One seaside in Wales was found to be £21 cheaper than Brighton for just the basic costs – and trains from Birmingham take less than three hours
This Welsh beach is said to be the cheapest to visit in the UK(Image: John Myers)
There’s so much to take into account when budgeting for a day out at the beach – travel, food, parking, activities, souvenirs. It all adds up.
New research has compared some of the most popular seaside destinations in the UK and one hotspot on the coast of Wales came out cheaper than the rest.
A new UK Seaside Affordability Index has revealed huge price differences around the coast of Britain, with the cost of just the ‘basics’ ranging from £16.71 up to £38.20.
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NoDepositRewards.org compared the price of a classic day out at the beach, looking at the total cost of all-day parking (the current local council rates), the average cost of a ’99’ ice cream, a large fish and chips meal and deckchair hire for a full day.
Brighton was found to be the most expensive seaside spot, as the Express reports, with all-day parking costing £18 and a classic ice cream averaging £2.70.
Swansea Bay(Image: WalesOnline/Gayle Marsh)
In comparison, the cheapest destination was found to be Swansea, with parking costing just £3 for a full day and an ice cream priced at £1.65.
A large fish and chips in Brighton cost around £11.50, according to the study, while hiring a deckchair set beach-goers back around £6 for the day.
St Ives was the second priciest, with people spending an average of £25.30 a day on seaside essentials.
In comparison, the four ‘basics’ totalled less than £17 in Swansea, not to mention that a train journey from Birmingham to Swansea costs just over £30 when booked in advance and takes less than three hours. Alternatively, the drive takes around three and a half hours.
Swansea has 19 beaches covering over 30 miles of coastline, with Swansea Bay being the easiest to reach from the city centre.
One recent Google review of Swansea Bay Beach reads: “Lovely sandy beach clean and tidy, I went around 4pm and the tide was just coming back in which made for a very pleasant walk along the beach.”
And someone else said: “Clean and quiet beach, ideal for dog walks, plenty of easy parking nearby with a lovely café along the seafront. Whether it’s sunny or cloudy, this beach is stunning.”
Mason Jones, data expert at NoDepositRewards.org, said: “Families are budgeting harder than ever for summer 2025.
“Our Seaside Index shows you can triple the number of beach days simply by choosing a different stretch of coast.
“With parking now topping local cost charts, the North and Wales clearly win on value.”