In the year to October 2025, the average UK pub pint rose 3 to 4 percent and a bottle of wine jumped 5 percent. Those are Office for National Statistics figures, and they explain why a 2026 round costs more than the one you remember.
Drink prices did not climb for one reason. They climbed because several costs moved at once, and a February 2026 duty rise is set to push them again. Here is what changed, and the data behind it.
| Pub staple | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottle of wine | £23.38 | £24.55 | +5% |
| Pint of bitter | £4.13 | £4.29 | +4% |
| 30ml vodka | £4.24 | £4.40 | +4% |
| 30ml gin | £4.20 | £4.37 | +4% |
| Cola / lemonade on tap | £2.62 | £2.73 | +4% |
| Pint of lager | £4.39 | £4.51 | +3% |
| Pint of cider | £4.72 | £4.88 | +3% |
| 30ml whisky | £3.92 | £3.99 | +2% |
UK on-trade average prices, year to October 2025. Source: ONS data analysed by The Morning Advertiser.
Duty, wages and rates all rose together
Three forces hit pubs at the same time. Alcohol duty receipts were set to rise 5.1 percent in 2025-26, per the Office for Budget Responsibility. Wage bills grew with the higher minimum wage. Business rates and national insurance added more. By one industry estimate cited in the Morning Advertiser, operators were left with about 13 pence of profit per pint after the latest Budget, which leaves price increases as the main lever they hold.
From 1 February 2026, duty rises again in line with 3.66 percent inflation. The Wine and Spirit Trade Association estimated that adds about 11 pence to a bottle of Prosecco, 13 pence to red wine and 38 pence to a bottle of gin. Those pennies reach the menu within weeks.
It is not only a UK story
Across the Eurozone, hospitality services rose 3.9 percent in the year to April 2025, while food and drink rose 3.0 percent, according to data compiled by Free Price Compare from Eurostat. In the United States, the median restaurant beer reached about 6.45 dollars by mid-2025, up 2.5 percent year over year, and Toast menu data put the March 2026 median near 6.52 dollars. Wholesale liquor costs grew at a double-digit pace over the same window, which CBS News linked directly to bar and restaurant menu prices.
How it shows up in our data
We do not publish prices in dollars and euros for every bar, but our price tiers track the same pressure. Across 3,631 bars in 72 cities, 17.8 percent now sit in our top price tier and only 0.7 percent in the entry tier. The middle has thinned as venues pass higher costs through. Our breakdown of how bars price their drinks and the cost of opening a bar both point to the same squeeze: rent, labor and duty leave a thin margin, so input shocks reach the customer fast.
What it means for 2026
Expect steady, small increases rather than a single jump. Duty rises in February, summer demand lifts prices another notch, and energy and packaging stay elevated. The cities that stay cheap are the ones with low duty and lower rents, the same value cities that topped our cheapest-night-out work. If you want to soften the hit, the lever is still the local pour on tap. Browse cocktail bars near me or the best craft-beer bars worldwide for rooms that price fairly.
Methodology
UK price changes are ONS on-trade averages for the year to October 2025, as analysed by The Morning Advertiser. Eurozone figures are Eurostat via Free Price Compare (April 2025). US figures are from Toast and CBS News. Price-tier shares are from barsforKings internal data of 3,631 bars across 72 cities, pulled June 2026.
