diff --git a/youtube_dl/__init__.py b/youtube_dl/__init__.py
index 62b5579861..03df835f23 100644
--- a/youtube_dl/__init__.py
+++ b/youtube_dl/__init__.py
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ def _hide_login_info(opts):
     general.add_option('--no-check-certificate', action='store_true', dest='no_check_certificate', default=False, help='Suppress HTTPS certificate validation.')
     general.add_option(
         '--cache-dir', dest='cachedir', default=get_cachedir(),
-        help='Location in the filesystem where youtube-dl can store downloaded information permanently. %default by default')
+        help='Location in the filesystem where youtube-dl can store downloaded information permanently. By default $XDG_CACHE_HOME/youtube-dl or ~/.cache/youtube-dl .')
     general.add_option(
         '--no-cache-dir', action='store_const', const=None, dest='cachedir',
         help='Disable filesystem caching')