Having a beer can be dirt cheap or extra expensive – depending on what city you are in when the thirst for a cold one strikes. According to data by Numbeo, Middle Eastern and Scandinavian locations rank among the world’s priciest. Here, a large beer in a restaurant can run into the double-digits and even a supermarket might charge you above $3.50 for a 0.5 liter/17 ounce beer.
In New York, Melbourne and London, downing a couple of beers can also get expensive fast, with prices ranging between $7 and $8 in a restaurant. In Australia, grocery or liquor store prices might also knock you out before the beer can as they surpass even those in pricey locations Dubai and Oslo.
A night out at the pub can come slightly cheaper in Germany capital Berlin, where a pint is around $4.50. Hitting up your local store for some beers is a lot cheaper in the city, as beer prices here only range around $1. This price is closer to very cheap drinking locations Beijing, Lagos or Hanoi – with the difference that “drinking” out in these cities will only add a couple of cents to your beer bill (nine cents in Lagos and only three in Hanoi).
In Vietnam’s second city, a big bia hoi (fresh or draft beer) culture keeps the hoppy juice flowing in large quantities in countless streetside joints, keeping quantities high and prices low. That and the unregulated brewing industry in the country has produced such inexpensive brew it has been titled the cheapest in the world.
This chart shows the average price of a 0.5l beer in a supermarket and a restaurant in selected cities in 2022.
