London is officially the most expensive place to find love – and beer – in the UK

While the ‘Is Bromley in London or Kent’ debate will rumble on long after humans have been wiped out by sun, sea, volcano or asteroid, what we can all agree on is that the capital is spenny. Everything from a takeaway coffee to a step on the property ladder appears to be getting more and more out of reach for the average Londoner. And things only seem to be getting trickier for the capital’s singles.

According to research conducted by beauty expert Cosmetify, which analysed data from cost-of-living calculators Expatistan and Numbeo, London is the most expensive place to date in the UK, beating Oxford, Edinburgh and Cambridge. The study looks at the key pillars of *bougie* dating: the cost of two cinema tickets, a restaurant dinner for two, a pint of beer, a cocktail and a taxi fare within a five-mile radius. 

The findings show that searching for The One in the Big Smoke is costing Londoners almost double what it would in the most affordable city, Hull, birthplace of Lemsip and Philip Larkin, and 2017’s UK City of Culture. The northern city’s average pint price is a wholesome £3.37, with a cocktail coming in at £7. While a beer in the capital will set you back £6.11(!!), with a cocktail costing £12. (Seriously, propose now.)

In better news, Wales’s capital city, Cardiff, is second on the affordability scale, which basically means you’re probably better off catching the Megabus to the ’Diff to woo the lucky lad or lady in your life. And before some idiot asks, no you don’t need your passport to get there.

But if you insist on staying in London to find love, you hopeless romantic you, just remember, brown bag boozing doesn’t have the same rep as it used to.

Save you a seat on the bus, love bugs.

This map shows the cheapest pint near every single tube station.

Romantic places in London to visit any time.