Drinking statistics
From cracking open a cold one in Summer to sipping on mulled wine in December, us Brits use any excuse to finish another bottle. Read our page to find out a bit more about the nation's drinking habits. Read more…
Every year International Beer Day sees millions of people around the world celebrating with a nice cold pint. How much will Brits be paying to celebrate compared to our neighbours overseas though?
We have compiled data on the average prices of beer in the most populated cities around the world. The analysis looks at 165 countries so you can find out where you rank! Read on to find out where the UK sits globally and how beer prices compare between the UK’s major cities. To find out more about how to travel smart, check out our travel guide.
The full list of countries
| Country | Largest city by population | Average price of a pint | Percentage increase from Nov 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar | Doha | £10.30 | 21% |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai | £9.92 | 16% |
| Norway | Oslo | £7.95 | 11% |
| Bahrain | Manama | £7.76 | 7.8 |
| Iceland | Reykjavik | £7.00 | -12% |
| Singapore | Singapore | £6.45 | 3% |
| Denmark | Copenhagen | £6.44 | 24% |
| Seychelles | Victoria | £6.14 | 63% |
| Oman | Muscat | £6.13 | 4% |
| Israel | Jerusalem | £6.02 | 10% |
| United States | New York City | £6.00 | 8% |
| Switzerland | Zürich | £6.00 | 4% |
| France | Paris | £5.91 | 7% |
| Jordan | Amman | £5.84 | 4% |
| Finland | Helsinki | £5.78 | 8% |
| Afghanistan | Kabul | £5.59 | 18% |
| New Zealand | Auckland | £5.57 | 21% |
| Maldives | Male | £5.36 | 29% |
| China | Shanghai | £5.28 | 49% |
| Bangladesh | Dhaka | £5.21 | 29% |
| Sweden | Stockholm | £5.20 | -4% |
| United Kingdom | London | £5.18 | 21% |
| Ireland | Dublin | £5.17 | 7% |
| Bahamas | Nassau | £4.80 | 34% |
| Australia | Sydney | £4.66 | 4% |
| Canada | Toronto | £4.63 | 13% |
| Mauritania | Nouakchott | £4.50 | 5% |
| Italy | Rome | £4.24 | -8% |
| Djibouti | Djibouti | £4.21 | 9% |
| Vanuatu | Port Vila | £4.19 | -1% |
| Greece | Athens | £3.89 | 2% |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam | £3.88 | -7% |
| Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | £3.72 | 8% |
| Estonia | Tallinn | £3.64 | 17% |
| Japan | Tokyo | £3.64 | -9% |
| Mauritius | Port Louis | £3.62 | 32% |
| Austria | Vienna | £3.55 | 9% |
| Cyprus | Nicosia | £3.53 | 12% |
| Spain | Madrid | £3.48 | 3% |
| Belgium | Brussels | £3.41 | 6% |
| Solomon Islands | Honiara | £3.37 | 15% |
| Lebanon | Beirut | £3.26 | 29% |
| Mali | Bamako | £3.26 | -1% |
| Chile | Santiago | £3.22 | 31% |
| Morocco | Casablanca | £3.22 | 2% |
| Indonesia | Jakarta | £3.04 | 13% |
| Iraq | Baghdad | £3.03 | 31% |
| Brunei | Bandar Seri Begawan | £2.97 | 6% |
| Uruguay | Montevideo | £2.96 | -4% |
| Germany | Berlin | £2.94 | 3% |
| South korea | Seoul | £2.94 | -1% |
| Brazil | São Paulo | £2.90 | -1% |
| Panama | Panama City | £2.85 | 27% |
| Papua New Guinea | Port Moresby | £2.84 | 4% |
| Russia | Moscow | £2.82 | 18% |
| Samoa | Apia | £2.79 | 5% |
| Andorra | Andorra la Vella | £2.76 | 0% |
| Chad | N'Djamena | £2.73 | 99% |
| Latvia | Riga | £2.72 | 29% |
| Malta | Birkirkara | £2.68 | 4% |
| Lithuania | Vilnius | £2.67 | 6% |
| Nepal | Kathmandu | £2.65 | -4% |
| India | Mumbai | £2.62 | 6% |
| Turkmenistan | Ashgabat | £2.52 | -7% |
| Turkey | Istanbul | £2.46 | -1% |
| Libya | Tripoli | £2.46 | -1% |
| Guinea | Conakry | £2.41 | 4% |
| Bolivia | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | £2.40 | -8% |
| Barbados | Bridgetown | £2.35 | 5% |
| Slovenia | Ljubljana | £2.34 | 1% |
