The most and least expensive cities for a bottle of wine in the world
We have compiled crowdsourced data from Numbeo on the average costs of wine around the world. The analysis looked at 190 cities, so you can see which is home to the most and least expensive bottles of wine in 2024.
Find out where the UK sits in the global ranking, and if it's worth travelling to the cheapest city to stock up your wine cooler.
This analysis is part of a larger study on the best cities for hosting, where you can discover the best and worst cities for hosting a BBQ, looking at factors such as food prices, sunlight hours and transport costs.
The top 20 most expensive cities for a bottle of wine in the world
If you’re looking for an affordable bottle of wine to drink in the kitchen whilst having fun with family and friends, then don't expect to find it in any of these cities…
Eight US cities were ranked for having the most expensive prices for a bottle of wine in the world. For comparison, no UK cities ranked in the top 20.
So, which city is paying the most for a bottle of wine?
|
Rank |
City |
State/Province |
Price of a bottle of wine (GBP) |
Price of a bottle of wine (USD) |
|
1 |
New York |
NY |
£15.60 |
$20.00 |
|
2 |
Columbus |
OH |
£14.04 |
$18.00 |
|
3 |
San Francisco |
CA |
£13.85 |
$17.75 |
|
3 |
Oakland |
CA |
£13.85 |
$17.75 |
|
4 |
Philadelphia |
PA |
£13.26 |
$17.00 |
|
5 |
Launceston |
Tasmania |
£13.00 |
$16.45 |
|
6 |
Hobart |
Tasmania |
£13.00 |
$16.45 |
|
7 |
Washington |
DC |
£12.48 |
$16.00 |
|
8 |
Denver |
CO |
£12.48 |
$16.00 |
|
9 |
Tucson |
AZ |
£12.09 |
$15.50 |
|
10 |
Victoria |
British Columbia |
£11.97 |
$15.29 |
|
11 |
Phoenix |
AZ |
£11.70 |
$15.00 |
|
12 |
Mesa |
AZ |
£11.70 |
$15.00 |
|
13 |
Miami |
FL |
£11.70 |
$15.00 |
|
14 |
Nashville |
TN |
£11.70 |
$15.00 |
|
15 |
Las Vegas |
NV |
£11.70 |
$15.00 |
NYC tops worldwide ranking of the most expensive city for a bottle of wine 馃嵎
New York City is the world's No. 1 most expensive city for a bottle of wine costing an average of $20 per bottle according to Numbeo. New York City is over five times more expensive than the cheapest bottle of wine at $3.55 which can be found in Cordoba, Spain.
Compared to other cities in the state of New York, Rochester is 47.5% cheaper for a bottle of wine charging on average $10.50.
New York City is known for being an expensive city to live in, and this extends to the price of a bottle of wine. The city has high excise taxes for wine (30% per gallon*) as well as additional tax on sales of wine with over 24% alcohol by volume meaning prices are higher than in other cities.
For the most expensive bottle of wine, Launceston and Hobart are the only 2 cities ranking in the top 10 that aren't based in the United States. In Launceston and Hobart, people can expect to pay $16.45 for a bottle of wine.
San Francisco and Oakland rank joint third for the most expensive city in the world to buy a bottle of wine. Coming in at $2.25 cheaper than New York City, San Francisco and Oakland residents can expect to pay $17.75 for wine.
Much like NYC, California has high taxes for alcohol, especially wine. The excise tax is $0.20 per gallon for wine and they have a sales tax of 7.25%.
Victoria, British Columbia, ranks tenth out of 197 cities for having some of the most expensive bottles of wine. People living in Victoria can expect to pay $15.29 for a bottle of wine which is four times more expensive than the European city, Cordoba.
Wine can be expensive in Canadian cities due to production costs being higher. They also have some of the highest alcohol taxes of 15% in Canada.
London is the most expensive city in the UK for a bottle of wine
Although London didn't make it into the top ten globally, it ranks as the most expensive city in the UK for a bottle of wine, with an average price of £9.00 per bottle. This is 75p more than the second most expensive city, Coventry, where the average price is £8.25 per bottle, and £3.00 more than the cheapest city in the UK, Kingston upon Hull, where a bottle costs just £6.00.
In comparison, London’s average price is 6.6% cheaper than the most expensive city worldwide on the list, New York at £15.60, but it is over three times more expensive than the cheapest bottle of wine, which can be found in Córdoba, Spain, at just £2.80 per bottle.
Cordoba is the cheapest city worldwide to buy wine
Spain, Italy and France were ranked for having the cheapest prices for a bottle of wine in the whole world.
If you’re looking for an affordable bottle of wine to drink whilst having fun with family and friends - then look no further than these countries…
The cities where a bottle of wine costs less than five dollars
|
Rank |
City |
Country |
Price of a bottle of wine (GDP) |
Price of a bottle of wine USD |
|
1 |
Cordoba |
Spain |
£2.80 |
$3.55 |
|
1 |
Rome |
Italy |
£2.80 |
$3.55 |
|
2 |
Zaragoza |
Spain |
£3.01 |
$3.82 |
|
3 |
Murcia |
Spain |
£3.18 |
$4.04 |
|
4 |
Reggio Calabria |
Italy |
£3.44 |
$4.37 |
|
5 |
Toulon |
France |
£3.59 |
$4.56 |
|
6 |
Corunna |
Spain |
£3.87 |
$4.91 |
|
Malaga |
Spain |
£3.87 |
$4.91 |
|
|
Alicante |
Spain |
£3.87 |
$4.91 |
|
|
Taranto |
Italy |
£3.87 |
$4.91 |
You can find the cheapest bottle of wine in Cordoba, Spain 馃嵎
Cordoba is the world's No. 1 cheapest city for a bottle of wine costing an average of $3.55 per bottle according to Numbeo. Cordoba is five times cheaper than the most expensive city for a bottle of wine which can be found in New York City for $20.
Compared to other cities in the region of Andalusia, Malaga is 38% cheaper for a bottle of wine charging on average $4.91.
Alongside Cordoba, Rome in Italy is also home to the cheapest bottle of wine where people can expect to pay $3.55.
Zaragoza is in Spain's Aragon region and places second for the cheapest city to buy a bottle of wine. People looking to visit Zaragoza can expect to pay $3.82 which is slightly more expensive than Cordoba.
Reggio Calabria ranks fourth for one of the cheapest cities for wine costing under five dollars at $4.37.
The Calabria region is a big wine-producing area, hence lower prices. With such close proximity to vineyards, transportation costs are reduced too.
Unlike the US, any wine under 15% isn't taxed on excise duty and the VAT is included in the price consumers pay.
Toulon, France, ranks fifth out of 197 cities for having the cheapest bottle of wine. People living in Toulon can expect to pay $4.56 for a bottle of wine which is four times cheaper than a bottle of wine in New York City at $20.
France is the only other country alongside Spain and Italy to charge five dollars for a bottle of wine.
Methodology
The study identified the largest populated cities in the EU 5, US, Australia and Canada which totaled to 190 cities. We then analysed data from Numbeo to find the most and least expensive cities for a bottle of wine (750ml).
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