With City workers more likely to head to the pub after work today as the summer finally arrived, there was fresh insight into central London’s controversial beer prices.
The capital has long been known as the most expensive place in the country for a pint. But new research from Finder, a price comparison website, has put precise numbers on the difference with the rest of the UK. And separate findings from the Standard reveal some big differences within the M25.
Finder said the average London pint – including the pricier pubs of the West End and the City – has hit £6.75, almost £1.60 higher than its nationwide figure of £5.17.
The UK average is near to the Standard’s finding for London as a whole – £5.43 – in a survey that also found the same pint could vary by up to £3 across the capital. Newham was the cheapest borough at £4.06 and Kensington the most expensive at just over £7.
Guinness was emblematic of the London-wide difference. The Standard’s research found that the famous Dublin brew is poured for £6.29 at a Square Mile Wetherspoons, while in outer London’s Hillingdon and Enfiled, it costs under £3.50.
Finder’s thirst-quenching number crunching was carried out on a global basis. Worldwide, London has avoided the unwelcome crown of being the most expensive place to buy a beer, which went to Doha in Qatar at £9.99. Dubai in the UAE was close behind, at £9.43.
Nordic countries are also among the priciest beer nations, putting London prices into the shade. An average Reykjavik beer is £8.29 and in Oslo it’s £8.05.
Nonetheless, the UK capital is charging more than double the average world price of £2.74, identified from the 166 countries covered, up 5% year-on-year.
Closer to home, the British cities hot on London’s heels for beer prices are Oxford, at £5.69, Belfast at £5.48 and Brighton at £5.47. The cheapest are Gloucester at £3.35, Hull at £3.61 and Northampton at £3.74.
