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Slideshow
The 15 most expensive cities for a round of drinks
Want to know the most expensive cities for a round of drinks? We have collated the top 15 priciest places to imbibe – and the results should surprise even the most seasoned traveller.
Over the following pages is a ranking of the world’s major cities according to the cost of a round of drinks, incorporating a pint of beer, a cup of coffee, a glass of coke and a bottle of water.
The research – conducted by ethical coffee supplier Honest Coffees – ranked 30 of the world’s most prestigious cities according to the price of drinks in bars, pubs, restaurants and cafés.
Although a city such as London is commonly perceived as being one of the most expensive places to have a drink, readers might be surprised to learn that visitors to Paris will part with an average of 40% more than they would pay in London for a beer, coffee, bottle of water and a coke.
However, and similarly surprising, is the finding that a cup of coffee typically sets you back more in the Mexican capital than in its UK counterpart.
Meanwhile, if you are thinking of travelling to Australia, be warned – the two biggest cities down under, Sydney and Melbourne, both come in pricier than London for refreshments.
The same is true in much of the US, with Chicago and Los Angeles both more expensive than the UK capital.
Commenting on the research, Wyatt Cavalier, who is the co-founder of Honest Coffees, said: “Our findings show that the big-ticket holiday destinations like Paris, New York and Tokyo can be costly when it comes to buying drinks, and things aren’t much better closer to home, with the average pint in London costing the best part of five pounds.”
Continuing, he added, “Interestingly though, despite Londoners being hard done by in the beer department, buying a cup of coffee in the UK’s capital costs less than in Mexico City, which will probably come as a surprise to most.”
Over the following pages we count down the top 15 priciest places to buy a round, starting with…
15. Buenos Aires
Total: £8.26
Beer: £3.88
Coffee: £2.26
Coke: £1.18
Water: £0.94
14. Seoul
Total: £8.52
Beer: £3.76
Coffee: £3.26
Coke: £0.95
Water: £0.55
13. Berlin
Total: £8.72
Beer: £3.23
Coffee: £2.86
Coke: £1.49
Water: £1.14
12. Tokyo
Total: £9.56
Beer: £4.71
Coffee: £3.16
Coke: £0.93
Water: £0.76
11. London
Total: £9.90
Beer: £4.99
Coffee: £2.72
Coke: £1.22
Water: £0.98
10. Melbourne
Total: £10.30
Beer: £5.11
Coffee: £2.61
Coke: £1.02
Water: £1.56
9. Auckland
Total: £10.43
Beer: £4.49
Coffee: £2.67
Coke: £1.66
Water: £1.61
8. Los Angeles
Total: £10.45
Beer: £4.70
Coffee: £3.06
Coke: £1.49
Water: £1.20
7. Sydney
Total: £10.88
Beer: 4.70
Coffee: 2.75
Coke: 1.87
Water: 1.56
6. Singapore
Total: £10.90
Beer: £6.02
Coffee: £3.25
Coke: £0.93
Water: £0.70
5. Chicago
Total: £10.96
Beer: £5.22
Coffee: £3.04
Coke: £1.44
Water: £1.26
4. Hong Kong
Total: £11.59
Beer: £6.31
Coffee: £3.81
Coke: £0.82
Water: £0.66
3. New York
Total: £11.98
Beer: £6.09
Coffee: £3.13
Coke: £1.53
Water: £1.23
2. Dubai
Total: £12.87
Beer: £8.78
Coffee: £3.42
Coke: £0.40
Water: £0.27
1. Paris
Total: £13.68
Beer: £6.14
Coffee: £3.48
Coke: £2.42
Water: £1.65
Hard to believe that there are no Swiss cities in this list!
Also hard to believe that Copenhagen not is on the list.
Agree with all the above. Plus, what happens with Oslo and Shanghai? This ranking is sooo not right
Did you even visit any of the Nordic countries
Weird to see no Swiss cities or scandinavian cities like Oslo or Copenhagen. Also, £3.48 for a coffee in Paris looks extremely high, it’s probably less than 2.5€ max (even in tops hotels) or maybe a large double macchiato with extra cream and extra shot counts as a simple coffee.
Maybe Helsinki is too small place to have on this list ?
After a recent business trip to Zurich, where I had a couple of lunches at mid-scale restaurants and a few rounds of drinks follow various meetings, I’m unclear as to the establishments that the survey visited in order to get these ‘average’ prices and compile the list. I was paying circa £8 – £9 for a beer, so unless Zurich is giving away soft drinks and coffees for free, a little more in depth research is required in my view.
Agree with the comments on Swiss cities. I live in Switzerland and a small cappuccino from somewhere like Starbucks costs CHF 7 (approx. £5.60). Some places charge that and more just for an espresso!