These are the best-value winter sun destinations to head to in 2026

Published on 28/09/2026 - 15:00 GMT+2

Summer is officially over, and while the weather is still pretty fantastic right now, we can practically feel the dark, windy, cold nights creeping up on us already.

To beat the inevitable seasonal depression, an escape somewhere sunny is a must – but we don’t want to pay a premium for it.

Luckily for us, Post Office Travel Money has just unveiled its Winter Sun Report 2026 which compares the costs of common holiday purchases such as meals, drinks, sunscreen and insect repellent across 24 destinations to see where your money goes furthest.

This year, Cape Town in South Africa came out on top, closely followed by Mombasa in Kenya.

While I’m not sure I’d agree it’s a winter sun destination (although the winters are relatively mild in comparison to some European ones), Tokyo is in third place, followed by Colombo in Sri Lanka and Phuket in Thailand.

The highest entry from Europe is the Algarve, which came in sixth, followed by Spain’s Costa del Sole and Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

Further afield, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic came ninth, with Malaysia’s Penang rounding out the top 10.

On the flip side, the most expensive winter sun destinations include Scarborough in Trinidad and Tobago, St. George's in Grenada, and Funchal in Madeira.

The best-value winter sun destinations for 2026

1. Cape Town, South Africa
2. Mombasa, Kenya
3. Tokyo, Japan
4. Colombo, Sri Lanka
5. Phuket, Thailand
6. Algarve, Portugal
7. Costa del Sol, Spain
8. Tenerife, Canary Islands
9. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
10. Penang, Malaysia