| Pakistan | Karachi | £2.33 | -10% |
| Republic of the Congo | Brazzaville | £2.32 | 19% |
| Thailand | Bangkok | £2.31 | 14% |
| Antigua and Barbuda | St. John's | £2.25 | -36% |
| Guinea Bissau | Bissau | £2.20 | -1% |
| Costa Rica | San José | £2.18 | N/A |
| Botswana | Gaborone | £2.17 | 68% |
| Dominican Republic | Santo Domingo | £2.17 | 1% |
| Poland | Warsaw | £2.10 | 8% |
| Mexico | Mexico City | £2.09 | 29% |
| Equatorial Guinea | Bata | £2.06 | 0% |
| Senegal | Dakar | £2.03 | 5% |
| Peru | Lima | £2.03 | -6% |
| Algeria | Algiers | £2.02 | 13% |
| Gabon | Libreville | £1.98 | -13% |
| Argentina | Buenos Aires | £1.97 | -33% |
| Belize | Belize City | £1.96 | -3% |
| Central african republic | Bangui | £1.91 | 75% |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Kinshasa | £1.91 | 1% |
| Portugal | Lisbon | £1.87 | 14% |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Kingstown | £1.87 | 13% |
| Belarus | Minsk | £1.84 | 32% |
| Ecuador | Guayaquil | £1.84 | 18% |
| Croatia | Zagreb | £1.83 | 2% |
| Sri lanka | Colombo | £1.81 | -11% |
| Kenya | Nairobi | £1.80 | 15% |
| Albania | Tirana | £1.79 | 24% |
| El Salvador | San Salvador | £1.75 | 28% |
| Saint Lucia | Castries | £1.75 | -6% |
| Montenegro | Podgorica | £1.69 | 10% |
| Guatemala | Guatemala City | £1.66 | -22% |
| South africa | Johannesburg | £1.65 | 10% |
| Egypt | Cairo | £1.65 | -9% |
| Eritrea | Asmara | £1.63 | 3% |
| Cameroon | Douala | £1.63 | -65% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Sarajevo | £1.59 | 16% |
| Romania | Bucharest | £1.59 | 8% |
| Serbia | Belgrade | £1.58 | 9% |
| Guyana | Georgetown | £1.56 | 7% |
| Jamaica | Kingston | £1.56 | -42% |
| Zimbabwe | Harare | £1.54 | 25% |
| Slovakia | Bratislava | £1.54 | 11% |
| Cuba | Havana | £1.52 | 22% |
| Dominica | Roseau | £1.48 | N/A |
| Tunisia | Tunis | £1.47 | 22% |
| Kosovo | Prishtina | £1.47 | -7% |
| Philippines | Quezon City | £1.44 | -33% |
| Hungary | Budapest | £1.40 | 2% |
| Honduras | Tegucigalpa | £1.37 | 3% |
| Czech Rep. | Prague | £1.34 | 12% |
| Cape Verde | Praia | £1.32 | 19% |
| Kazakhstan | Almaty | £1.30 | 55% |
| Moldova | Chişinău | £1.27 | -9% |
| Armenia | Yerevan | £1.26 | 1% |
| Benin | Cotonou | £1.25 | -51% |
| Bulgaria | Sofia | £1.24 | 6% |
| Haiti | Port-au-Prince | £1.23 | -30% |
| Colombia | Bogotá | £1.23 | -34% |
| Suriname | Paramaribo | £1.22 | 7% |
| Niger | Niamey | £1.21 | -2% |
| Namibia | Windhoek | £1.19 | 7% |
| Zambia | Lusaka | £1.19 | -11% |
| Georgia | Tbilisi | £1.17 | 31% |
| Nigeria | Lagos | £1.16 | 83% |
| Azerbaijan | Baku | £1.14 | 19% |
| Paraguay | Asuncion | £1.14 | -6% |
| Ghana | Accra | £1.14 | -8% |
| Bhutan | Thimphu | £1.13 | -10% |
| Kyrgyzstan | Bishkek | £1.13 | -11% |
| Ukraine | Kiev | £1.12 | 34% |
| Tanzania | Dar es Salaam | £1.10 | 13% |
| Laos | Vientiane | £1.09 | 0% |
| Rwanda | Kigali | £1.08 | 28% |
| Sierra Leone | Freetown | £1.07 | -7% |
| Tajikistan | Dushanbe | £1.02 | 3% |
| Liberia | Monrovia | £1.01 | -6% |
| Malawi | Lilongwe | £0.98 | 53% |
| Madagascar | Antananarivo | £0.96 | -3% |
| Myanmar (Burma) | Yangon | £0.96 | -12% |
| Burkina Faso | Ouagadougou | £0.95 | -5% |
| Uganda | Kampala | £0.92 | -6% |
| Lesotho | Maseru | £0.89 | 6% |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Basseterre | £0.89 | N/A |
| Burundi | Bujumbura | £0.87 | N/A |
| Angola | Luanda | £0.85 | -48% |
| Nicaragua | Managua | £0.84 | -13% |
| Cambodia | Phnom Penh | £0.83 | -11% |
| Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | £0.82 | 22% |
| Vietnam | Ho Chi Minh City | £0.82 | 17% |
| Togo | Lome | £0.82 | -2% |
