Portsmouth one of the most expensive UK cities for alcoholic drinks
PARTY-GOERS in Portsmouth can expect to spend more as figures revealed the city to be the sixth most expensive place for drinks in the UK.
A nationwide survey of living costs showed the standard price for a pint of beer and glass of wine in Portsmouth is £9.50, 10 per cent higher than the country's average of £8.61.
Figures from database Numbeo also proved dining out in the city is more expensive with an 'inexpensive meal' costing £15, above the UK average of £12.
It comes as data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) charted a decline in the number of nightclubs and social clubs in Portsmouth, from 50 in 2001 to 25 in 2018.
For Portsmouth City Council's culture boss, Councillor Steve Pitt, it was part of a national trend. He said: 'I think a downward trend has been happening for about 20 years. It's part of how the rest of the country is changing.
'It's never going to go back to what it was again. Ultimately people are far more aware of the consequences of drinking.
'Those venues that offer something a bit different will survive.'
The data showed Bristol to be the most expensive place for beer and wine, costing £9.83 for a glass of each. Milton Keynes was cheapest at £7.50.
In London they cost £9.72.
Southsea resident Jack Grist said he had noticed a rise in prices. The 26-year-old said: 'I think it’s definitely got more expensive since I first started going out when I was 18. I think that Southsea especially is quite a gentrified area, so it does seem a lot more expensive in terms of £4 or £4.50 a pint.
'I think that’s just because I’m getting older so I sometimes don’t go out, but yeah it’s definitely much cheaper to just stay in, but it is nicer to just get out than staying in on a Friday or Saturday.'
But for William Ashworth, from Gosport, who goes out in Portsmouth, the cost wouldn't deter him from a night out.
'It doesn’t affect me as I’d still go out drinking and I don’t really take into consideration the price of the drinks,' he said.
'It probably has got more expensive but once you’re out it doesn’t really matter.
'I recently went on a stag do to Newcastle and it was really cheap up there to drink, much cheaper than down here.'