Mapped: The UK cities where people are most likely to stay in and spend less since Covid
As the country heads into a Bank Holiday weekend, millions of people across the UK will be plotting their plans for the three days off work.
Britons who can afford it will descend on pubs, clubs, restaurants, theatres and other entertainment venues to blow off some steam after a hard week at work.
But that not be the case if you live in Plymouth, where residents are less likely to go on a night out compared with a host of other cities across the country.
And when people in the Devon city do decide to go out they also tend to spend less, according to a study, which found the average amount shelled out for a night on the tiles in 2024 was £22.90 - down nearly a half from £49.50 in 2019, before the Covid pandemic.
Only 4 per cent of locals ranked Plymouth’s nightlife as good, compared to 28 per cent nationwide.
Belfast and Manchester were the party capitals of the UK, with residents in the two northern cities going out seven times on average per month, spending £75.20 and £70 respectively.
People in Sheffield, meanwhile, appear to prefer saving themselves for the ‘big one’. Residents in the city go out just once a month on average but are prepared to spend £112.40 whenever they do.
Londoners had an average of five nights out per month, spending £70 on the occasion - up slightly from £67.20 in 2019.
According to research by MoneySavingSuperMarket, Brits spend £4,000 a year going out, with around half (£2,010) spent on alcohol alone.
The average UK night out costs £67, with Brits spending £34 a night on drink. People reported going out nearly as much in 2024 as they did five years ago – but were spending considerably less.
Drinking is the biggest cost on a night out in the UK, with respondents reporting spending an average of £34 on drinks and £29 on taxis, plus occasional costs like tickets/club entry (£44).
Despite economic pressures, nearly six in 10 (58 per cent) Britons still want to go out and have fun with their friends.
However, consumers are savvier when it comes to finding deals and getting the best value on days and nights out, MoneySuperMarket says.
In 2024 the average person spends over £1,000 less a year on going out than they did in 2019 – the last ‘normal’ year before Covid and the cost of living crisis.
MoneySuperMarket also asked respondents for their tips for bringing the costs of socialising down.
Six in 10 invite friends over for pre-drinks at home before heading out, while almost three quarters (73 per cent) choose to walk to venues over getting a cab, and six in 10 (65 per cent) opt for toast at home over a kebab on the way back.
There are some sacrifices Britons aren’t willing to make on their nights out, however. More than half of people would choose cocktails over more economical drinks like lager – and 62 per cent would opt for a three course meal over a burger.
People in Newcastle believe they have the best nightlife in the country, followed by Liverpool and Manchester – perhaps proving that the north of England is truly the UK’s cultural capital.
