In some places, you will pay handsome prices for a simple alcoholic beverage, while in others, you can find drinks at very cheap prices.
Three of the cheapest places to drink around the world
As Untappd’s guide to pricing liquor mentions, various factors go into determining the price of alcoholic drinks, including production costs, how drinks are served, the local competition, the type of establishment, and the customer demographics.
Location is also a significant factor in the cost of beer, wine, spirits, and other types of drinks.
In some places, you will pay handsome prices for a simple alcoholic beverage, while in others, you can find drinks at very cheap prices.
Let us first take a look at some of the cheapest places to drink around the world.
Bolivia
Bolivia is one of the cheapest places to live in South America, so it is not surprising that it has some of the most affordable drinks in the region.
Local bottles of beer cost around $1 and mixed drinks are typically priced around the $2 mark.
Laos
In cities like Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, and Vientiane in Laos, you can expect to pay around $1 for a 700ml bottle of the local beer Beerlao.
And you can even get bottles of the local Lao-Lao rice whiskey for cheaper than a beer, at under $1 a bottle.
Vietnam
Bottled beer in Vietnam is incredibly cheap. For instance, throughout Ho Chi Minh City, you can expect to pay around $0.70 for a half liter of locally-brewed beer, and across the country, you can expect to pay no more than $1.25 for a liter of local beer.
In fact, you can find even more affordable beer in the south. The famous fresh beer, known as Bia Hoi, which is easy to find in the south but harder to find in the north, will cost you around only $0.15 a glass.
You will also find cheap Russian vodka in Vietnam, which costs around $1 per shot in bars and only $3 a bottle in stores.
Three of the most expensive places to drink around the world
At the other end of the spectrum, prices for alcoholic beverages can be incredibly high in some countries around the world.
Here are three of the most expensive.
Dubai
Dubai is known for being a playground for the wealthy. Furthermore, there are strict rules concerning where alcohol can be purchased.
So, it should not be too surprising to learn that a bottle of beer costs $11.63 on average and a bottle of wine at a restaurant or bar will cost you a whopping $74.90 on average.
New York
In the Big Apple, you can expect to pay around $8 for a beer on average and approximately $15 per glass of wine.
That is pretty expensive, but if you head to New York’s high-end establishments, you could pay thousands of dollars for other drinks.
For instance, Platinum Passion, which combines champagne with L’esprit de Courvoisier, passion fruit, brown sugar, and honey, will cost you around $6,000 a bottle.
London
London is the most expensive place in the United Kingdom for drinks. You can expect to pay up to $10 for a pint of beer, though you can find pints for between $5 and $7, which is still pretty expensive.
As for cocktails, you are looking to pay around $12 a glass.
But for a truly expensive drink, if you have the cash, head to the Playboy Club in Mayfair, where you can sample Salvatore’s Legacy, which is one of the most expensive cocktails on the planet.
It is made with an orange curaçao from 1860, a cognac from 1788, a kümmel from 1770, and other ingredients.
A glass of the cocktail will set you back an incredible $7,000.
