The cost of a London trip depends mostly on where you sleep: accommodation is by far the largest and most variable item. Once you have a bed, the rest is surprisingly predictable. Public transport in the centre is capped at £8.90 a day, many of the best museums are free, and a big paid attraction typically costs £27 to £40 for an adult.
London has a reputation as one of the world's most expensive cities, and for hotels and restaurants it deserves it. But the picture is more mixed than that. A visitor who uses contactless on the Tube, mixes free museums with one or two paid sights and eats sensibly can keep daily spending on everything except the bed at a very moderate level.
This guide breaks a trip into its main costs. It gives exact prices where they are fixed and published (transport, entry permits, attractions), and a method for the costs that vary too much to put a single number on (accommodation and food). All prices are for adults and were checked in September 2026 unless stated otherwise.
London prices at a glance (September 2026)
- UK ETA (entry permit, most visa-free visitors)
- £20 per person, children included
- Daily transport cap, Zones 1-2
- £8.90 with contactless or Oyster
- Weekly transport cap, Zones 1-2
- £44.70 (Monday to Sunday)
- Bus journey
- £1.75 (rising to £1.85 on 1 November 2026)
- Heathrow to central London
- £5.90 by Piccadilly line; £15.50 by Elizabeth line from Zone 1
- Big-name paid attraction
- Around £27 to £40 per adult
- Tourist tax
- None at present
Costs to pay before you leave home
Most visitors who don't need a visa now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to enter the UK. It costs £20 per person, and every traveller needs one, including babies and children. It lasts two years, or until the passport expires if that is sooner, and covers unlimited trips. Apply only through the official UK ETA app or GOV.UK, as other websites may charge more. Visitors who need a visa pay £135 for a Standard Visitor visa of up to six months. Our guide to UK entry requirements and the ETA explains who needs what.
Travel insurance is the other cost to budget before you go. Visitors from outside the UK who are not covered by an agreement are charged 150% of the NHS rate for hospital treatment, and the NHS advises visitors staying under six months to have insurance. A&E treatment is free to everyone, but admission as an inpatient is not. Our page on healthcare for visitors covers what is free and what is charged, including the EHIC for EU visitors.
Accommodation: the cost that decides your budget
We don't give a typical hotel price in this guide, and that is deliberate. London room rates change with the season, the day of the week, the area and the events in town, and any single average would mislead you. The same room can cost very different amounts on a Tuesday in February and a Saturday in June.
A better approach is to price your own dates early. Search three or four areas on the same dates, and compare like with like: a private room with its own bathroom, cancellation terms and whether breakfast is included. Then add the transport cost of each area. A cheaper hotel in Zone 3 or 4 can end up costing more than a central one once you add daily travel and, more importantly, lost time.
- Hostels are the cheapest option, especially for solo travellers who are happy in a dormitory. Many also have private rooms. See our guide to hostels in London.
- Budget hotel chains offer small, plain rooms at lower prices, often near stations. Our list of budget hotels in London compares them.
- Apartments can suit families and longer stays, and a kitchen cuts food costs. Be aware that renting out a London home as short-term accommodation for more than 90 nights a year needs planning permission, so check that a listing is properly run.
London does not currently have a tourist tax. The government announced in September 2026 that it plans to give the Mayor the power to introduce an overnight visitor levy, but no rate or start date has been decided. For area-by-area advice, see our overview of the best areas to stay in London.
Getting from the airport into London
The journey from the airport can cost anything from a few pounds to over £100, depending on the airport and the route. The table shows adult pay as you go fares (contactless or Oyster unless stated) for the most common options.
| Route | Adult fare | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Heathrow, Piccadilly line (Tube) | £5.90 | About 50 minutes to the West End; counts towards the daily cap |
| Heathrow, Elizabeth line | £15.50 from Zone 1; £14.60 from Paddington | Peak fare at all times; counts towards the daily cap |
| Heathrow Express | £26.00 single; Advance from £10 | 15 minutes to Paddington; children 15 and under free; not capped |
| Heathrow, black cab | £70 to £120 | 30 to 60 minutes |
| Gatwick, Southern or Thameslink | £19.20 peak; £10.70 off-peak | To Victoria, London Bridge or St Pancras |
| Gatwick Express | £24.00 | To Victoria, 30 minutes; not capped |
| Luton, Thameslink (contactless only) | £16.60 peak; £12.30 off-peak, plus £4.90 DART shuttle | Oyster not valid |
| Stansted, National Express coach | From £10.50 | Oyster not valid on the Stansted Express train |
For a couple arriving at Heathrow, the Piccadilly line costs £11.80 for both, against £52.00 for two Heathrow Express singles at the standard fare. For a family, the sums change: children 15 and under travel free on Heathrow Express with a paying adult, and children aged 5 to 10 travel free on the Tube with an adult. Our comparison of every way from Heathrow to central London goes through the options in detail.
