The cheapest college bar in Durham

May 7, 2026May 7, 2026 sub.editors 0 Comments Oliver Rothnie, Xiaoyao Yin

By Oliver Rothnie

Research by Palatinate has found that according to its measure of prices, St Chad’s has the cheapest bar, with St Mary’s the most expensive, as of the end of last term.

To ensure a standardised indicator, for each bar, the price of a pint of lemonade, a pint of the cheapest lager and a shot of vodka was determined, with the total of this “basket” being the headline figure. The total price at Chad’s was £5.10, while the corresponding value for Mary’s was £7.00. Due to different rules regarding undergraduate bar access, Ustinov was excluded from the findings.

St Chad’s has the cheapest bar, with St Mary’s the most expensive

The cheapest pints of lager – at £2.50 – were to be found at St John’s and Stephenson, with the cheapest pints of lemonade – just £1.00 – sold at Chad’s and Castle. Chad’s sold the cheapest shot of vodka, which came in at £1.50.

There was a disparity found between Hill and Bailey colleges with the mean total price at Bailey colleges being 7% lower than Hill ones. However, there are greater differences in the prices of particular types of drinks: the price of a pint of lemonade was, on average, 18% lower in Bailey colleges than in ones on the Hill.

According to the measure of prices, the total price at Chad’s was 17% lower than the university mean, with John’s bar coming in at 8% cheaper. On the other hand, the bars at Mary’s and Van Mildert were 14% and 8% more expensive than average respectively.

Although not a college bar, the student-run 24 North Bailey Club was cheaper than all bars except St Chad’s

Although not a college bar, the student-run 24 North Bailey Club was cheaper than all bars except St Chad’s: buying a pint of its cheapest lager, a shot of vodka and a pint of lemonade would only set a customer back £5.35.

Although some bars are relatively more expensive than others, they are still much cheaper compared to the national average due to the subsidisation of college bars. According to The Morning Advertiser, a national news outlet for pubs, as of June 2025, the average price of a pint in the North East was £4.92. The college bar whose cheapest pint was the most expensive — St Mary’s — sells one for £3.10, which works out to be 37% cheaper.