Original data · barsforKings Index
Where in the world do bars cost the most? We scored every one of the 3,638 bars in our directory on a four-tier price scale and ranked 72 cities. This is our own data, from our own editors — visited, not scraped.
By Fredrik Filipsson and Morten Andersen · Published 26 June 2026
Across 3,638 bars in 72 cities and 41 countries, the average bar sits at 2.76 on our 1–4 price scale — just above the "$$" mark — and 17.8% of all bars are top-tier ($$$$).
The five most expensive bar cities of 2026 are Dubai (3.39), Marrakech (3.30), Seoul (3.20), Beirut (3.16), Mumbai (3.12). The five most affordable are Krakow (2.36), Houston (2.46), Copenhagen (2.46), Amsterdam (2.48), Prague (2.49). Dubai is the only city in our index where a majority of bars (54.9%) fall into the top price tier.
By occasion, date-night bars are the most expensive category (index 3.53), followed by rooftop and cocktail bars. Sports bars and pubs are the most affordable (around 2.0). The premium you pay is for the occasion, not just the city.
Price Index = mean price tier (1 = $, 4 = $$$$). "Premium" = share of bars at the top $$$$ tier. Rating = mean barsforKings editorial rating. n = bars assessed.
| # | City | Price Index | Premium | Rating | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dubai United Arab Emirates | 3.39 | 55% | 4.55 | 51 |
| 2 | Marrakech Morocco | 3.30 | 48% | 4.58 | 50 |
| 3 | Seoul South Korea | 3.20 | 37% | 4.62 | 51 |
| 4 | Beirut Lebanon | 3.16 | 32% | 4.58 | 50 |
| 5 | Mumbai India | 3.12 | 40% | 4.58 | 50 |
| 6 | Washington Dc United States | 3.08 | 36% | 4.61 | 50 |
| 7 | Tokyo Japan | 3.06 | 40% | 4.67 | 50 |
| 8 | Singapore Singapore | 3.06 | 32% | 4.63 | 50 |
| 9 | Istanbul Turkey | 3.02 | 28% | 4.57 | 50 |
| 10 | Osaka Japan | 3.00 | 31% | 4.61 | 52 |
| 11 | Las Vegas United States | 2.96 | 38% | 4.56 | 50 |
| 12 | Bali Indonesia | 2.96 | 32% | 4.58 | 50 |
| 13 | San Diego United States | 2.94 | 32% | 4.6 | 50 |
| 14 | Athens Greece | 2.94 | 22% | 4.59 | 50 |
| 15 | Zurich Switzerland | 2.92 | 24% | 4.57 | 50 |
| 16 | Johannesburg South Africa | 2.92 | 30% | 4.55 | 50 |
| 17 | Bogota Colombia | 2.92 | 20% | 4.57 | 50 |
| 18 | Phoenix United States | 2.90 | 26% | 4.59 | 50 |
| 19 | Hamburg Germany | 2.90 | 24% | 4.56 | 50 |
| 20 | Taipei Taiwan | 2.90 | 16% | 4.61 | 50 |
| 21 | New York United States | 2.87 | 17% | 4.62 | 52 |
| 22 | London United Kingdom | 2.84 | 23% | 4.64 | 62 |
| 23 | Bangkok Thailand | 2.83 | 15% | 4.57 | 52 |
| 24 | Hong Kong Hong Kong | 2.82 | 16% | 4.6 | 50 |
| 25 | Munich Germany | 2.82 | 18% | 4.6 | 50 |
| 26 | Cape Town South Africa | 2.82 | 20% | 4.6 | 50 |
| 27 | Tel Aviv Israel | 2.82 | 16% | 4.6 | 50 |
| 28 | Paris France | 2.81 | 12% | 4.58 | 52 |
| 29 | Vienna Austria | 2.80 | 16% | 4.6 | 50 |
| 30 | Miami United States | 2.78 | 20% | 4.51 | 50 |
| 31 | Mexico City Mexico | 2.78 | 14% | 4.62 | 50 |
| 32 | Milan Italy | 2.78 | 18% | 4.6 | 50 |
| 33 | Sao Paulo Brazil | 2.78 | 18% | 4.58 | 51 |
| 34 | Barcelona Spain | 2.76 | 24% | 4.62 | 50 |
| 35 | Medellin Colombia | 2.76 | 12% | 4.55 | 50 |
| 36 | Buenos Aires Argentina | 2.74 | 20% | 4.63 | 50 |
| 37 | Oslo Norway | 2.73 | 14% | 4.57 | 51 |
