Cheapest seaside town for a night on the beers is only 1.5 hours from London – and celebrities love it
A POPULAR town in the UK has emerged as a surprising destination to buy a round of affordable beers.
Despite its location in the pricey South East, Margate in Kent apparently has the cheapest pints, on average, out of all the UK’s seaside staycation spots.
It’s surprising to see that Margate would beat the likes of New Biggin, Redcar and Blackpool when it came to an affordable pint, but that’s what numbers crunched by Compare the Market found.
In recent years, the town has been named the “trendiest” in the country, as well as the “eighth coolest neighbourhood in the world,” but despite this, it’s keeping beer prices low, with the average cost of a pint there at £3.18.
It’s popular with Londoners, with some trains taking just an hour and 20 minutes to get there, while big name celebrities are also known to visit too.
Included in that are Hollywood actor Pedro Pascal, Olivia Coleman, Lily Allen, artist Tracy Emin and Libertines frontman Pete Doherty, all of whom have been spotted in the town.
In fact, on their Margate came second overall on their top 15 cheapest seaside locations for a day out, with only Lowestoft in Suffolk rated higher.
With average pint prices at £5.45, Lowestoft’s beer is still quite a bit more expensive than Margate, whose pints were almost £1 cheaper on average than anywhere else on the list.
Its nearest competitor was Southend-on-Sea, which boasts average beer prices of £3.98, but was still ranked 12th overall.
They also looked at the e average costs of a meal out, a cup of coffee, parking and of course a pint, and Margate scored very highly in other categories as well.
With its average cost of a meal out a very reasonable £7.50, it’s not a pricey place to go for dinner, while its coffee was more affordable than 10 of the places on the top 15 list as well.
Compare the Market said of the town: “Costs [in Margate] are similarly low as in Lowestoft, with a meal out costing £7.50 on average, while sipping a refreshing beer could set you back just £3.18 for a pint- 61 per cent cheaper than the national average.”
They also praised the town for the number of hours of sunlight it gets, with nowhere else in the UK getting more per day during the warmer months.
They continued: “Margate gets more sun than most other seaside towns in the UK, averaging a wonderful 10.1 hours daily in the summer.”
Why Margate has better beaches than tropical islands
Sun Travel's Kara Godfrey used to live in Margate and says that it's got a better beach than some of the world's most exotic locations.
She said: “I’ve been lucky to visit both Grace Bay Beach on the island of Turks and Caicos and Varadero Beach in Cuba, both of which featured on TripAdvisor’s list of the best beaches in the world for 2024.
“However, there’ s one I prefer in the UK, which might come as a surprise to many.
“Palm Beach in Margate has a local atmosphere that makes it special – you’ll always be bumping into families and avid swimmers heading to the nearby lido.
“And it’s much quieter than the Main Sands in town, so it’s locals you’ll see and you won’t be fighting for a spot.
“While it might not have the same sunny climate as the others, there’s definitely more to the beach than the glaring sun.”
It’s seemingly not only seaside towns that Margate beats for beer costs either, with its average pint price also cheaper than every city away from the coast.
That’s according to numbers published by the world’s largest cost of living database, Numbeo.
In November, they revealed a list of the cheapest average pint prices for a number of cities across the country.
Top of its list was Coventry, where a beer costs £3.45, 27p higher than the £3.18 in Margate on the Compare the Market list.
Margate’s beach is also the third most popular in the country, according to the Compare the Market stats, which looked at the average number of monthly Google searches per beach.
More than 27,000 people look for info online about a trip to Margate each month, the research found.
Only Bournemouth and Brighton had more hits.
Local tips for the best things to do in Margate
Margate's locals shared their favourite places to drink, eat and relax around the seaside town....
Coffee shop owner, Simon Hutchison raved about its live music scene.
He said: “Go see a gig at Dreamland, they usually have a big lineup – Limp Bizkit is playing this year.
“Or go and see a gig at Where Else? A grassroots music venue in The Centre. It’s a smaller venue, but international and local bands play there.”
Seafood restaurant owner, Nadine Morriss praised the local food, drinks and activities.
She added: “Visit The Sun Deck, a street food cafe and bar on the Promenade, for a sunset boogie from April to September.
“And Strokes Adventure Golf by the Sea in Westbrook is a lovely mini golf course on the seafront.”
CEO of Dreamland, Eddie Kemsley said: “Go to Haeckel’s treatment rooms for a seaweed bath, the Sea Scrub Sauna on Margate Main Sands and a walk around town to spot all of the Rise Up Murals – 17 murals dotted around the brown highlighting ocean conservation and biodiversity.”
And Madeleine James, a shop owner, suggested: “Head to the tidal pool for a swim – it’s grade II listed and believed to be the largest in the UK.
“Also, check out Walpole Bay Hotel – a step back in time to a bygone era, enjoy drinks on the terrace or order their famous afternoon tea.”
Meanwhile, this town in the UK also boasts cheap drinks, as well as affordable ice creams and holiday parks.
And this holiday hotspot is home to one of the country’s biggest and best-value ice creams.