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SOUTH AFRICA
RUSSIA
TURKEY
Our country is the cheapest of all the countries in the Big Mac Index, an indication that our currency, the rand, is extremely weak. According to the index, in July, a Big Mac would have cost you R31, which, at the exchange rate at the time of R16.65 to the US dollar, translates to US$1.86. You cannot buy a Big Mac for less than that anywhere in the world. Hotel accommodation in December, according to Booking. com, ranges from about $60 to $270 per room per night (two adults).
If you’re wanting to travel outside South Africa, Russia is the cheapest country to visit, with a Big Mac burger costing you $1.91 (about R32). Hotel accommodation in December (winter in Russia is very cold, and therefore it is not high tourist season) ranges on Booking.com from $30 to $200 per room per night. In summer a room will cost between $60 and $300.
Picturesque Turkey is the third-cheapest country for tourists, according to the Big Mac Index. A Big Mac will cost you $2.04 (about R33). Hotel accommodation in December is generally very affordable, ranging from $30 to $200. These prices go up considerably in Turkey’s summer season (July and August), to between $60 and $400 per room per night.
Note: The conversions reflect the rand/dollar conversion rate in July 2020, of R16.65 to the US dollar. The rand had strengthened to about R15.30 to the dollar at the time of writing.
UKRAINE
MEXICO
Ukraine, which is to the north of Turkey, on the northern side of the Black Sea, and which borders Russia to the East, is much colder than Turkey in December. A Big Mac burger will cost you $2.17 (about R36). Hotel accommodation in December costs $30 to $120 a room, while in the summer months of July and August you’ll pay $60 to $270, according to Booking.com
Mexico is good to visit all year round because of its moderateto-warm climate. A Big Mac costs $2.23 (about R37), which is less than half the $5.71 (R95) you’ll pay if you cross the border into the home of the Big Mac, the USA. Mexico boasts fabulous beach resorts in sun-drenched Cancun and Acapulco, among other places, but accommodation at a resort hotel is not cheap: in December you are looking at $120 to $400 a night.
