Cost-comparing your destinations

A friend once told me her secret for gauging the cost of living of a place: pricing a burrito and a beer.

Frommer’s monthly price index follows my friend’s tactic, comparing universal staples like movie tickets, bus fare, and a cup of coffee. We all know that the American dollar is weak right now, but better to travel wisely to somewhere that stretches your dollar than not to travel at all. Without having to convert between currencies, the price index makes comparisons easy and relatable.

This month’s edition—highlighting 10 winter destinations—shows that Innsbruck, Austria runs high ($15 movie ticket!). And living is easy in Palm Beach, Aruba, where the price of a beer ($1.67) is nearly the same as the price of a coffee ($1.11)—both the lowest of the bunch.

Looking back at the cheaper listings in 2007 (all in US$):

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Movie ticket: $1.68
Bus fare: 5¢
Cup of regular coffee: 22¢
Bottle of local beer in a bar: St. George, 44¢
Moderate, three-star hotel room for two: $44.91
Moderate, three-course dinner for one, without alcohol and tip: $10.10
$1= 8.90 Ethiopia Birr (May 2007)

Maputo, Mozambique
Movie ticket: $2.77-$4.62
Bus fare: 23¢-27¢
Cup of regular coffee: 69¢
Pint of local beer in a bar: Pilsner McMahon, $1.15
Moderate, three-star hotel room for two: $32.37
Moderate, three-course dinner for one, without alcohol or tip: $9.24
$1=$27.03 Mozambique Meticais (January 2007)

San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Movie ticket: $2.86
Bus fare: 15¢-26¢
Cup of regular coffee: 57¢
Bottle of local beer in a bar: Salva Vida, 93¢
Moderate, three-star hotel room for two: $46.94-$62.59
Moderate, three-course meal for one, without alcohol or tip: $6.25-$8.34
$1= 19.17 Honduras Lempiras (August 2007)

Vientaine, Laos
Movie ticket: $1.57
Bus fare: 41¢
Cup of regular coffee: $1.57
Bottle of local beer in a bar: Lao, 73¢
Moderate, three-star hotel room for two: $30-$55
Moderate, three-course dinner for one, without alcohol or tip: $20
$1= 9,546 Laos Kip (August 2007)