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Travel budget

How much does a trip to London cost?

What a trip to London costs, worked out for your days and your party, with every price traced to where it comes from. And then the part most budgets skip: how to actually pay once you are there.

Food, getting around and sights in London come to £78.00 – £93.00 per person per day. Accommodation, flights and the airport transfer are on top. Prices reviewed: October 2026.

Full London guide

Your trip

How much money you still need

Days, people and how you like to travel decide almost everything. Flights are left out: they depend on where you start.

6 nights

Counted at the child fares each operator publishes.

Travel style

Set meals and the odd sit-down dinner, and one paid sight a day.

Accommodation

We have no sample of hotel prices for this city yet, so we will not guess one. Type what you have seen and the lodging tax is worked out from it.

Adjust accommodation, food and the rest

In local currency. We do not estimate this: nobody knows what you will buy.

Already paid for

You still need, flights aside

£1,100 – £1,400

≈ $1,500 – $1,800 · rate of October 6, 2026

£82.00 – £98.00 per person per day · 7 days and 2 people

Expected
£1,100 – £1,400
Most trips land in here
Set aside
£1,400
With this you are unlikely to run short
Cushion, kept apart
£130
10% of the trip
  • Food£380 – £570
  • Getting around£98 – £120
  • Airport, both ways£24 – £100
  • Sights and activities£450 – £530
  • Nights out£48.00 – £84.00
  • Lodging tax and odds and ends£46.00 – £61.00

Of that, in cash: £13 – £150

The cash share is our reading of how each kind of place takes payment, not a measurement. Your own bank may charge on top; this page cannot know that.

  • Accommodation is not in this figure. Add your price per night to include it.
  • Flights are not included.
  • You probably will not spend the cushion. Having it to hand covers a night you had not planned, a taxi, or a changed ticket.
Styles

What a day in London costs, by how you travel

Per person per day, two travelling, without accommodation, flights or the airport transfer. A style is not a figure: it is a way of eating, getting around and seeing things, and each one is spelled out below.

Budget

£52.00 – £56.00 per person per day

Local food, public transport, the odd paid sight.

FoodLocal and cheap
£24.00 – £28.00
Getting aroundPublic transport
£7.00 – £8.90
Sights and activitiesThe odd paid sight
£16.00 – £19.00
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
£2.40 – £2.80

Mid-range

£78.00 – £93.00 per person per day

Set meals and the odd sit-down dinner, and one paid sight a day.

FoodMixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner
£27.00 – £40.00
Getting aroundPublic transport
£7.00 – £8.90
Sights and activitiesOne paid sight a day
£32.00 – £38.00
Nights outNow and then
£3.50 – £6.00
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
£3.30 – £4.40

Comfort

£130 – £140 per person per day

The best food level we can price, a taxi when it helps, two paid sights a day.

FoodRestaurants most of the time
£37.00 – £43.00
Getting aroundPublic transport, and a taxi now and then
£11.00 – £13.00
Sights and activitiesTwo paid sights a day
£64.00 – £76.00
Nights outNow and then
£3.50 – £6.00
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
£5.60 – £6.60

A style's total is not the sum of the extremes of its lines: nobody has a trip where everything comes out cheap, or everything dear. “Sundries” is an assumption of ours, 5% of food, transport and sights, not a measurement.

By length of trip

How much money for 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days in London

Per person, two travelling together, without accommodation or flights. It is not the daily figure times the days: airport transfers are paid once, so they weigh less the longer you stay.

DaysBudgetMid-rangeComfort
3£170 – £220
£57.00 – £72.00 a day		£260 – £320
£87 – £110 a day		£400 – £460
£130 – £150 a day
5£280 – £330
£56.00 – £65.00 a day		£410 – £490
£82.00 – £99.00 a day		£650 – £730
£130 – £150 a day
7£380 – £440
£55.00 – £62.00 a day		£570 – £680
£82.00 – £98.00 a day		£910 – £1,000
£130 – £140 a day
10£540 – £600
£54.00 – £60.00 a day		£810 – £960
£81.00 – £96.00 a day		£1,300 – £1,400
£130 – £140 a day
14£750 – £830
£53.00 – £59.00 a day		£1,100 – £1,300
£80.00 – £95.00 a day		£1,800 – £2,000
£130 – £140 a day

Add your accommodation in the calculator above: it is the largest line and the one we cannot source yet.

Prices

What things cost in London

Eating and drinking: the average of the prices the statistics office recorded that month in a sample of places. Expect to pay more in tourist areas and at well-known spots.

WhatPriceSource
Eating and drinking
Hot drink to take away (coffee or tea)£3.39From the source Aug 2026
Coffee at a café£3.52From the source Aug 2026
Chilled sandwich to take away£5.52From the source Aug 2026
Hamburger£6.11From the source Aug 2026
Fish and chips to take away£13.76From the source Aug 2026
Hot meal in a pub£15.39From the source Aug 2026
Main course in a restaurant£18.31From the source Aug 2026
Bottled water in a café or restaurant£3.15From the source Aug 2026
Pint of lager (3.4–4.2%)£6.06From the source Aug 2026
Pint of premium lager (4.3–7.5%)£6.82From the source Aug 2026
Glass of wine (175–250 ml)£7.28From the source Aug 2026
Getting around
Bus, single fare by card£1.75From the source Oct 2026
Tube, zone 1, by card (off-peak – peak)£3.00 – £3.10From the source Oct 2026
Daily cap by contactless, Tube and bus, zones 1–2£8.90From the source Oct 2026
Daily cap by contactless, bus and tram£5.25From the source Oct 2026
Taxi, 4 km by day, not counting waiting time£14.40From the source Oct 2026
Heathrow to central London, Piccadilly line£5.90From the source Oct 2026
Heathrow to Paddington, Elizabeth line£14.60From the source Oct 2026
Heathrow Express, standard single£26.00From the source Oct 2026
Sights
Westminster Abbey£32.00From the source Oct 2026
Tower of London£38.00From the source Oct 2026

