On average, singletons across the UK are going on dates at least twice a month, those dinners and drinks can start to rack up, and with the cost of living on the rise, it’s something some of us might need to budget for. Millennials are waiting longer before settling down, with the average age for marriage in the UK now being over 35.
We’ve searched the UK near and wide to find out which areas are the cheapest places to visit for a date. Sticking to the basics, we’ve tallied the prices of two margarita pizzas, a couple of pints at the local pub, movie tickets for two and an Uber ride home.
Don’t say we don’t have your back! Read on to find out if you live in one of the cheapest cities for a date:
London is the priciest UK City to Date
No surprise here, London remains the most expensive city in the UK to go on a date – at £63 for pizza, two pints, two cinema tickets and a taxi ride home. So, on the average of two dates in a month, this will set you back £126! And those dating in Winchester, Leicester and Kingston won’t have it any easier as the cost of your date nights total between £50 to £60.
Over on the cheaper side of things, people in Bradford can enjoy their date nights without breaking the bank, setting lovebirds back just £32 for a night on the town. They were followed closely by Bristol, York and Swansea, who all see date night budgets between £30 to £40.
Bradford is the cheapest city for a date!
If you’re in Bradford, you can enjoy date night without worrying about the cost quite as much- it currently ranks number one in the UK as the cheapest place for a date – followed by Bristol, York and Swansea.
Newcastle, Bradford and Bristol are the cheapest places to get a pint, while those in Dublin will be shelling out £6 per pint. You’ll also have to fork out in Oxford, Reading and Cambridge, where two pints will cost you up to £8.
Are you and your boo thang movie fanatics? Well, you’ll be lucky to know that if you live in Exeter, you’ll be in the city for the cheapest movie tickets at £14 for two! Meanwhile, Winchester is home to the most expensive cinema tickets for two at £36.
Smart Tips for Singles
If you’re dating on a budget in one of the country’s more costly places, here are a few ways to help your money stretch a little further:
- Subscribe to some online coupon and voucher sites and look out for good deals in your area – hand these in on the sly, and your date won’t even know!
- Booking “early bird” tickets online before an event is often more affordable than paying at the door.
- Get creative – ditch the traditional pizza and movie combo and go for a picnic in the park, followed by a trip to a local museum, gallery, or free concert.
- If it feels safe, invite your date over for a home-cooked meal. It’s cheaper than a restaurant and gives you a chance to show off your skills in the kitchen.
- Take advantage of local student discounts and vouchers. Most student cities have special offers to make eating out and entertainment more accessible to local uni students.
- Keep it on campus, and visit one of your favourite onsite spots, which will likely be cheaper than hitting the town.
- Be honest! Don’t go into debt trying to impress a date – that’s not a good look on anyone.
Comparing Prices
Cheapest Places to:
- Grab a pizza dinner – Bristol
- Watch a movie – Exeter
- Enjoy two pints – Newcastle
- Get a taxi ride home – Bradford
Most Expensive Places to:
- Grab a pizza dinner – Exeter
- Watch a movie – Winchester
- Enjoy two pints – Dublin
- Get a taxi ride home – Stoke-on-Trent
Singletons in Winchester, London and Leicester face the most expensive dates overall. Going out twice a month can cost a Londoner and people in Winchester around £1,512 a year, and £1,344 for those living in Leicester. Those in Bradford, Bristol and York can stress less about money impacting their love lives, with dating costing around £768 in Bradford, £816 in Bristol and £840 in York.
In a survey conducted by another online dating platform, results showed that nearly 63% of people think men should pay on the first date but 46% of women disagree and think they should pay for all dates so feel it out before you offer to split the bill.
Cheapest City for a Date
- Bradford – £32
- Bristol – £34
- York – £35
- Swansea – £37
- Cardiff – £37
- Oxford – £38
- Nottingham – £40
- Exeter – £40
- Leeds – £41
- Manchester – £42
Most Expensive City for a Date
- London – £63
- Winchester – £63
- Leicester – £56
- Brighton – £53
- Kingston – £53
- Coventry – £50
- Edinburgh – £48
- Derby – £48
- Southampton – £48
- Cambridge – £46
Method:
To work out how much a date would cost in each city, we calculated the following:
Cost of a basic margarita at the top-recommended pizza restaurant in each area on TripAdvisor. We took this from the menu of the top organic result in each area filtered for ‘cheap eats’, pizza’, and ‘dinner’.
Cost of a 2D blockbuster at the biggest cinema chain in each area, Cineworld and Odeon.
The average cost of a pint in each city is from Pint Price.
The average five-mile taxi ride cost is taken from the UK Taxi Price Index and Better Taxi.
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