London on $90 a Day
London is one of Europe's priciest cities, but free museums, capped Tube fares and market food make it possible. Here is how to budget $90 a day for a hostel, cheap eats and sightseeing.
London has a reputation as one of the most expensive cities in the world, and hotels and restaurants can certainly justify it. But the city also has an unusual advantage for budget travelers: most of its great museums and galleries are free, its parks are enormous and open to everyone, and its public transport has daily fare caps that stop costs running away. With a hostel bed, market lunches, pub meals at lunchtime rather than dinner and a lot of walking, $90 a day is a realistic budget that still lets you see the major sights.
Daily Budget Breakdown
🏨 Where to Sleep for Under $45 a Night
London accommodation is the biggest part of any budget, and the cheapest option is a dorm bed in a hostel, which usually costs about $30 to $45 a night, depending on the season. Many hostels are in good central locations, such as Bloomsbury, King's Cross, Camden and Shoreditch, and include breakfast, a kitchen and free Wi-Fi. Budget hotel chains, such as Premier Inn and Travelodge, offer private rooms from about $90 to $130 if booked early, which can be good value for two people sharing. Staying slightly outside Zone 1, in places like Greenwich, Stratford or Clapham, can reduce costs without adding much travel time.
| Option | Avg. Price/Night | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Hostel Dorm Bed | $30–$45 | The cheapest option, with a social atmosphere and often breakfast included |
| Private Hostel Room | $75–$120 | Solo travelers or couples who want privacy at a lower price |
| Budget Hotel Chain | $90–$150 | Couples and families who book early and want a private bathroom |
| Aparthotel or Apartment | $130–$220 | Groups and longer stays with a kitchen to save on food |
Agoda
Compare hostels, budget hotels and aparthotels across London, with good rates outside peak summer.
Search Hotels on Agoda →Booking.com
Useful for filtering by neighborhood, free cancellation and guest scores for hostels and budget hotels.
Search Hotels on Booking.com →🍽️ Eating Well for Under $28 a Day
London's food scene is far cheaper than its reputation if you know where to look. Supermarket meal deals, which bundle a sandwich, a snack and a drink for a few pounds, are a classic budget lunch, and street food and market stalls offer excellent meals for $8 to $12. At lunchtime, many restaurants offer set menus or lunch specials that cost less than their dinner menus, and pubs serve hearty meals at good prices. The most reliable bargains are in neighborhoods with big immigrant communities, such as Brick Lane for curry, Edgware Road for Lebanese food and Chinatown for noodles.
Market Lunch
Stalls at Borough, Camden or Brick Lane serve generous plates from around the world. Avg. $8–$12.
Fish and Chips
A takeaway portion from a local chippy is filling and classic. Avg. $12–$18. See our fish and chips guide.
Read the guide →Supermarket Meal Deal
A sandwich, snack and drink for a few pounds is the cheapest lunch in the city. Avg. $5–$7.
Curry on Brick Lane
Bangladeshi and South Asian restaurants offer generous portions, often with BYO drinks. Avg. $12–$18.
🚇 Getting Around Cheaply
Public transport is where London's fare caps help the budget. Tap in and out with a contactless card or phone, and you will be charged the lowest fare and never more than the daily cap for your zones, with weekly caps too, so you do not need to buy a paper ticket or a travelcard. Buses are cheaper than the Tube and have a one-hour hopper fare that lets you change buses for free. Walking is one of the best ways to see central London, and many sights, such as the South Bank, Westminster and Covent Garden, are within a short stroll of one another. Santander Cycles, the city's bike hire scheme, is a cheap way to cover longer distances in the summer.
⚖️ $90 vs. $250 a Day: What Actually Changes
At $90 a day you will stay in a hostel, eat from markets, supermarkets and cheap restaurants and use public transport for everything. You will still see the Tower of London from outside, the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Westminster and the South Bank, and you can fit one or two paid attractions into the week. At $250 a day, you add a private hotel room, restaurant dinners, a West End show and entry to major attractions. The difference is comfort and convenience rather than access to the best of the city.
🌳 Free and Cheap Things to Do
British Museum
One of the greatest museums in the world, free to enter. See our full guide.
Read the guide →National Gallery and Tate Modern
Free entry to the permanent collections, from Van Gogh and Turner to Picasso and Warhol.
London's Royal Parks
Hyde Park, St James's Park and Regent's Park are free, with lakes, gardens and deer.
Changing of the Guard
A free ceremony at Buckingham Palace, with a band and soldiers in red tunics.
Read the guide →🧾 Sample $90 Day Budget
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Hostel dorm bed | $38 |
| Breakfast (hostel or bakery) | $4 |
| Lunch (market stall or meal deal) | $9 |
| Dinner (pub, curry or street food) | $15 |
| Tube and bus (daily cap) | $11 |
| Free museums and parks | $0 |
| One paid attraction or drink | $8 |
| Daily Total | ~$85–$90 |
Eating at restaurants near the main tourist sights, taking black cabs instead of the Tube and buying single paper tickets instead of tapping in with a contactless card are the three quickest ways to blow a London budget. Booking attractions in advance online also avoids higher prices at the gate.
📱 Useful Apps and Tools for Budget Travel
Citymapper and Google Maps are the best apps for navigating London's transport, with live information on delays and the quickest route. TfL Go shows live Tube status, and the Santander Cycles app unlocks bikes. Too Good To Go sells unsold food from cafes and bakeries at a big discount, and apps such as Time Out or Fever list free and cheap events. A contactless bank card with no foreign transaction fees is the simplest way to pay for transport and meals across the city.
