London on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
London on a budget is hard but doable, because so many top museums are free and transport is capped. A realistic minimum is about £113 per person a day (about £65 for a hostel bed or shared budget room, £30 food, £10 sights, £8 transport).
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | £65 | £115 | £230 |
| Food & drink | £30 | £60 | £120 |
| Sights & tickets | £10 | £35 | £60 |
| Local transport | £8 | £9 | £25 |
| Per person, per day | £113 | £219 | £435 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our London day-cost table.
Free things to do
- The British Museum and the National Gallery
- Tate Modern, with a free viewing level over the Thames
- The Natural History Museum, V&A and Science Museum in South Kensington
- The Sky Garden (book a free slot a few weeks ahead)
- The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace (scheduled days only; check the calendar)
- Hyde Park, St James's Park and the view from Primrose Hill or Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath
Cheap eats
- Salt beef bagel at the 24-hour Brick Lane bakeries: about £8–10 (plain bagels well under £1)
- Pie and mash in a traditional shop: about £5–9
- Takeaway fish and chips from a neighbourhood chippy: about £10–14
- Sausage roll or Scotch egg at a market or bakery: about £3–6
- Curry in Whitechapel or Tooting: about £10–18 a main
Where to sleep for less
Hostels cluster around King's Cross, Camden, Shoreditch, Southwark/London Bridge and Earl's Court; dorm beds are roughly £30–60 a night, more at weekends and in summer. Staying in Zone 2 on a Tube line saves money without adding much travel time.
Getting around cheaply
Use contactless on buses (£1.75, unlimited bus transfers within an hour) and the Tube (about £2.90 in Zone 1, capped at about £8.90 a day in Zones 1–2). From Heathrow the Piccadilly line is cheapest (about half the roughly £13 Elizabeth line fare, but about an hour); from Gatwick, Southern or Thameslink trains are cheaper than the Gatwick Express.
A sample budget day
- Morning: café breakfast (about £9), then the British Museum (free)
- Lunch: street food at Borough Market or a sausage roll and coffee (about £10)
- Afternoon: walk the South Bank to Tate Modern (free) and over the Millennium Bridge to St Paul's from outside; buses and Tube within the cap (about £8)
- Evening: salt beef bagel on Brick Lane (about £9) and a pint in a pub (about £6.50)
- Total: about £105–115 per person including a hostel bed of about £60–65
More ways to save
- Build each day around one free museum and one paid sight at most.
- Eat at markets and chippies at lunch and keep restaurant meals for one evening.
- Buy meal deals (sandwich, snack and drink) from supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury's or Boots for a quick lunch.
- Look for day-of-performance or lottery tickets for West End shows instead of full-price seats.
- Walk between nearby sights: Covent Garden to Leicester Square is a 4-minute walk but a Tube fare.
- Travel in January, February or November for the lowest hotel prices.
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Common questions
Can you visit London on a budget?
Yes, at about £105–115 per person a day with a hostel bed, free museums, market food and capped contactless travel.
Which London museums are free?
The British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Natural History Museum, V&A and Science Museum, among others; special exhibitions cost extra.
What is the cheapest way from Heathrow to central London?
The Piccadilly line, at about half the roughly £13 Elizabeth line fare, taking about an hour.