UK Beer Index: Where has the cheapest beer in the UK?

Nothing beats a cold pint of beer. But in this economy, cost is a huge factor when deciding where (and how much) to drink. The average cost of a pint in the UK is £5.17. But depending on where in the UK you’re drinking, you could spend considerably more or less than that. To find out how much prices differ, the team here at Alliance Online researched the average cost of a beer in cities and towns across the UK – revealing where it is cheapest.

Key Findings

• Wrexham is the cheapest city in the UK for a pint of beer, at an average of just £2.
• Bury, Greater Manchester, is the cheapest town in England for a beer, at £2.75.
• Kilmarnock is the most cost-effective town in Scotland for a pint, at £3.25.
• Enniskillen has the most reasonably priced beer in Northern Ireland, at £3.80.

The 10 places with the cheapest beer in the UK

The Welsh city of Wrexham is crowned the cheapest place in the UK for a beer. Famous for Wrexham AFC, headed up by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, their fans will be happy to know that they have access to bargain beer after a match. The North West of England snags positions two to four, with Bury, Bolton, and Blackpool all coming in with beer averaging from £2.75 to £3.25 per pint. These towns are all within an hour’s journey of each other, which could come in handy for punters planning a pub crawl.

The 10 places with the cheapest beer in England

There is a clear divide between the north and south of England when it comes to beer prices. While they are still cheap overall, places like Gloucester and Luton are lower down the rankings compared to their northern counterparts. Huddersfield might only be on the other side of the Pennines, but an average beer there will set punters back £1.45 more than the average beer in the ‘home of the black pudding’, Bury.

The 10 places with the cheapest beer in Scotland

Kilmarnock is a town in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. At £3.25 a pint, the town boasts the cheapest beer in the country. The town has over 30 pubs and bars all in close proximity to the centre, so Scots might call this a drinker’s paradise. In Inverness, the northernmost city in Scotland, a pint will set you back £4.02 on average. Not a bad price for the largest city and the cultural capital of the Scottish Highlands.

The 5 places with the cheapest beer in Wales

In 1881, a brewery was set up by German immigrants in the centre of Wrexham. Wrexham Lager is now the UK’s oldest lager brewery and is currently expanding to overseas markets. Fun fact: this was the only lager brand available onboard the Titanic. Barry is a seaside resort nine miles southwest of Cardiff. In this town, you should be able to hunt down a pint for a very reasonable price of £4.

The 3 places with the cheapest beer in Northern Ireland

Enniskillen is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The town has 15 pubs listed on Google Maps, with the most favourable reviews at the Blakes of the Hollow and Charlie’s Bar. Punters should be able to track down a pint here for around £3.80. Over in Armagh, a beer will set customers back £4.80 – one pound more than the cheapest in Northern Ireland. Wherever you’re drinking in the UK, be sure to support your hard-working local bars, pubs and restaurants.

The importance of bars and pubs cleaning beer lines

All punters enjoy a cheap pint, but nothing is more important than the actual taste. Contaminated beer lines can alter the taste of beer, causing off-flavours like sourness or a stale taste. Beerline cleaner helps to maintain a beer’s quality and taste. Dirty beer lines can also harbour harmful bacteria or mould, which pose potential health risks to consumers. Keeping them clean prevents health risks – and also ensures that establishments comply with industry standards, which is especially important for inspections by the FSA.

Commenting on the findings, Rachael Kiss from Alliance Online said:

“Our study shows that customers can still very much get a bargain beer if they look for one, with the cost of a pint varying depending on where you live in the UK. We were surprised to see such low prices in unexpected places that have lots of well-reviewed local pubs. This is good news for locals and tourists alike!” “It is worth noting that no matter how cheap establishments price their beer, cleanliness of beer lines should remain a top priority. This is because not cleaning beer lines properly could risk a poor food hygiene rating from the Food Standards Agency. See our selection of beerline cleaners here.”

Methodology

We collated the prices of a 500ml beer in cities and towns across the UK using data from Expatistan and Numbeo in October 2024. All prices are in GBP.