Is England Expensive? An England Trip Cost Guide

Figuring out your average daily costs is one of the most important things to determine before planning your trip to England. This lovely country has a reputation for being pricey, especially in the capital of London.

And while England isn’t exactly the most affordable nation in the world to visit, if you plan in advance and you’re smart and deliberate with how you spend your money, you can easily visit England without breaking the bank.

In general, England can be an expensive destination to visit and expect to spend approximately £75-220 per person per day (roughly $93-272 USD). This means that the cost of 7 days in England is around £525 to £1,540 (about $650-1903). 

There are countless ways to cut costs and prioritise expenses on numerous different categories such as accommodation, transport and food. Even if you’re not necessarily travelling on a restrictive or tight budget, it can be helpful to see what the general prices in England are so that you know if you’re overpaying or just to have an idea of what to expect.

England Trip Cost Guide

Accommodation Prices

The first and most pressing cost that you need to consider when planning out the average cost of your England trip is the price of accommodation. This is generally going to be the most expensive aspect of your trip but how much you spend can really depend on the type of accommodation you choose.

England is chock full of budget accommodation options, so you needn’t think you’ll have to spend an arm and a leg to rest your head at night. In fact, you don’t even need to subject yourself to sleepless nights in a 20-bed hostel dorm in order to save a few quid in England. In fact, there are lots of options to save money on a night’s accommodation in England.

If you do plan to go the classic budget backpacker route and stay in a hostel, expect the cost of a dorm bed to vary from place to place. It’s safe to assume the prices in London are going to be a lot more expensive than a small town in Yorkshire — or really anywhere outside of the capital, and this holds true for all accommodation options.

In general, if you want to stay in a hostel in England, expect prices to start at around £25 per night — but expect prices to be higher in London.

If you still want to save money on accommodation but don’t necessarily feel like staying in a hostel, then finding a private room on Airbnb is a great option. You can find countless clean and comfortable rooms in local’s homes on the platform all throughout England at very agreeable prices.

While this may prove a more expensive route if you’re travelling solo, if you split the cost with a partner or friend, you will end up with roughly the same per-person cost as a hostel dorm — with a more “local” experience and far more privacy! Expect a private room on Airbnb to start at about £50 per night.

Moving up on the ladder, we get to the cost of a budget hotel or a room in an affordable B&B or pub. This is still a great way to save some cash and can be a great option for those who have a bit of a higher budget to play around. It’s also a good choice for budget-conscious families. Expect a room in a budget hotel to start at around £60, give or take where you’re visiting and what time of year.

If you’re looking at staying in mid-range hotels in England, then expect those to start at around £80-100 per night — and expect prices to be a bit higher in London. This is the area where your nightly costs will being to increase significantly as going above a mid-range accommodation budget can be quite expensive in the UK.

And finally, if budget isn’t much of an issue but you’re interested in staying in some more high-end or luxury hotels or other accommodation options, you can expect these to start at least £150-200 per night. Of course, London is going to be more expensive, however, certain luxury accommodations outside of the capital are going to be around the same price.

All in all, however, it actually isn’t necessary to spend more than about £25-30 per person per night for accommodation in England if you’re trying to travel on a budget and plan to spend up to £50-100 per person if your budget leans toward the upper mid-range or luxury. This is assuming that you’re splitting accommodation costs between two people.

Transportation Prices

Another of the most expensive and prescient expenses that one needs to consider when travelling to England is the cost of transportation.

Similar to your accommodation costs, transport in England doesn’t really have to be all that expensive if you plan a bit in advance and are smart about where you spend your money. Prices can also vary from place to place.

In London, for instance, it isn’t a city where you can rely completely on getting around on foot (it’s far too big for that), but it’s also worth knowing that the British capital has the highest public transport costs of any city in the world, so do keep that in mind.

If you’re trying to save money in London, consider taking the bus rather than the underground (it’s very easy to navigate), because at £1.75 per ride no matter the distance, it is significantly cheaper than the tube.

Also, check to see if you really do need to take the tube between certain areas or if it would be easier to walk. Tourists often spend more time going between two nearby tube stations underground when it would be faster (and, you know, free) just to go on foot.

