Cheapest Places to Travel in December, in the US and Abroad

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This list ranks places by World Bank prices and official December weather

Cheap, in this guide, means everyday prices compared with the US. The World Bank publishes a purchasing power parity (PPP) rate for household spending in each country. Divide it by the market exchange rate and you get a price level, with the US at 100. We used the World Bank's 2025 estimates, or 2024 for Laos and Vietnam, where it hasn't published a 2025 exchange rate yet.

The December figures are long-term averages from each country's national weather service, published by the World Meteorological Organization. A place made the list only if its price level is under half the US level and the city named averages under 3.5 inches of rain in December. A few other countries pass both tests too. Flights aren't counted, since fares depend on where you start.

The last column is the US State Department's advisory level for the whole country, as of October 2, 2026. Level 1 means exercise normal precautions, Level 2 means exercise increased caution, and Level 3 means reconsider travel. Some countries also have Do Not Travel zones, such as Egypt's Northern and Middle Sinai, the Cambodia-Thailand border area, and parts of Colombia and Guatemala. Levels can change at any time, so read the full State Department advisory for your destination before you book.

Treat the price level as a guide to how far a dollar goes, not as a budget. Everyday spending that costs $100 in the US costs about $16 in Egypt, $30 in Vietnam and $38 in the Dominican Republic. Tourist areas, imported goods and entry tickets run above those national averages. For year-round costs by country, see our daily budgets for 14 low-cost countries.

Egypt has the lowest prices, and North Africa is mild in December

Egypt sits at 16 on the price scale, the lowest on this list. It stood at 26 in 2021. Over the same years, the World Bank's average exchange rate went from about 16 Egyptian pounds per dollar to about 49, so your dollar now goes much further there.

December suits the Nile Valley. Luxor averages a 76°F high and a 46°F low, with almost no rain, against a 107°F high in July. Cairo is cooler, at 69°F by day and 52°F at night.

Big sites break the cheap pattern. Egypt's official monuments site lists the Valley of the Kings at EGP 750 for foreign adults and EGP 375 for foreign students, against EGP 60 for Egyptian adults. The foreign adult ticket comes to about $14 at the Central Bank of Egypt's rate on October 1, 2026, so add entry fees on top of daily costs.

In Luxor and Cairo, mobile data for Egypt lets you check a price in dollars before you pay in pounds.

Morocco is North Africa's other December pick. Its price level is 42, and Marrakech averages a 68°F high and a 45°F low in December, with about an inch of rain.

Asia's December bargains depend on picking the right city

India and Nepal are cheap and clear, with cold nights inland

India comes in at 23 and Nepal at 25. In Jaipur, December is the driest month of the year, with 0.1 inches of rain, a 76°F high and a 49°F low. For beach weather, Goa averages a 90°F high in December with under an inch of rain.

Kathmandu gets 0.6 inches of rain in December, against 14.2 inches in July. Days reach 67°F, but nights drop to 37°F, so pack a warm layer for evenings and early starts.

Laos, Thailand and Cambodia are deep into the dry season

Luang Prabang, in Laos, has its driest month in December, with 0.5 inches of rain, an 80°F high and a 58°F low. Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, runs 83°F by day and 60°F at night. Siem Reap, in Cambodia, gets 0.3 inches, down from 12 inches in September.

One caution for overland routes: the State Department advises against travel within 50 km (about 31 miles) of the Cambodia-Thailand border because of armed conflict there, so check where your bus or train runs.

Vietnam's weather splits by region

Many December lists treat Vietnam as one place, but its weather splits three ways. Ho Chi Minh City is mostly dry, with 1.6 inches of rain and an 89°F high. Hanoi is cool and fairly dry, at 72°F and 0.9 inches. Da Nang, on the central coast, gets 10.7 inches over about 21 rainy days, so it's the stop to skip this month.

If your route links Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and India, a HelloRoam regional plan for Asia keeps one eSIM working across all of them. Cambodia and Nepal aren't part of that plan, so add a data plan for Cambodia or an eSIM for Nepal if your trip includes them.

The Dominican Republic leads the low-cost picks closer to home

The Dominican Republic sits at 38, the lowest of the Caribbean islands in the World Bank data. Trinidad and Tobago (57), St. Lucia (59) and Jamaica (62) cost far more, and the Bahamas (111 in 2024) is pricier than the US.

