Tirana emerged as having the cheapest accommodation, at £61 for two nights in a three-star room, as well as the cheapest cost of living, with a total package reaching £132.

Runner-up in the annual City Costs Barometer was Katowice. The Polish destination was 24% more expensive than Tirana at £164, while prices in third place Lithuanian capital Vilnius were 26% higher at £166.

The only western Europe capital to feature in the top 10 was fourth place Lisbon, at £180, helped by a fall in accommodation prices. Three new entrants have joined the top 10 cheapest, Budapest (£214, 8^th place), Bratislava (£217, 9^th) and Krakow (£221, 10^th).

The three most expensive cities were Helsinki, Reykjavik and Oslo. A package in the Norwegian capital reached almost £429, following a 16% price hike.

However, the biggest price rise was recorded in Belfast, where costs rose almost 40% to reach £352, attributed to a lack of hotel capacity. Belfast emerged as more expensive than London (£298), Edinburgh (£290) and Cardiff (£307).

The survey found prices varying significantly across Europe, with falls of up to 15% cent year-on-year in more than 40% of the 40 cities examined and with rises in excess of 10% in nine others.

The biggest drop in barometer costs was in Ljubljana, where prices plunged by 15% cent to £230, taking the Slovenian capital to 13^th place, its highest ever position.  There have also been big price falls in some of the longest-established city break favourites including Madrid (down 12.6% to £260) and Paris (down 9.2% to £340).  

Nick Boden, head of Post Office Travel Money, said: “Sterling is currently stronger against every European currency than a year ago, which has had a positive impact on prices abroad. 

"However, the wide price variations we found means Britons planning city breaks would be wise to do their homework and consider the costs they will incur abroad as well as the exchange rate."

Post Office Travel Money found sterling had risen highest against the Polish zloty (up 9.2%), followed by the Swiss franc, at 8.6% and the euro, at 7.6%. The increase means £500 buys an extra £42 of Polish currency.