Make sure to utilise Google Maps and CityMapper before you go anywhere to avoid this common mistake.

Outside of London, you can use lots of different options to get from point A to B. If you’re just planning on visiting major cities and don’t have much interest in visiting some national parks or more rural destinations, for instance, you can rely solely on the public transit system.

If you’re trying to stick to a tight budget, then you’re going to also want to stick with taking the bus. Coaches in England are safe, comfortable, reliable and significantly more affordable than the train. However, prices do vary depending on the distance and time you are travelling. It also is almost always more affordable to book your tickets in advance.

If your budget is slightly higher, then travelling by train can be a good option, however, keep in mind that train travel in England can actually be quite expensive. If you would rather travel around England by train, then it is always a good idea to book your tickets as far in advance as possible. This will ensure that you get the best deals as fares get steadily more expensive the closer to the date of travel.

If you do travel by bus or rail in the UK, then we suggest booking in advance. Here you can find great prices on transport tickets as soon as they come available.

Another fantastic, albeit slightly more expensive, mode of travel in the UK is to rent your own car. While you don’t need a car at all if you’re staying in London and many other UK cities are easy enough to navigate on foot or via public transit, if you want to visit some smaller towns or just go on one of England’s many road trips — including from London to Cornwall or from London to Manchester — then renting a car is a great option. It also doesn’t have to be as expensive as you may expect.

As with most places outside of North America, it’s typically cheaper to hire a manual transmission rather than an automatic, but you can even find some basic automatics starting from around £50 per day. Obviously, this is just the base fare and doesn’t include petrol or any insurance costs.

If you want to get a great deal on a car hire in England, then we suggest browsing and booking through Rentalcars.com. This platform aggregates prices across most major rental companies to ensure that you don’t overpay.

In order to further save money, we also suggest considering taking out an excess insurance policy with iCarHireInsurance in order both to save money compared to the equivalent insurance charged by car hire companies and also to ensure that you don’t pay anything if you damage your vehicle in any way.

All in all, if you don’t hire a car for your entire trip and plan to walk and use public transit for some of it, expect to average about £15-40 per day on transportation in England, however, it can definitely be more or less depending on your habits.

Food Prices

Now it’s time to get onto something that’s just as important as the price of accommodation and transportation in England but not nearly as nuanced and complicated: food.

To be honest, however, food prices in England aren’t actually all that expensive, provided you’re not eating at high-end, Michelin-starred restaurants for every single meal. However, you can expect a little variance on food prices depending on how much you are willing to spend.

If you’re travelling on a tight budget, then it’s recommended to cook the majority of your own meals or stick to street food and similar things for meals. Find accommodation that has self-catering facilities and maybe one that includes breakfast and you probably don’t have to spend more than about £15-20 per person per day on food.

If you’re keener to eat out for one or two meals per day, then make sure to budget a bit more on meals. If you make breakfast at your accommodation (or it’s provided for you), you grab a quick sandwich meal deal or an easy picnic for lunch, and you eat at a mid-range restaurant or pub for dinner, then you’re looking at spending around £20-25 per person per day in England.

And finally, if you want to have a sit-down meal most days in England and also want to allow for a few splurges on some higher-end dining, then expect to spend closer to £30-40 per person per day on food. This is an expensive option and it’s worth knowing that it’s possible to eat quite well in England without having to spend an arm and a leg on food.

Activities Prices

Now we’ve gone away from the boring basics that factor into your total cost of an England trip and it’s time to discuss how much it’s going to cost you to actually go out and do things in this lovely country.

One of the most refreshing things about England is that activities don’t really have to cost that much at all — even if you’re not trying to cut costs!

One of the best things about the UK is that the vast majority of state-run museums — including some of the best museums in the world — are completely free to enter. If you want to spend an entire day exploring the British Museum in London, then you only need to worry about your accommodation and food costs for the day.

Though you do typically have to pay for special or temporary exhibits in museums, the vast majority of museums are completely free to the public and you won’t be missing out on anything if you don’t pay for a special exhibit.

There are also some private museums out there or National Trust sites that do charge an entry fee. These can vary depending on the site, however, expect to pay somewhere around £10-15 for entry. It’s worth noting that there are almost always student and other concessionary discounts available that can save a significant amount of money if you qualify.