From the source means we read it where it is set: the operator, the bank, the city or the statistics office. Reported means a guide or the press says so and we have not seen the original. Where sources disagree we show both figures and leave the price out of every sum.

What each food level is made of

A food level is not a number we chose. It is two lists of dishes from the table above, a cheap day and a dear one, and the price is the sum.

Bare minimum: convenience stores and counters
From Hot drink to take away (coffee or tea) + Chilled sandwich to take away + Hamburger (£15.02) to Hot drink to take away (coffee or tea) + Chilled sandwich to take away + Fish and chips to take away (£22.67).
Local and cheap
From Hot drink to take away (coffee or tea) + Chilled sandwich to take away + Hot meal in a pub (£24.30) to Coffee at a café + Chilled sandwich to take away + Hot meal in a pub + Bottled water in a café or restaurant (£27.58).
Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner
From Coffee at a café + Chilled sandwich to take away + Main course in a restaurant (£27.35) to Coffee at a café + Hot meal in a pub + Main course in a restaurant + Bottled water in a café or restaurant (£40.37).
Restaurants most of the time
From Coffee at a café + Hot meal in a pub + Main course in a restaurant (£37.22) to Coffee at a café + Main course in a restaurant × 2 + Bottled water in a café or restaurant (£43.29).
Getting around

The most a day of public transport costs

  • Pay by contactless and a day of public transport never costs more than £8.90: the cap applies by itself, with nothing to buy.
Accommodation

What the night costs, and the tax on top

There is no open source of hotel prices, and we have not sampled this city yet. So the calculator asks you for the price you have seen instead of printing one that looks plausible.

Lodging tax

No lodging tax is charged here. From the source Oct 2026

Which area to stay in London: the neighbourhood comparison

Saving

What saves money in London, and what does not

Each line is a subtraction done with the prices on this page. No tricks: just the sum.

What saves

  • Eating “Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner” instead of “Restaurants most of the time”: £2.90 – £9.90 less per person per day.
  • Eating “Local and cheap” instead of “Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner”: £3.00 – £13.00 less per person per day.
  • Eating “Bare minimum: convenience stores and counters” instead of “Local and cheap”: £4.90 – £9.30 less per person per day.
  • “Hot drink to take away (coffee or tea)” (£3.39) instead of “Coffee at a café” (£3.52): £0.13 less each time.
  • “Pint of lager (3.4–4.2%)” (£6.06) instead of “Pint of premium lager (4.3–7.5%)” (£6.82): £0.76 less each time.

What does not

  • Sharing a taxi: “Taxi, 4 km by day, not counting waiting time” costs £14.40, which split 4 ways is £3.60 a head. A ride on public transport is £1.75 – £3.10.
Questions

Questions about money in London

How much money do you need for a week in London?

For seven days, £570 – £680 per person on the “Mid-range” style with two travelling. Accommodation and flights are not included. The airport transfer, there and back, is included.

How much money do you need for 3 days in London?

For 3 days, £260 – £320 per person on the “Mid-range” style with two travelling. Accommodation and flights are not included. The airport transfer, there and back, is included.

What is a realistic daily budget in London?

Per person per day, without accommodation or flights: £52.00 – £56.00 on the “Budget” style, £78.00 – £93.00 on the “Mid-range” style, and £130 – £140 on the “Comfort” style.

Can you travel to London on a budget?

The cheapest style we work out is “Budget”: £52.00 – £56.00 per person per day, without accommodation or flights. Local food, public transport, the odd paid sight.

How much does food cost in London?

From £15.00 per person per day (“Bare minimum: convenience stores and counters”) to £43.00 (“Restaurants most of the time”). The price table has what each dish costs.

How much does transport cost in London?

A ride on public transport costs £1.75 – £3.10. “Taxi, 4 km by day, not counting waiting time”: £14.40. Pay by contactless and a day of public transport never costs more than £8.90: the cap applies by itself, with nothing to buy.

Is there a lodging tax in London?

None on record as of October 2026.

How much cash should you carry in London?

For a week on the “Mid-range” style, about £6.70 – £74.00 per person, two travelling. It is our reading of how each kind of place takes payment, not a measurement.

Is it better to use cash or card in London?

By card: trains and subway, short rides. Card or cash, depending on the place: small shops; markets and stalls.

Do you tip in London?

Restaurants: optional. Hotels: optional. Taxis: optional.

Sources

Where every figure comes from

Each price on this page carries its source. These are all of them. Prices reviewed: October 2026.

The rest of London

In the app

This page tells you how much to take. The app keeps count of what you spend.

Joru works out the budget of your itinerary day by day and sets it against what you actually spend, by category and with the exchange rate. On your phone, with no account.

Google PlayApp Store

Free for one destination of up to three days, on Android and iPhone.