Shanghai hotels world's 10th cheapest

Shanghai's hotels are the 10th cheapest in the world, while its hostels rank second-cheapest, according to a study released yesterday.

The research, conducted by Berlin-based travel website GoEuro, looked at accommodation costs in 150 cities and 60,000 properties around the globe.

New York topped the "most expensive" charts for both average overall cost and the price of a hostel bed.

In Shanghai, the average overall accommodation price is US$41 per night, ranking it 141st, with hostel accommodation at US$9 per night.

In terms of one to four-star hotel prices, the city ranked eighth most affordable at US$43 per night.

Liu Deyan, an associate professor at the Tourism Institute of the Shanghai Normal University, said competition in China's hostel sector is fierce.

"But high-end hotels are not as competitive," he said.

The prices included in the index were calculated over the same date range for the same amount of guests, the survey's compilers said.

Cities were chosen based on several factors such as population, size of the hospitality industry, and the number and availability of hotels.

Shanghai was one of four Chinese cities included in the study, along with Beijing, Macau and Hong Kong.

Macau ranked third on the most-expensive list, with an average price of US$168 per night, while Hong Kong was 15th (US$125) and Beijing 129th (US$47).

The Albanian capital Tirana was found to be the cheapest place to stay, followed by Hammamet in Tunisia.