London Budget Planner

London is expensive — but how expensive depends enormously on how you approach it. Here's a realistic breakdown of typical costs across different budget levels, so you can plan honestly.

Accommodation

Budget: £60–100 per room per night for a decent hostel private room or budget hotel in Zone 2. Mid-range: £120–200 per room per night in Zone 1 at a good-quality independent or chain hotel. Comfortable: £200–350 for a good 4-star in a central location. Luxury: £400+ at the better 5-star hotels. These prices are indicative for a typical weeknight; weekends and peak season push them higher. Book as far ahead as possible.

Food

Budget: £15–25 per day is achievable with supermarket lunches, market street food for one meal and a casual neighbourhood restaurant for dinner. Mid-range: £40–65 per day covers two proper restaurant meals with drinks. Comfortable: £80–120+ per day for lunch and dinner at well-regarded restaurants.

Transport

A reasonable daily transport budget for central London sightseeing is £8–15 using contactless pay-as-you-go. Daily price caps mean you won't spend more than about £15 in Zone 1 regardless of how many journeys you make.

Attractions

This is where London is genuinely unusual: a day of world-class sightseeing at the British Museum, Natural History Museum and Tate Modern costs £0 in admission. A paid-attractions day (Tower of London at £37, London Eye at £30) costs £60–70 before food and transport. Budget across the trip rather than per day — mixing free days with paid attraction days balances out well.

Indicative Daily Totals

• Budget traveller: £80–110 per day (hostel, supermarket/street food, free museums, Zone 1–2 transport)
• Mid-range: £180–250 per day (decent hotel, two restaurant meals, mix of free and paid attractions)
• Comfortable: £350–500 per day (good hotel, quality dining, paid attractions as desired)
• These exclude accommodation for single-room rates — adjust for your actual accommodation type.