| 38 | New Orleans United States | 2.72 | 12% | 4.64 | 50 |
| 39 | Atlanta United States | 2.72 | 22% | 4.58 | 50 |
| 40 | Warsaw Poland | 2.72 | 14% | 4.57 | 50 |
| 41 | Los Angeles United States | 2.70 | 12% | 4.53 | 50 |
| 42 | Stockholm Sweden | 2.70 | 12% | 4.61 | 50 |
| 43 | Helsinki Finland | 2.70 | 14% | 4.56 | 50 |
| 44 | Reykjavik Iceland | 2.70 | 16% | 4.58 | 50 |
| 45 | San Francisco United States | 2.66 | 14% | 4.58 | 50 |
| 46 | Dublin Ireland | 2.66 | 16% | 4.61 | 50 |
| 47 | Rio De Janeiro Brazil | 2.66 | 22% | 4.61 | 50 |
| 48 | Seattle United States | 2.64 | 6% | 4.6 | 50 |
| 49 | Chicago United States | 2.62 | 14% | 4.6 | 50 |
| 50 | Sydney Australia | 2.62 | 10% | 4.58 | 52 |
| 51 | Rome Italy | 2.62 | 11% | 4.59 | 53 |
| 52 | Brussels Belgium | 2.62 | 12% | 4.6 | 50 |
| 53 | Portland United States | 2.60 | 12% | 4.61 | 50 |
| 54 | Berlin Germany | 2.59 | 15% | 4.57 | 54 |
| 55 | Denver United States | 2.58 | 10% | 4.57 | 50 |
| 56 | Edinburgh United Kingdom | 2.58 | 8% | 4.6 | 50 |
| 57 | Montreal Canada | 2.56 | 4% | 4.59 | 50 |
| 58 | Philadelphia United States | 2.56 | 8% | 4.58 | 50 |
| 59 | Budapest Hungary | 2.56 | 14% | 4.59 | 50 |
| 60 | Dallas United States | 2.54 | 10% | 4.54 | 52 |
| 61 | Toronto Canada | 2.52 | 2% | 4.57 | 50 |
| 62 | Boston United States | 2.52 | 4% | 4.59 | 50 |
| 63 | Lisbon Portugal | 2.52 | 10% | 4.57 | 50 |
| 64 | Madrid Spain | 2.50 | 2% | 4.57 | 50 |
| 65 | Melbourne Australia | 2.50 | 6% | 4.6 | 50 |
| 66 | Austin United States | 2.50 | 6% | 4.6 | 50 |
| 67 | Nashville United States | 2.50 | 6% | 4.57 | 50 |
| 68 | Prague Czech Republic | 2.49 | 2% | 4.59 | 51 |
| 69 | Amsterdam Netherlands | 2.48 | 8% | 4.56 | 52 |
| 70 | Copenhagen Denmark | 2.46 | 4% | 4.59 | 50 |
| 71 | Houston United States | 2.46 | 4% | 4.58 | 50 |
| 72 | Krakow Poland | 2.36 | 2% | 4.57 | 50 |
| Category | Price Index | Premium | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date Night | 3.53 | 58% | 284 |
| Rooftop Bars | 3.28 | 37% | 491 |
| Cocktail Bars | 3.11 | 21% | 1108 |
| Live Music | 2.49 | 8% | 453 |
| Hidden Gems | 2.49 | 7% | 127 |
| Wine Bars | 2.33 | 0% | 9 |
| After Work | 2.30 | 4% | 581 |
| Craft Beer | 2.01 | 0% | 391 |
| Sports Bars | 2.01 | 0% | 193 |
| Pubs | 2.00 | 0% | 1 |
This index is built from the barsforKings directory: 3,638 bars that our editors have visited in person and classified into one of four price tiers — $ (budget), $$ (moderate), $$$ (upper), $$$$ (premium) — based on what a typical round costs in that venue relative to its city. We convert those tiers to a 1–4 scale and take the city mean. Cities are included once they reach at least 15 assessed bars.
What this is and isn't. This is a relative price-tier index, not a survey of exact drink prices in local currency. It measures how premium a city's bar scene skews within our reviewed set, and is most reliable for the larger, better-covered cities. It reflects the bars we choose to cover — a curated "best of," not a random sample of every bar in a city. Figures are current as of 26 June 2026 and will be refreshed annually.
Free to cite with attribution to barsforKings and a link to this page. Press and data requests: [email protected]. Methodology questions: [email protected].