How much does a trip to United Kingdom cost? Daily budget and prices

The three tiers below are per person per day, sharing a room at mid-range and comfort. They exclude flights and long-distance trains, which are the two costs that swing a UK trip most. London sits at the top of every band; northern England, Wales, Scotland outside Edinburgh and Northern Ireland sit at the bottom.

Season moves the bed line more than anything else. July and August, plus the Edinburgh Festival in August, are peak. Late March to June and September to October are cheaper and still workable. November to February is the cheapest window outside Christmas and New Year, with short daylight hours.

Start with beds, because they decide your tier. A hostel dorm is £30–55 outside London and more in it. A 3★ or chain hotel room is £75–130 a night outside London, often £130–200 in London. A 4–5★ room runs £160–350 and up. Rooms are priced per room, so two people sharing a mid-range double pay roughly half each.

Food is easy to control. A supermarket meal deal (sandwich, snack, drink) is £3.50–5. Pub food, fish and chips at £11–18, or a casual restaurant main is £12–20. A sit-down restaurant dinner with a drink is £25–45 a head, more in London. A pint is £5.50–8, at the top of that range in London.

Transport is the line travellers underestimate. Buses and urban trains are cheap; advance long-distance train tickets are the single best saving, booked weeks ahead. Walk-up fares on the same route can be several times higher. A BritRail pass exists for visitors from outside the UK, but compare it with advance tickets before buying. City buses are often capped daily, so tap the same card all day.

Sights are the pleasant surprise: the national museums and galleries are free, so a museum-heavy city break can keep the sights line near zero. Paid entries cluster at about £20–35 each (Tower of London about £35). Theatre is £30–150.

These are the everyday prices you will meet, in pounds. Treat them as 2026 estimates and expect London at the top of each range.

London is the most expensive base in the country, mainly through accommodation. The same mid-range room that costs £75–130 outside London can cost £130–200 in London, and August and December push it further. Food, drink and transport are also higher, though the free museums and the daily cap on contactless travel keep the damage down.

Everywhere else, costs fall quickly. Northern England, Wales, Scotland outside Edinburgh and Northern Ireland are the cheapest places to sleep and eat. Edinburgh is the second most expensive city and adds a 5% visitor levy on accommodation from 24 July 2026 — check before booking. A trip that splits four nights in London with three or four nights in Edinburgh, York or Bath usually costs less per day than a London-only week, because the second base is cheaper and the train replaces a hotel night you would have paid for anyway.

Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere and some places are card-only, so you rarely need cash. ATMs marked 'free cash withdrawals' charge no local fee; a few convenience-store machines charge £1–2.

Scottish and Northern Irish banks issue their own sterling notes. They are legal tender in practice across the UK but are sometimes refused in England, so spend them where you get them or pay by card.

Prices in this page are 2026 estimates. The Edinburgh visitor levy and some transport fares change on published dates, so confirm the current figure when you book.