December also falls after the Atlantic hurricane season, which the National Hurricane Center dates from June 1 to November 30, though storms sometimes form outside those dates. Punta Cana still sees showers, with 3.1 inches of rain over about 11 days, but highs stay near 83°F. A Dominican Republic data plan set up at home covers the ride from the airport.

Two mainland picks cost a little more. Cartagena, on Colombia's Caribbean coast, dries out in December, with 1.4 inches of rain, down from 9.3 inches in October, and 87°F highs. Guatemala City is dry and mild, with 0.3 inches of rain and a 74°F high. The State Department rates both Colombia and Guatemala at Level 3, reconsider travel, so read those advisories closely.

Mexico costs more, at 59, but that's still about 40% below US prices. Our guide to Mexico flight times and routes shows when fares dip.

Bulgaria has the EU's lowest restaurant and hotel prices

Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, rates Bulgaria's restaurant and accommodation prices at 55.7 for 2025, where the EU average is 100. That's the lowest of any EU country. Of the non-EU countries Eurostat tracks, only North Macedonia (48.3) and Albania (53.3) came in lower.

Bulgaria joined the euro on January 1, 2026, according to the European Central Bank, so you'll pay in euros. Expect a winter city break, not a sunny one: Sofia averages a 39°F high and a 27°F low in December.

In the US, December hotel rates bottom out in Orlando, Tucson and Chicago

For a trip at home, the federal government publishes useful hotel price data. Each year, GSA sets the most a federal worker can claim for a hotel night in each area, based on hotels' average daily rates minus 5%. It usually splits the year into seasons when those rates shift by 15% or more. The rates below are for fiscal year 2027, which covers December 2026, and the December highs are NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals.

In Fort Myers, Orlando, Tampa and Tucson, the December rate is $33 to $72 a night lower than the late-winter peak, which falls between January and April. Chicago drops from $232 in October and November to $148 from December through March, if you can handle a 37°F average high.

December is peak season in other places. New York City's rate is $358 from October through December, then falls to $189 in January and February. Miami rises from $151 in October and November to $219 in December and January, and Key West jumps from $279 to $383 on December 1. Ski towns follow the snow: Colorado's Silverthorne and Breckenridge area goes from $164 in October and November to $296 from December through March.

These are caps for federal travelers, not quotes, and hotels charge more or less on a given night. The pattern is the useful part, since it tracks when an area's hotels charge the most and the least. For a trip inside the US, your own phone plan already works, so you don't need a travel eSIM.

Flying in the first half of December means smaller crowds

TSA's daily checkpoint counts show when US airports fill up. From December 2 to 17, 2025, about 2.33 million people a day went through screening. From December 18 to 23 and December 26 to 30, the average rose to about 2.79 million, roughly 20% more.

Last December's quietest days were Tuesday, December 9 (1.98 million) and Saturday, December 6 (1.99 million). Through mid-month, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays were the calm days. The busiest day was Sunday, December 28, at 2.92 million.

In 2026, Thanksgiving falls on November 26 and Christmas falls on a Friday. If last year's pattern holds, the calm window runs from Tuesday, December 1, to about mid-December.

December fares tend to dip, too. In the Bureau of Labor Statistics airline fare index, December came in below November in each year from 2022 to 2025. Fares are higher this year, though: the index for August 2026 was about 23% above August 2025, so the flight may take a bigger share of a cheap trip.

A $12-a-day roaming pass adds up fast on a cheap trip

AT&T's International Day Pass costs $12 a day on land, plus $6 for each additional line used the same day. Verizon's TravelPass is also $12 a day in most countries, and Verizon calls its $100 International Monthly Plan ideal for trips of 9 days or longer. Verizon's Unlimited plans already include talk, text and data in Canada and Mexico.

On a 10-day trip to Vietnam, AT&T's pass comes to $120 for one phone, or $180 for two lines on the same account. Both carriers charge only for the days you use your phone abroad.

Cheaper ways to stay online:

• Use Wi-Fi only, and download offline maps before you leave.
• Buy a local SIM card at the airport, if your phone is unlocked.
• Install a travel eSIM at home over Wi-Fi, then switch it on when you land.

Our comparison of a travel eSIM against carrier roaming runs the numbers, and you can estimate your trip's data needs before you pick a plan.

If your eSIM doesn't connect after you land, HelloRoam's support team answers 24/7.