We tend to assume it’s the cost of reaching a destination - whether by plane, train, bus or ferry - that will make the biggest dent in our wallets, and that every other consideration will be minimal by comparison.

However a recent survey by travel startup GoEuro appears to show a quite different picture, and one that is all the more convincing because it’s shared across the full spectrum of business and leisure travel users.

Whether you’re a backpacker looking for little more than a clean bed and decent facilities, or a high flier seeking a luxury break - or maybe it’s a routine business trip to a new city - the one factor that resonates right across the board is the price of hotels, apartments and the rest.

Travel may sometimes be pricey, but the biggest expense is actually accommodation, and GoEuro’s figures seem to show that the logic behind taking a long, cool look at where you will be staying - and its cost - is utterly compelling.

In the UK, for example, it turns out that Leeds is the nation’s affordable accommodation field leader, while Glasgow - still basking in the reflected glory of the Commonwealth Games - is not far behind as fourth most affordable.

It’s important to repeat at this juncture that the survey took into account the whole range of accommodation, from the cheapest one star hotels and motels to the most ostentatious five star pleasure palaces, so the expense is obviously relative to the sort of outlay people are expecting to make.

Meanwhile GoEuro have taken things a step farther by including in their results the price of AirBnB rates and hostels.

AirBnB is an innovation which allows the user to rent rooms and apartments instead of staying in hotels - the equivalent of urban self-catering in a traditional holiday - and has become notably popular with young travelers seeking a less straitened approach to tourism.

They’re the sort of travellers who aren’t interested in frills and flounces, accommodation wise, but who are seeking reasonable comfort and good value, and - of course - interesting locations.

In Glasgow, depending on the season, a tourist can expect to pay around £102 per night in an AirBnB location but just £14 for a hostel stay - and the average night in the great Clydeside city would cost £56.

However for truly ripping value - and possibly an unforgettable experience - there’s always the Albanian capital, Tirana.

It’s the least expensive destination on the list, for accommodation, but except for the more adventurous traveller won’t feature prominently on most people’s list of must-see European capitals.

Meanwhile at around six times the cost of a stay in Tirana there’s New York, America’s ever-popular kingpin among cities - which manages to outrank even London and Paris on price.

Of course accommodation is far from being the only consideration, but the GoEuro study (with plenty of other interesting findings to ponder) seems to show it should be the first thing we consider before planning to travel at home or abroad.

For a full breakdown of the survey findings, you can check out GoEuro's Accommodation Price Index here: http://www.goeuro.co.uk/accommodation-price-index