data2026 edition · 95 countries · flights from New York · prices surveyed in October 2026

Cheapest Places to Travel in December 2026

The budget for a week at Christmas in 95 countries, flight from New York included. The Dominican Republic is the cheapest ($1,540), Mexico the next cheapest in the sun.

Top 3 cheapest · Christmas 2026per person, flight included

under $2,000$2,000–$2,500$2,500–$3,000$3,000+

A. Fruchard
Co-Founder & Travel Insurance Expert

Last updated: November 10, 2026100 % public, traceable data

Key facts

Cheap Christmas trips in 30 seconds

95countries ranked by the budget for a week at Christmas, flying from New York

$1,540the Dominican Republic, the cheapest destination: $746 for the return flight and $795 on site

$1,562Mexico, the second cheapest of the 30 countries at 25 °C or more in December, after the Dominican Republic (27 °C in Punta Cana)

288+ flight searches and hotel surveys in every arrival city, in October 2026

The essentials in 20 seconds

The Dominican Republic ($1,540), Mexico ($1,562) and Ecuador ($1,744) are the cheapest destinations for a week at Christmas from New York, flight included.
Cheap and warm: the Dominican Republic ($1,540), Mexico ($1,562) and Chile ($1,974) are the cheapest of the countries at 25 °C or more.
The flight makes the price: on average it is 63 % of the budget, more than the hotel, meals and transport of the whole week.

01 · Ranking

Cheapest places to travel in December 2026

Where can you go for Christmas without breaking the bank? The 95 countries are ranked by the budget for one person for a week: the return flight from New York and seven days on site. Type a country's name to see its rank, its budget and the split between flight and stay.

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#1 worldwide · #1 in The Americas

Dominican Republic

$1,540a weekunder $2,000

Budget for a week at Christmas: $1,540 per person, including $746 for the return flight from New York and $795 on site (3-star hotel at $61 a night, meals and transport). In December in Punta Cana: 27 °C during the day and 46 mm of rain. Safety: 46/100.

Budget breakdown

Return flight from New York$746

Week on site$795

Safety46/100

December weather93.8/100

Flight and week on site for one person (3-star hotel, meals, transport). December safety and weather out of 100, as a guide: the ranking follows the price.

Insurance for Dominican Republic →

☀ Looking for the sun? See the ranking that takes the weather into account ↓

02 · World map

The budget for a week at Christmas around the world

Each country in the colour of its band: under $2,000 a week, $2,000 to $2,500, $2,500 to $3,000, over $3,000. Click a country to see the detail of its budget and its December weather.

Showing 95 of 95 published countries · click a country for its info

Why are some countries grey? We rank the countries that can be reached from New York with one stop at most, whose HelloSafe safety score reaches 30 out of 100, where the US State Department does not advise against travel (Level 3 or 4) to the whole country or to the city we price, and where at least five 3-star hotels were offered. Mexico and Venezuela are listed despite a score under 30 out of 100, as they are much-searched destinations: see their card.

03 · Regional rankings

The cheapest countries for Christmas by region

Each region ranked on its own, with each country's place in the overall ranking. The cheapest destination is the Dominican Republic in the Americas ($1,540), Bosnia and Herzegovina in Europe ($1,889), Egypt in Africa ($2,003), Uzbekistan in Asia ($2,186) and New Zealand in Oceania ($3,845).

Africa · average $3,252 · 25 countries scored, 14 published

Cheapest countries · Africa

1Egypt$2,003#8
2Algeria$2,024#9
3Tunisia$2,217#22
4Morocco$2,449#40
5Senegal$2,872#59
6Ghana$2,951#67
7Côte d’Ivoire$2,991#70
8South Africa$3,230#73
9Tanzania$3,247#75
10Zimbabwe$3,866#89
11Zambia$3,926#90
12Cape Verde$3,929#91
13Seychelles$4,346#93
14Madagascar$5,716#95

Reader service: the budget does not include travel insurance or medical care on site. A doctor's visit or a hospital stay abroad can cost far more than the week itself. Our travel insurance comparison compares policies in 30 seconds. For a ranking that holds all year, without the flight, see the cheapest countries to visit.

04 · Sun on a budget

The cheapest warm countries in December

The ranking above mixes every climate. This one keeps only the 38 countries where it is 22 °C or more during the day in December, ranked from cheapest to most expensive. The amount shown is the budget for a week, flight from New York included.

