Whether it’s clinking steins of pilsner at Oktoberfest in Germany, lingering over a Guinness Extra Stout in a Dublin pub, or washing down seafood with a lager at a Goan shack, beer is often the most democratic of drinks. Affordable, easy on the palate, and effortlessly social, it’s a longstanding favorite around the world. But in our global economy, beer is cheaper or more expensive depending on where you are and what exactly it is that you’re drinking.
Deutsche Bank’s 2025 “Mapping the World’s Prices” report breaks down the cost of a bottle of domestic beer (half a liter, or roughly 17 fluid ounces) across major cities of the world—that’s to say, beers made in the country where they are imbibed, like Thailand’s Singha in Bangkok, or a cold Budweiser in the United States.
At the top end, Sydney leads as the most expensive city to order a domestic beer at $4.75, followed by is Aussie sibling Melbourne at $4.59 (perhaps not a surprise, given the big craft beer movement in Australia), and Singapore at $4.27—try a Tiger beer or an ABC Stout during your next layover at Changi Airport. Dublin, famed for its beer culture, lands fifth on the list, with a bottle priced at $3.60; the popularity of Guinness comes with a price tag.
The global average sits at $2.14, a price shared by Tokyo in Japan and Bengaluru in India. In the United States, a local beer is most expensive in New York City, at $2.96; average prices in Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, are $2.89, $2.57, and $2.56, respectively. Of all the major US cities in the ranking, you’re most likely to get a good deal on beer in Chicago, where the average price clocks in at $2.42. The most popular domestic beer in the US remains to be Bud Light, but the most sold beer of any origin in the country is Modelo Especial, a pilsner-style lager brewed exclusively in Mexico.
As for the the cheapest beer in the world, you’ll find them in China: In Shanghai, a domestic beer costs just $0.82; Beijing is close behind at $0.84. You probably know about Tsingtao beer, which represents about 15% of China’s domestic market share and accounts for half of the country’s national beer exports. But according to the numbers, more popular is Snow Beer, produced by CR Snow. It’s the best-selling beer in China and holds 21.7% of the domestic market share.
Elsewhere in Asia, a beer won’t set you back a pretty penny: the average prices are $1.50 in Manila; $1.78 in Taipei; $1.80 in Hong Kong; $1.84 in Bangkok; and $1.87 in Delhi. After Singapore, the most expensive domestic beers in Asia can be found in Kuala Lumpur, where the average price is $3.32; for what it’s worth, Malaysia is a majority-Muslim country where Muslim consumers are prohibited from buying and drinking alcoholic beverages including beer.
In Europe, the best deal is to be had in Frankfurt, where the average price of a bottle sits at $1.06. The most popular beer in Germany is Krombacher; its bottles have an ABV of 4.8%, and the company now makes non-alcoholic brews. For an even lighter drink, try a Krombacher Radler, a mixture of Krombacher Pils and lemonade at a one-to-one ratio.
Here’s a look at where you can get the cheapest beer in the world and get a taste of local flavor, all without burning a hole in your pocket.
The 10 cheapest cities in the world to get a domestic beer, based on average price
- Shanghai, China: $0.82
- Beijing, China: $0.84
- Frankfurt, Germany: $1.06
- Prague, Czech Republic: $1.06
- Moscow, Russia: $1.07
- Bogota, Colombia: $1.12
- Budapest, Hungary: $1.17
- Berlin, Germany: $1.17
- Munich: $1.18
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: $1.24
