How much does a round of drinks cost in Groningen?

Translation by Traci White

According to Sikkom, the most expensive cities are concentrated in the Randstad – Amsterdam is number one, The Hague is number two, Haarlem is fourth and Rotterdam is fifth – and the third costliest place to buy a round of drinks is Den Bosch.

The survey looked at the average prices for a round of eight drinks, including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages: two coffees, two sodas, two beers and two glasses of rosé. In Amsterdam, that drink order will cost you 25.10, and in Groningen, that will set you back 23.20. The Groningen prices are up about 65 cents over last year. Going for a drink in Groningen is costlier than in other university cities, too: 22.25 euros will get you eight drinks in Nijmegen, 22.83 will cover it in Utrecht and your bill in Leiden will be 22.85.

Purchasing power

Groningen culinary guide De Smaak van Stad writes that Groningen may not be the most expensive destination for a drink, but that one round represents a higher proportion of the average customer’s income than in the other costlier cities. For comparison, the average Groninger can afford 18.7 rounds a week (although that is definitely beyond the recommended maximum of 14 units of alcohol per week), but a bar patron in Breda can afford 23.5 rounds a week. The survey does not appear to take inflation into account.

The survey only evaluates the 21 largest cities in the country, so it did not include the average prices for Leeuwarden, Emmen, Assen or anywhere else in the north. But one of the cheapest options for a night on the town is still pretty close by: in Zwolle, you will spend around 21.35 euros for a round of drinks. Enschede, Apeldoorn, Dordrecht and Breda were the cheapest evaluated cities.

The yearly evaluation has been carried out by catering industry consultancy agency Van Spronsen & Partners since 2004. Prices in Groningen have been steadily rising since 2014: