Map reveals Britain’s CHEAPEST and most expensive pints with a surprising twist – how much is a beer near you?
A MAP has revealed Britain's cheapest and most expensive pints but with a surprising twist.
Analysis by pub trade publication the Morning Advertiser revealed the costs of a price of lager across the country.
The outlet performed a survey of its readers to uncover the best and worst places to get a cheap pint in the UK.
While its figures revealed a predictable North-South divide of prices, there was a surprising twist.
The data revealed a mid-country "belt" across the UK where you'll find a cheaper pint than almost anywhere else.
Across the Midlands and Wales, pints cost just £4.74 on average, far cheaper than southern regions.
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Surprisingly, the areas also come in as less costly than even Scotland and the North West, with just the North East being cheaper at £4.56.
London was, as expected, the most expensive place in the UK for a pint, with punters paying an average of a whole pound more than in the North East for their drinks.
Over recent years, the average cost of a pint nationwide has risen, according to figures from the .
While it cost just £3.75 before the Covid pandemic, prices jumped up to £4.10 in 2022 before leaping up further to £4.82 as of December last year.
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This means prices have risen by almost 30 per cent over the past five years.
Industry figures have warned that prices could rise further following Chancellor Rachel Reeves' plan to increase tax on businesses.
Employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) are being increased from April this year, meaning bosses will have to pay more in tax on workers' pay.
Simon Dodd, chief executive of Young's, said the chain plans to hike its prices by between 2.5% and 3% because of increased costs.
He explained this hike will add around 20p to the cost of a pint sold at £6.30 in London to £6.50.
All Bar One owner Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) told The Sun last year the price of its pints could rise by between 10p and 15p.
Average pint cost in each UK region
North East: £4.56
East Midlands: £4.74
West Midlands: £4.74
Wales: £4.74
North West: £4.87
Scotland: £4.87
South West: £5.16
South East: £5.21
London: £5.59
The group, which also owns Toby Carvery, said higher wage expenses were "by far the most significant increase" in its cost base following moves announced in the Autumn Budget.
Chief executive Phil Urban said M&B was facing around £23million a year in extra costs from the rise in NICs alone, with the increase in the minimum wage also sending its wage bill surging.
This comes as more than 400 pubs were shut in 2024 as the total number of boozers reached an all-time low.
Some 412 in England and Wales — around 34 a month — shut and were demolished or converted into homes, offices and nurseries.
That was a rise of 6.7 per cent compared to 2023 and the sharpest fall in numbers since 2021, when 444 pubs closed their doors.
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A total of 2,074 pubs closed in the five years to 2024, analysis by the commercial real estate experts Altus Group found.
The overall number of boozers in England and Wales, including those vacant and offered to let, fell to a low of 38,989 according to Valuation Office Agency statistics.