Getting around: what transport costs per day and per week
Transport is the easiest part of a London budget, because fares are capped. Pay with a contactless card or phone, or an Oyster card, and always use the same one. Once your fares in a day reach the cap for the zones you used, further journeys that day are free.
| Zones | Daily cap | Weekly cap (Monday to Sunday) |
|---|---|---|
| Zones 1-2 | £8.90 | £44.70 |
| Zones 1-3 | £10.50 | £52.50 |
| Zones 1-6 | £16.30 | £81.60 |
| Bus and tram only | £5.25 | £24.70 |
Tube and rail caps are frozen until March 2027. Bus fares rise on 1 November 2026, when a single goes from £1.75 to £1.85 and the daily bus cap from £5.25 to £5.55. An Oyster card costs £10.50 and the fee is not refunded, so for most visitors a contactless card is cheaper. Check first whether your bank charges fees on foreign payments. Our guide to Oyster and contactless fares explains how the caps work.
Some services are not included in the caps: Heathrow Express, Gatwick Express, the Uber Boat river bus and the IFS Cloud Cable Car (London Cable Car). Budget for these separately if you plan to use them.
Sightseeing: the free list and the paid list
Sightseeing is where London can be both very cheap and very expensive. The main collections of the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum, the V&A and Tate Modern are free, as are the royal parks, the Changing of the Guard and the Sky Garden (with a free booked ticket). Our list of free things to do in London could fill a week on its own.
The paid attractions add up quickly. These are standard adult prices for some of the most popular:
| Attraction | Adult price | Cheaper if you book? |
|---|---|---|
| Tower of London | £37.00 | No separate on-the-day price published |
| St Paul's Cathedral | £27 | Check the cathedral's website |
| London Eye | From £29 online | Yes: £39 walk-up |
| Churchill War Rooms | £34 | No separate on-the-day price published |
| Buckingham Palace State Rooms (summer only) | £33.00 in advance | Yes: £37.00 on the day |
| Windsor Castle | £32.00 in advance | Yes: £36.00 on the day |
| Kew Gardens (to 31 October 2026) | £25 online | Yes: £28 at the gate |
| Warner Bros. Studio Tour | £58.50 (2026) | Pre-booking only |
Some of these prices include an optional donation on the official websites, so compare the right figure. If you plan several paid sights in a few days, work out whether a sightseeing pass helps. Our analysis of whether the London Pass is worth it shows how to do the sum.
Two paid sights a day is usually the sensible limit. The Tower of London alone recommends at least three hours. Trying to fit three or four ticketed attractions into one day wastes money on places you rush through. Pair one paid sight with a free museum or a park instead.
Food and drink: where the money goes
Eating out is the second big variable, and like accommodation it depends heavily on your choices. A sit-down dinner with drinks in a central restaurant costs many times more than a lunch from a market stall or a supermarket. We don't give an average meal price, because menus vary so widely and change often.
What we can say is where visitors save. Markets, cafés and chain sandwich shops are much cheaper than restaurants in tourist areas. A picnic from a supermarket in one of the royal parks costs little, and making your main meal of the day at lunchtime in a market keeps evening restaurant bills down. Our guide to cheap eats in London lists good-value places across the city.
Check the bill for a service charge. Some London restaurants add one, and whether it is discretionary should be clear on the menu or bill. Since 1 October 2024, employers must pass on all tips and service charges to staff without deductions. Our guide to tipping in London explains when to add something and when not to.
