Freshers week: Where Birmingham ranks in UK for cheapest pints for university students

With students across the UK, including Birmingham, enjoying freshers week, new research has unveiled the top UK cities where you can find the cheapest pint.

As a student, finding budget-friendly places to dine and drink is a priority for many amid the cost of living crisis and the data is offering a useful guide on the price of that all time student favourite beverage - beer.

A study by Travel and hospitality experts at Accor - using data from Numbeo and Expatistan along with ONS statistics - has identified the UK cities that offer the most affordable pints for local residents, including students. And it’s good news for Brummies as our city ranks among the top 10 for cheapest pints in the research - although Birmingham isn’t the cheapest city for beer in the whole of the West Midlands.

According to the findings, Brum comes in at number six in the least expensive city for a pint rankings with the average price of a pint in the city being £4.03. Birmingham was awarded an affordability score of 82.2 in the table (which you can see in full below) with average weekly earnings at £659. However, the cheapest pint in the West Midlands is in Coventry where the average drink costs £3.79.

Birmingham also ranks sixth in a separate listing issued by the same researchers which identifies which cities offer the lowest pint prices for local residents. This second table looks at residents’ weekly earnings to gauge how many pints they can purchase when compared to the cost of the average pint in the city. The affordability score is a measure of people’s purchasing power.

When it comes to the cheapest city for pints across the whole of the UK Aberdeen comes out top for affordability with the cheapest pint being found in Kingston upon Hull. Unsurprisingly, London takes the crown as the priciest city for a pint. It is 80% higher compared to Kingston upon Hull.

Top 10 UK cities for the cheapest pint

Here’s a closer look at those tables. The top five most affordable UK destinations for a pint are Aberdeen, Coventry, Dundee, and Cardiff, all boasting average prices that remain below £4.

UK cities with the lowest pint prices for local residents

When considering cost versus affordability, Aberdeen locals enjoy the most reasonable prices for a pint compared to other UK cities. With an average pint cost of £3.44 and average weekly earnings amounting to £674, this translates to an impressive pint affordability score of 90.3.

Locals in Kingston upon Hull and Coventry make up the top three UK cities that are least priced out of buying a pint. While Birmingham is the sixth most affordable with average weekly earnings of £659 and the average price of a pint at £4.03. Birmingham has an affordability score of 82.2 making it more affordable than Cardiff, Southampton, Glasgow and Oxford. The most expensive cities for pints were London, Brighton, Belfast, Edinburgh, Bristol and Manchester.