Easy London Budget Calculator: How Much Does it Cost to Visit London?
How much does it cost to visit London? That all depends.
A lot of estimations out there are outdated, have the wrong average prices for hotels, and don’t factor in things like what attractions you want to see or what your dining style is.
Plus, a London trip budget pre-pandemic looks a lot different from a London trip budget post-pandemic. Prices have changed dramatically.
To give you a better idea of your real London trip budget, I’ve created a London budget calculator for you using the most up to date pricing.
Take it from someone who lives here and spends (too much) everyday: sticking to a budget in this city is hard but it can be done!
I want you to be able to visit our incredible city with a realistic sense of how much things cost and make the most out of your time and money here.
Let’s calculate your London trip budget!
London Budget Calculator for 2024
Use the London budget calculator below, and read on to find out how I came up with these figures and how to save the most money.
Keep in mind these are estimated figures and it’s only to give you a realistic idea of how much things will cost.
Your total spend in London may be more or less because there are so many factors that I can’t include all of here.
How Much Does it Cost to Visit London in 2024?
To create my London budget calculator, I pulled real-life, current 2023 prices for everything from attractions to hotels from their actual websites.
For figures where I needed averages, I analyzed a sample of current prices and came up with the most accurate average price I could.
Below may contain some affiliate links, for which I may receive. small commission if you make a purchase. It doesn’t cost you anything extra!
Accommodation Cost in London
Looking for the average cost of accommodation in London, I came away unsatisfied. The numbers looked too low to me, so I did my own research and analyzed the data.
To calculate the average prices of Airbnbs and hotels in London, I needed real figures of actual listed properties. So I took a sample from each category, ran the numbers, added average fees, and came up with a good representation of the average cost.
You can see my full breakdown of the average costs of hotels and Airbnbs in London in my post here.
What’s the Average Cost of Airport Transport in London?
To calculate the average cost of private airport transfers in London, I sampled prices from Uber and several private car companies that you can book ahead.
- Average price of Public Transport from London Airports (not calculated in above calculator; add to total if you’re using this method): £12.50pp (Underground) – £25pp (Express trains)
- Average price of UberX from London Airports: £60
- Average price of private car from London Airports to Central London: £120
- Average price of private van or people carrier from London Airports to Central London: £200
🤑 Money Saving Tip:
Take public transport from London airports! It’s so much cheaper, plus fast and efficient.
The only time I wouldn’t do this is if you are a large family with a lot of luggage. Navigating the tube or trains with lots of bags isn’t ideal, as not everywhere has step-free access and lifts.
What’s the Average Cost of Daily Transportation in London?
Daily transportation costs within London can vary widely depending on which method of transportation you want to use.
I needed to do a little estimating here, as the cost of Uber, taxis, and private cars totally depends on how far you’re going, what traffic is like (bad, generally) and which company you use.
For public transport, prices are divided by zone and capped per day depending on how many zones you travel through, though most tourists don’t generally go outside of Zone 3.
- Average cost of public transport per person per day: £9 (using an Oyster card or contactless payment method)
- Average cost of using some public transport and some private (some Uber or Taxis per person per day): £25
- Average cost of using only private transport (taxis & Uber only) per person per day: £60
🤑 Money Saving Tip:
Use public transport in London! It’s fast, efficient, and completely affordable. Use CityMapper or Google Maps to get easy to follow instructions from place to place.
What’s the Average Daily Food Cost in London?
Other than accommodation, food may be your second largest expense in London.
I’m not going to lie: I cringe at our grocery and restaurant bills in London. But there are ways to keep it affordable.
To pull real data, I created a bunch of sample checks from real London cafes, restaurants, grocery stores, pubs, and coffee shops.
I also went through my own family expenses for food, and averaged all of these numbers out to a rough estimation.
- Average daily cost of budget dining in London (sticking to only fast-type food, grocery stores, and cheap restaurants and takeaways. Not including alcohol): £26 per person
- Average daily cost of mid-range dining (some cheap restaurants, some more expensive, not including alcohol): £55pp
- Average daily cost of fine dining (not including alcohol): £130 pp
🤑 Money Saving Tip:
Picnics are your very best friend in London to keep eating affordable.
UK grocery stores have a much larger selection of prepared foods than other countries do, so it’s quite easy (and cheap!) to pop into a grocery store and create your own ready-to-eat meal. Take it to a park and have a lovely lunch!
For restaurants, stay off the high street. In touristy areas, go away from the crowds to find hidden gems, or enjoy a lovely food hall.
If you want to experience afternoon tea, here’s my full list of afternoon tea on a budget options!
London Trip Budget: Attractions and Day Trips
In my London budget calculator I have plugged in the current 2024 per person attraction ticket prices. Children’s tickets are usually only a few pounds less.
For the London Eye, for example, adult tickets are £38 and children’s are £34. Not much difference.
Keep in mind that there are so many attractions and museums in London that are totally free! These are just the most popular paid attractions you might want to see.
For day trips, I have found prices from tour companies that offer these day trips including transportation.
It may be cheaper if you book your own trains and navigate these day trips on your own.
🤑 Money Saving Tip
Take advantage of all of the free museums that London has to offer! Consider booking day trips yourself and not using a tour company to save the most cash.
You can also potentially save money on attractions using the London Pass or similar program.
London Trip Budget: Final Tips
How much does it cost to visit London? I hope if you’ve used my London budget calculator you now have a better idea of how much you’ll need to visit our incredible city.
Keep in mind that accommodation cost in London will by far be your biggest expense, but there are tons of ways to maximize your hotel or Airbnb budget.
More on Budgeting for London
31 Costly London Tourist Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
Is the London Pass Worth it? Analysis & Easy Calculator
What NOT to do in London: The Truth About these 15 Tiring Tourist Traps
Is Tipping in the UK Expected? A Super Simple Guide
Is the London Pass Worth it? Use the Calculator
Your Ultimate Guide to a Family Trip to London on a Budget
The Perfect Ladies Day Out in London: 3 Itineraries for Every Budget
The Best Thrift Shops in London: 7 Areas to Score the Best Second Hand Bargains
What’s the Closest Country to London? 10 Incredible Trips to Take Today
