The average price of beer in Britain now exceeds £3
Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) has revealed today that the average cost of a pint has now exceeded the £3 mark meaning going to the pub and having a pint is fast becoming an ‘unaffordable luxury’ forcing Britons to stay at home.
Increasing numbers of British drinkers are opting to drink at home or buy their booze from supermarkets as pub prices continue to rise.
Just 15 per cent of UK beer drinkers now think that the price of a pint in the UK is either very or fairly affordable.
This summer, one Twitter user called out a small pub in London for charging as much as £13.40 for a pint of real ale. The tweet, from user Kat Sewell, showed that a pint of Cloudwater North West Double IPA costs the absurd amount – with half a pint costing £6.70. The company that runs the pub, Utobeer, commented on the story saying “We are not making ‘vast profits’ we work to a margin like all businesses and if we stopped we’d start losing money and eventually go out of business.”
United Arab Emirates most expensive pint in the world, which is 152per cent more expensive than the UK!
When looking at the cost of a pint worldwide, the cheapest pint can be found in Bulgaria for just 0.97p. The last time a pint cost anything near that in the UK was back in 1982. However, United Arab Emirates is the most expensive country in the world for a pint charging a huge £8.81. That’s 152 per cent more than the UK price. The table below by Travelex reveals the price of a beer in every top country visited by Brits:
| Cheapest country to go for beer [Domestic Beer (0.5 litre draught) ] | ||
| Country | Cost of beer in local currency | Equivalent in GBP |
| Bulgaria/BGN Lev | 2.00 | 0.97 |
| Czech Republic/Koruna | 30.00 | 1.07 |
| Hungary/Forint | 350.00 | 1.09 |
| Mexico/MXN Peso | 25.00 | 1.15 |
| Portugal/Euro | 1.50 | 1.35 |
| Thailand/Baht | 60.00 | 1.45 |
| South Africa/Rand | 25.00 | 1.55 |
| Poland/Zloty | 7.00 | 1.56 |
| Jamaica/JM$ | 250.00 | 1.61 |
| Barbados/Bda$ | 4.00 | 1.65 |
| Spain/Euro | 2.00 | 1.80 |
| Cyprus/Euro | 2.50 | 2.25 |
| Malta/Euro | 2.50 | 2.25 |
| Turkey/TL | 10.00 | 2.36 |
| Greece/Euro | 3.50 | 3.15 |
| Germany/Euro | 3.50 | 3.15 |
| Belgium/Euro | 3.50 | 3.15 |
| Austria/Euro | 3.50 | 3.15 |
| USA/Dollars | 4.00 | 3.17 |
| UK/GBP | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Netherlands/Euro | 4.00 | 3.60 |
| Italy/Euro | 4.00 | 3.60 |
| Canada/CA$ | 6.00 | 3.69 |
| Australia/AU$ | 7.00 | 4.24 |
| France/Euro | 5.00 | 4.50 |
| Republic of Ireland/Euro | 5.00 | 4.50 |
| Finland/Euro | 5.80 | 5.23 |
| Denmark/Krone | 45.00 | 5.50 |
| Sweden/S Krona | 60.00 | 5.62 |
| Switzerland/CHF | 7.00 | 5.81 |
| Norway/Krone | 80.00 | 7.61 |
| United Arab Emirates/AED | 40.00 | 8.81 |
With the average price of a pint now exceeding the £3 mark, it is likely that many are choosing not to go out and instead staying in and buying their beers from the supermarket.
Managing director of My Voucher Codes Chris Reilly comments on this story, and said: “There are few things Brits like more than supping a cold beer, so it is heart breaking as nation that many beer lovers are cutting back on nights out due to the high cost of their favourite drink.
“Research conducted by Travelex earlier in the year revealed Britain is the 13th most expensive place in the world to enjoy a beer. Wetherspoons founder and owner Tim Martin previously highlighted how supermarkets have a competitive advantage when it comes to the price of their alcohol.
British pubs face a 20 per cent tax on all food and drink whereas supermarkets do not. This means that British pubs have to up their prices explaining why more people are choosing to drink at home.
“While there isn’t much we can do to combat the cost of beer, there are a few steps consumers can take when it comes to cutting the cost of a night out. These include researching happy hour deals before going out, sticking to chain bars that tend to have cheaper drinks prices, and taking a limited amount of cash out and leaving your credit or debit card at home.”
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