Cheaper houses, cheaper taxis, cheaper coffee; the north of England tends to come out triumphant when it comes to getting the most bang for your buck. But if you’re looking for the cheapest pint of lager in the country, you’ll have to head down south.
New data from Numbeo, a global database that tracks the cost of living globally, has located pints cheaper than the national average of £4.77, and half the price of the most expensive pour found in London.
Southend-on-Sea, the Essex seaside town famed for its beach and Adventure Playground, is also home to the most budget friendly pints in the country. Costing £3.25, a trip to Southend is quite literally like stepping back in time, with pints being cheaper than the average cost of a lager in 2013.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average price of a draught lager in 2013 was £3.30, which increased by 38 percent in the ten years between, with the average stacking up to £4.58 in 2023.
However, the north of the country hasn’t quite given up its title as being cheaper than most things down south. Sunderland and Perth in Scotland came in second and third most affordable spots to sink a few, setting you back a respectable £3.50.
Southend’s claim to the cheapest pint almost feels like a fluke, given the reputation of the south as being more expensive in general. It will come as no surprise that the most expensive places to grab a pint in the UK are almost exclusively located in the south, from London to Brighton and Oxford.
Still, given that pints in the UK are 127 percent more expensive than the worldwide average, according to data from Finder UK, the word cheap is perhaps used a little loosely here.
Where to find the cheapest pints in the UK
- Southend-on-Sea £3.25
- Perth £3.50
- Sunderland £3.50
- Coventry £3.65
- Kingston-upon-Hull £3.88
- Exeter £3.99
- Aberdeen £4.00
- Carlisle £4.00
- Doncaster £4.00
- Dundee £4.00
The most expensive pints in the UK
- London £6.50
- Lisburn £6.10
- Brighton & Hove £6.00
- Westminster £6.00
- Oxford £5.95
- Belfast £5.50
- Cambridge £5.25
- Edinburgh £5.20
- Bristol £5.00
- Canterbury £5.00
Thirsty? Check out Time Out’s ultimate guide to the best pubs in the UK.
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