| Uzbekistan | Tashkent | £0.76 | 28% |
| North Korea | Pyongyang | £0.70 | N/A |
| South sudan | Juba | £0.47 | N/A |
| Venezuela | Caracas | £0.42 | -19% |
| Mozambique | Maputo | £0.39 | -64% |
| . | . | . | . |
The 5 countries with the most expensive beer
1. Doha, Qatar £10.30
2. Dubai, United Arab Emirates £9.92
3. Oslo, Norway £7.95
4. Manama, Bahrain £7.76
5. Reykjavik, Iceland £7.00
The 5 countries with the cheapest beer
1. Maputo, Mozambique £0.39
2. Caracas, Venezuela £0.42
3. Juba, South Sudan £0.47
4. Pyongyang, North Korea £0.70
5. Tashkent, Uzbekistan £0.76
The cost for a pint ranges from £0.39 in Mozambique all the way up to £10.30 in Qatar. London is pricier than most of the list, with the average cost of £5.18 for a pint coming in as the 20th most expensive of the 165 cities. Compared to the world average for the 165 countries (£2.63), London charges almost double (85% higher) for the same drink!
While this will come as no surprise, what’s alarming is that prices in London are actually rising 29% faster than the global average. By comparing these recent figures against the same study carried out by finder.com in 2017, it was found that the price of a London pint has risen by 42p from £4.76.
The price change since between November 2017 and July 2019 has varied dramatically depending on the country. The biggest difference has been in Chad, where the price of a pint has almost doubled (99% increase) while in Cameroon, the price of a pint is 65% cheaper now than in November 2017.
The price of a pint in the UK
| Place | Average price of a pint |
|---|---|
| London | £5.18 |
| Brighton and Hove | £4.53 |
| Cambridge | £4.40 |
| Bristol | £4.36 |
| Edinburgh | £4.19 |
| Oxford | £4.14 |
| Reading | £4.12 |
| Portsmouth | £4.11 |
| Manchester | £4.11 |
| Belfast | £4.05 |
| Birmingham | £3.94 |
| Southampton | £3.92 |
| Exeter | £3.91 |
| Ipswich | £3.81 |
| Glasgow | £3.79 |
| Leicester | £3.73 |
| York | £3.72 |
| Poole | £3.71 |
| Norwich | £3.70 |
| Luton | £3.68 |
| Plymouth | £3.66 |
| Inverness | £3.62 |
| Northampton | £3.61 |
| Gloucester | £3.61 |
| Aberdeen | £3.60 |
| Nottingham | £3.59 |
| Leeds | £3.57 |
| Aberystwyth | £3.56 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | £3.53 |
| Coventry | £3.52 |
| Peterborough | £3.51 |
| Cardiff | £3.46 |
| Sheffield | £3.37 |
| Swansea | £3.31 |
| Dundee | £3.29 |
| Southend-on-Sea | £3.29 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | £3.29 |
| Kingston upon Hull | £3.27 |
| Liverpool | £3.27 |
| Sunderland | £3.25 |
| Perth | £3.07 |
| Preston | £3.06 |
| . | . |
It comes as no surprise that the UK’s most expensive city to grab a drink is London. The cheapest place to get a pint (out of the 42 largest cities analysed) is Preston. A beer here will cost you £3.06, which is 41% (or £2.12) less than London!
Following Preston, Perth and Sunderland are the second and third cheapest cities to buy a beer. Compared to the £3.06 for Preston, Perth charges £3.07 and Sunderland’s average is £3.25. On the pricier side, Brighton and Hove is the second most expensive city to buy a beer. Despite charging £4.53 in Brighton and Hove, London is still 14% more expensive.
Methodology
The numbers in this piece are based on data from cost-of-living sites Expatistan and Numbeo as of 29th July 2019. The majority of values were averaged from the two sites. In the few cases this was not possible, data from Numbeo or Expatistan was used alone.
For all media enquiries, please contact
Matt Mckenna
UK Communications Manager
T: +44 20 3828 1338
UK Communications Manager
T: +44 20 3828 1338
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