A new study has identified Brighton and Hove as the United Kingdom’s second most costly destination for an evening out.
Research conducted by ticket platform Skiddle examined nightlife expenditure throughout thirty major British urban centres, analysing expenses including the price of three pints of beer, two cocktails, a late-evening meal, a brief taxi journey covering three miles, and a single public transport fare.
The investigation, which incorporated 2026 figures sourced from Numbeo, determined that London remained the only city surpassing Brighton and Hove in terms of nightlife costs.
The capital’s average expenditure for a similar evening totalled £72.67, while Brighton and Hove recorded £67.19 per outing.
The research highlighted substantial regional disparities across the country.
Kingston upon Hull emerged as the most economical option, with an identical night out costing just £38.56.
This represented a £28.63 difference compared to Brighton and Hove’s figure.
Jamie Scahill, who serves as marketing director at Skiddle, commented on the findings.
He noted that many individuals anticipate drink prices would represent the most significant variation between cities, though he suggested that transportation and food costs frequently contribute equally to the final total.
Scahill observed that several major British cities continue to provide relatively accessible entertainment despite substantial student populations and active night-time economies.
He cited Glasgow, Sheffield, and Coventry as examples where thriving social scenes do not necessarily correlate with elevated prices.
A detailed examination of Brighton and Hove’s costs revealed the following breakdown: three pints cost £19.95, two cocktails were priced at £23.28, a takeaway meal came to £7.50, a taxi fare of three miles amounted to £13.46, and public transport added £3 to the total.
Scahill further noted that English cities located in southern regions dominated the higher end of the pricing spectrum.
He pointed out that an evening in London exceeds the cost of one in Hull by more than £34, suggesting that regular socialisers might incur hundreds of pounds in additional annual expenditure simply due to their geographic location.
Leicester, Manchester, and Edinburgh completed the top five most expensive cities for nightlife, with costs of £60.63, £60.22, and £59.95 respectively.
At the more affordable end of the scale, Sunderland ranked as the second least expensive destination at £39.12, followed by Newport in third place with a figure of £44.93.