Search a country…

1Dominican Republic$1,54027 °CDry46 mm
2Mexico$1,56227 °CSome showers68 mm
3Ecuador$1,74422 °CSome showers100 mm
4Chile$1,97428 °CDry7 mm
5Peru$1,98622 °CDry3 mm
6Costa Rica$2,05026 °CSome showers70 mm
7Brazil$2,20827 °CRainy season177 mm
8Panama$2,23129 °CSome showers108 mm
9El Salvador$2,37529 °CDry10 mm
10Argentina$2,43126 °CSome showers94 mm
11Venezuela$2,55327 °CSome showers74 mm
12India$2,64523 °CDry8 mm
13Bangladesh$2,65825 °CDry16 mm
14Thailand$2,70531 °CDry10 mm
15Indonesia$2,73728 °CRainy season272 mm
16Sri Lanka$2,75428 °CRainy season175 mm
17Senegal$2,87226 °CDry13 mm
18Malaysia$2,88528 °CRainy season263 mm
19Paraguay$2,91733 °CRainy season179 mm
20Philippines$2,93227 °CRainy season393 mm
21Ghana$2,95130 °CDry25 mm
22Vietnam$2,96730 °CDry32 mm
23Côte d’Ivoire$2,99130 °CDry50 mm
24Uruguay$3,05725 °CSome showers86 mm
25Bolivia$3,12331 °CSome showers136 mm
26South Africa$3,23028 °CSome showers127 mm
27Belize$3,24327 °CSome showers132 mm
28Tanzania$3,24730 °CSome showers127 mm
29Cambodia$3,25232 °CDry28 mm
30Maldives$3,73128 °CRainy season184 mm
31Fiji$3,86629 °CRainy season224 mm
32Zimbabwe$3,86627 °CRainy season195 mm
33Zambia$3,92628 °CRainy season205 mm
34Cape Verde$3,92924 °CDry33 mm
35Singapore$4,15128 °CRainy season300 mm
36Seychelles$4,34628 °CRainy season164 mm
37Australia$4,97224 °CSome showers72 mm
38Madagascar$5,71624 °CRainy season388 mm

The Dominican Republic ($1,540, 27 °C), Mexico ($1,562, 27 °C) and Ecuador ($1,744, 22 °C) are the cheapest warm countries. For 25 °C or more, budget at least $1,540 (the Dominican Republic).

Reading the results

Cheap or sunny: you have to choose

The cheapest: the Dominican Republic, Mexico and EcuadorThe Dominican Republic costs $746 for the flight and $795 on site; Mexico $813 and $749; Ecuador $1,218 and $526. In December it is 27 °C in Punta Cana, 27 °C in Mexico and 22 °C in Ecuador.

In the sun: Mexico, Chile and Costa RicaThe Dominican Republic is both the cheapest destination and a warm one. For 25 °C or more, Mexico ($1,562), Chile ($1,974) and Costa Rica ($2,050) come next among the 30 warm countries of the ranking, ahead of Brazil ($2,208) and Panama ($2,231).

The flight makes the priceThe cheapest week on site is in Nepal ($352), but the flight ($2,588) puts the country in 66th place. The cheapest flight goes to Canada ($417).

Watch out for rainCheck the rainfall on each country's card. In December, the Dominican Republic (46 mm in the month), Chile (7 mm) and Peru (3 mm) are dry.

Our method

Methodology

Budget for a week = return flight from New York + seven days on site, for one person. Built by HelloSafe's travel insurance team from our own price survey, independently of our comparison.

The flightReturn flight from New York (all airports), one adult, economy, one stop at most and 20 hours at most per leg where available. Prices surveyed on lastminute.com on 15 and 20 October 2026 for three pairs of dates: 19 to 26, 20 to 27 and 21 to 28 December 2026. We keep the middle value of the three. For destinations with no such flight from New York, the limit is 30 hours per leg.

The hotel3-star hotels in the arrival city, one person, 20 to 27 December 2026, surveyed on lastminute.com in October 2026. We keep the price of the cheapest quarter of the hotels offered (up to 20): what a traveller who compares a little pays. Cities with fewer than five 3-star hotels offered are not ranked.

Meals, transport, weather and safetyPer day: two inexpensive meals, half a dinner for two in a mid-range restaurant and four local transport tickets, Numbeo mid-2026 prices in the capital. The weather (mean daily high and December rainfall, NASA POWER) is not part of the ranking. Countries with a HelloSafe safety score under 30 out of 100 are not ranked, nor those where the US State Department advises against travel (Level 3 or 4) to the whole country or to the city we price. Mexico and Venezuela are ranked despite a score under 30 out of 100, as they are much-searched destinations: see their card.

The warm countries rankingIt keeps only the countries where the mean December high reaches 22 °C in the arrival city (NASA POWER normals), ranked on the same budget as the main ranking. The HelloSafe safety score and the weather score out of 100 are given for each country, as a guide.

What the study does not show

Flight and hotel prices change every day: those in the ranking are from mid-October 2026, two months before departure.
The budget is for a solo traveller. Two people share the room and the budget per person drops.
Meals and transport are at capital-city prices; tourist areas are often more expensive.
The budget does not include visas, travel insurance or activities.
Only departures from New York are studied. From another city, the ranking may change.

A question about the method? Contact us →

05 · For journalists

Ready-to-publish visuals

This is exactly what your readers will see: the live block, with its credit link. Free to reproduce with credit to HelloSafe; a PNG version is included for CMSs that do not accept embeds.

HelloSafe data 2026

The cheapest countries for Christmas from New Yorkunder $2,000$2,000–$2,500$2,500–$3,000$3,000+Source: HelloSafe, Cheapest Places to Travel in December 2026

World map · live embed, PNG version includedDownload PNG

“The Dominican Republic is the cheapest destination for a week at Christmas from New York: $1,540 per person, flight included.”

“The cheapest Christmas trip from New York is also a warm one: 27 °C in Punta Cana for $1,540 a week, flight included.”

“At Christmas, the plane ticket makes the price: on average 63 % of the budget for the week.”

Quotes from Antoine Fruchard, travel insurance expert and author of the study · Contact us

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

The Dominican Republic, with a budget of $1,540 per person for a week from New York: $746 for the return flight and $795 on site. Next come Mexico ($1,562) and Ecuador ($1,744).

Data updatesThe 2027 edition is coming. Be the first to see it.New prices, the data and the press kit, in your inbox on publication day.

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