Example daily budgets, bed and meals not included
Because accommodation and food vary so much, these examples cover the costs that can be calculated exactly: transport and sightseeing. Add your own room rate and food spending to get your total. All figures are per adult for one full day in central London (Zones 1-2), using September 2026 prices.
| Style | What the day includes | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | Capped Tube and bus travel; two free museums; free Sky Garden slot; £5 standing ticket at Shakespeare's Globe | £13.90 |
| Mid-range | Capped travel; Tower of London; a free museum in the afternoon | £45.90 |
| Comfortable | Capped travel; London Eye Fast Track (from £49 online); Churchill War Rooms; a black cab of about 2 miles in the daytime (£12.60 to £20.20) | £104.50 to £112.10 |
A family example shows how children change the numbers. Two adults and two children (aged 7 and 12) visiting the Tower of London pay £74.00 for the adults and £37.00 for the children, £111.00 in total. On the Tube, the 7-year-old travels free with an adult, and the 12-year-old can get the Young Visitor discount (50% off adult fares and caps for up to 14 days) added to an Oyster card by station staff. The Oyster card itself costs £10.50 once. That makes the family's travel for the day £17.80 for the adults plus £4.45 for the older child, or £133.25 for the whole day's transport and sightseeing. Our guide to children's fares has the rules.
Hidden costs that catch visitors out
- Card fees. Your own bank may charge for each foreign payment. When a card machine offers to charge you in your home currency, compare the rate before you accept. Our guide to money and cards in London explains both.
- Cash machines. Most UK cash machines are free for UK cards, but cards from banks outside the UK may be charged. Any fee must be shown on screen before you accept it.
- The Oyster card fee. £10.50, not refundable. You don't need one if your contactless card works without foreign fees.
- No VAT refunds. Visitors can no longer claim VAT back on shopping in Great Britain, unless the shop sends the goods directly to an address outside the UK. See our page on tax-free shopping in the UK.
- Left luggage. At Victoria Coach Station, TfL charges £10.00 per item for 6 to 24 hours. Budget for this if you check out in the morning and fly in the evening.
- Driving. A car in central London means an £18 daily Congestion Charge, plus £12.50 a day for the ULEZ if the vehicle doesn't meet the emissions standard.
Unofficial ETA websites charge more than £20 for the same permit. GOV.UK warns that other websites may charge more and that no website or app can get you a faster decision. Use only the official UK ETA app or the GOV.UK page, and apply for each member of the family separately.
When prices change
Several prices in this guide are due to change. Bus fares rise on 1 November 2026. Uber Boat fares are valid until 31 October 2026, after which new fares will be issued. Tube and rail fares and caps are frozen until March 2027. Attraction prices often change at the start of a new season or calendar year.
The time of year matters for your budget too, mainly through accommodation. Our guide to the best time to visit London looks at the quieter months, and our tips for London on a budget covers the habits that save the most money.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need per day in London?
Leaving out your accommodation and meals, a day of capped public transport in Zones 1-2 costs £8.90, and you can fill it with free museums and parks. Add one paid attraction and you are at around £40 to £50 per adult. Accommodation and food vary widely, so price your own dates and add them.
Is London more expensive than other European cities?
London's hotels and restaurants have a reputation for high prices, and room rates in particular can take a large share of a budget. But its free national museums and capped public transport are good value, so a trip that focuses on sightseeing rather than luxury hotels can cost less than visitors expect.
How much does a week in London cost for a couple?
Two ETAs cost £40 if your nationality needs them. Travel in Zones 1-2 is capped at £44.70 per person for a Monday to Sunday week, so £89.40 for two. Add airport transfers, paid attractions (typically £27 to £40 per adult each), accommodation and food, which make up the largest part of the total.
Does London have a tourist tax?
No. In September 2026 the government announced that it plans to give the Mayor of London the power to introduce an overnight visitor levy, charged as a percentage of the room price. A bill has not yet been introduced, and no rate or start date has been decided.
Sources
- GOV.UK - Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Fare capping (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Tube and rail fares (checked September 2026)
- Historic Royal Palaces - Tower of London tickets and prices (checked September 2026)
- NHS - Visitors from outside the EEA (checked September 2026)
- GOV.UK - Local leaders handed powers to drive investment in communities (checked September 2026)
- GOV.UK - Tax-free shopping (checked September 2026)
- GOV.UK - Tips at work (checked September 2026)