A new study has named one place as the most expensive seaside destination in the UK, with a day trip costing £38.20 – meaning £100 lasts just over two days
Beachgoers soaking up the sunshine on Brighton beach (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)
From parking fees to the price of fish and chips or an ice cream — a classic day trip or a longer stay at a UK coastal destination could leave a serious dent in your wallet.
New research has looked at some of Britain’s most popular summer hotspots, calculating the cost of deckchair hire, a ’99’ ice cream, and a fish and chips meal — and one city has come out on top as the priciest of the lot.
The study revealed that £100 in this particular seaside spot will ‘only last just over 2 days’, according to figures drawn from the new UK Seaside Affordability Index. The data has laid bare significant differences around the British coastline in terms of how far your hard-earned cash will actually go.
When taking into account everything you’d need for a perfect day at the beach, all the must-have essentials add up to £38.20 per day in this particular city.
Brand new research from NoDepositRewards.org breaks down the cost of a traditional beach day out at locations across the UK, reports the Express.
The study looked at all-day parking charges (based on current local council rates), the average price of a ’99’ ice cream, a large fish and chips meal (using local chippy prices) and full-day deckchair hire.
The research was carried out with the aim of establishing how long £100 would last on a seaside outing.
Brighton was named the most expensive coastal destination in the country, according to the findings. All-day parking came in at £18, while the classic ice cream was priced at £2.70.
By comparison, in the most affordable spot, Swansea, parking for the day costs just £3 and an ice cream is £1.65. A fish and chip supper in Brighton will set you back £11.50, though it’s not the priciest location for the classic British takeaway — in Bamburgh, Northumberland, the same meal will cost you £14.88.
Renting a deckchair in Brighton will generally cost around £6 for the day — meaning the total ‘seaside basket’ for a day at this popular coastal destination comes to a whopping £38.20 per day for all the essential sunny day basics.
Coming in second was the Cornish town of St Ives, labelled the ‘second priciest seaside destination in the UK’. St Ives was ranked as the second most expensive spot, with visitors forking out an average of £25.30 per day.
In St Ives, holidaymakers can expect to pay around £10 for all-day parking, £12.50 for a large fish and chips, and just over £2.50 for an ice cream.
Swansea was named as the most budget-friendly seaside destination, with the same selection of items totalling approximately £16.71 per day.
Mason Jones, data expert at NoDepositRewards.org, said: “Families are budgeting harder than ever for summer 2025.
“Our Seaside Index shows you can triple the number of beach days simply by choosing a different stretch of coast.
“With parking now topping local cost charts, the North and Wales clearly win on value.”