Free walking tours are also a fantastic way to explore various cities, get to know their history, and not have to worry about it taking too much of a toll on your budget. These are available in almost all major English cities and can be a great insight into a place without breaking the bank.

Though tours themselves are free, the guides do work on a tipped basis and, therefore, it is good practice to tip around £10 if you do one of these tours.

And finally, another of the most popular activities to do in England involve getting outside and exploring the incredible natural scenery that this amazing country has to offer. Hiking and walking in England is a favourite national pastime and it is also one that is perfectly free of charge.

So whether you want to do the iconic Seven Sisters cliffs walk in the South Downs or traipse through the stunning nature of the Lake District, you don’t have to worry about going over budget — just make sure to pack a good rain jacket and solid, waterproof shoes! England isn’t known for its dry weather.

All in all, if you plan to do a paid activity or two most days, expect to spend about £10-20 per day on average.

Entertainment Prices

And finally, we get to the last aspect of any England travel budget that you need to consider: the cost of entertainment. In a land known for its pub culture, world-class theatre and thriving arts scene, this is not necessarily an area that you want to ignore when visiting England.

But how much entertainment will factor into your total trip cost will depend a lot on your habits and expectations.

If you plan to spend every night at the pub into the wee hours of the morning or want to enjoy every West End production on offer in London, then you’re going to have to budget a lot. If you’re looking to enjoy some of the infinite entertainment in England but also want some balance, then you don’t have to worry about spending too much.

Let’s first discuss the pub and how much a basic night out is going to cost. You can’t go wrong with sipping a beer in a convivial pub wherever you are in England, but you should be aware of how much this is going to cost.

On average, outside of London, expect a pint (that’s 568 ml) to land you somewhere between £4-6. In London, you’re looking closer to £5-7 for a basic beer and even more if you’re drinking craft beer — think around £7-8 on average.

A glass of house wine, on average, will set you back around the same as a pint, around £3-4. Cocktails are where things tend to get a lot more expensive. If you’re looking for something basic, like a gin and tonic (and not with a fancy craft gin that you may see in lots of places in England), plan to spend about £8-12 for the privilege and where you are.

If you’re heading to a hip, subterranean cocktail bar that has become so popular in the recent years, you’re looking at drinks prices starting at around £10 and moving up from there. Some places in London have cocktail prices at well over £15.

Away from drinking, if you’re interested in experiencing theatre in England — London in particular — that’s not going to be cheap, either. Tickets in the stalls can cost over £100 at some shows, however, if you’re willing to sit in the mezzanine levels and further back, you can get tickets for as little as £20-30.

It’s also worth scouring the prices at the TKTS counter in London and also entering in some of the online lotteries, where you can often win the chance for £20 tickets in some of the best seats in the house.

All in all, however, if you plan to have a couple of beers each night or want to go out and get some cheap seats at the theatre, plan to have an entertainment budget starting at £10 per day while in England.

Average Travel Costs in England

So is England expensive to visit? Obviously, that depends on your habits and your budget entirely, but here are some numbers to start out that are a base level assuming that you’re trying to save as much money as possible without sacrificing many paid activities or entertainment.

Accommodation: £25-100/night

Transportation: £15-40/day

Food: £15-40/day

Activities: £10-20/day

Entertainment: £10-20/day

So on average expect to pay around £75-220 per person per day for your trip to England cost.

This also doesn’t include any pre-trip expenses such as flights (search on Skyscanner for great deals!) or travel insurance. For travel insurance, SafetyWing is a good option if you’re travelling to England on a budget. They offer affordable and flexible travel medical insurance policies.

Obviously, it is entirely possible to spend a lot more and, if you scrimp and save, it is even possible to spend less. However, this is a good budget if you want to save your hard-earned travel money while not sacrificing comfort or fun.

England may not be the most affordable destination to visit, however, there are many ways to cut down on your average daily costs. If you know how and where to spend your money, you are sure to have a great and budget-friendly time in England!

Are you trying to figure out the average cost of a trip to England? Have any questions? Let us know in the comments!