The Cheapest And Most Expensive Cities To Buy A Beer Around The World

Knowing the prices of things before travelling is important for anyone who is hoping to stick to their budget. We regularly do our research on the price of accommodation and food but often miss the most important thing: beer.
It can also be handy to know how to say ‘cheers‘ in the local language.

Obviously, not every beer you buy will match the prices on this list. It will depend on how fancy the place is you buy it, what kind of beer (imported/local/craft/microbrew) and even the area of town you’re in. This is an average pricing kind of list and a good reference for sure. 

Not an extensive list of every city in the world, but a solid analysis of 48 major cities was done by the Deutsche Bank to map the world’s prices. Including the average prices of beer across the globe, which is what we’re looking at.

Alright starting from the bottom, because none of you came here to find out where to buy the most expensive beer. 

Coming in last, or first in my books, is Manila in the Philippines at $1.50 USD a beer. The cost of living in the Philippines capital is relatively low and the bigger beer brands are brewed locally. Craft beers are also gaining popularity across the country. 

Following Manila, at number 47, is Prague in the Czech Republic at $1.60 USD. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as the Czechs are the biggest beer drinkers in the world, by a long shot.

Alright, we are going to skim through the rest.

Johannesburg, South Africa – $2.20
Mexico City, Mexico – $2.40.
Cape Town, South Africa and Warsaw, Poland – $2.60 
Lisbon, Portugal – $2.80
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Bangalore, India – $3.20.
New Delhi, India – $3.40.
Istanbul, Turkey and São Paulo, Brazil – $3.70.
Berlin, Germany and Mumbai, India $3.90 USD 
Brussels, Belgium – $4.50.
Frankfurt, Germany and Vienna, Austria – $4.60.
Moscow, Russia – $4.70. 
Tokyo, Japan and Jakarta, Indonesia – $5 USD a beer.
Athens, Greece -5.10
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at $5.40.
Vancouver, Canada – $5.50

Wellington, New Zealand, Toronto, Canada, Madrid, Spain and Chicago, USA – $5.70
Edinburgh, UK – $6.00
Sydney, Australia and Amsterdam, Netherlands  – $6.10
Milan, Italy – $6.50
Boston, USA and Copenhagen, Denmark -$6.70
Melbourne, Australia – $6.80
Shanghai, China and Auckland, New Zealand – $7.00
Helsinki, Finland and Dublin, Ireland $7.10
London, UK – $7.20
Stockholm, Sweden – $7.30
Paris, France – $7.30

Tied for fifth place we have San Francisco and NYC, in the USA and Zurich, Sweden at $7.70 USD. In fourth place we have Singapore at $8.30 followed by Hong Kong, China at $8.90. 
There are only two countries that break the 10 dollar mark. Oslo, Norway at $10.30 and Dubai, UAE at a whopping $12.00 USD a beer! As a majority Muslim country, it is only really the expats living there who are permitted to drink beer in the UAE.

Alright folks there you have it, now decide where you want to go and start planning your global bar crawl today!

Did I miss your city on the list? Let me know the average price of a beer in your city in the comment section below.

Or if beer isn’t your drink of choice, check out these City Skylines in their Signature Cocktails.