The first couple of weeks of uni are always expensive, but tales from your mates at other unis may have you asking why you seem to be making more trips to the hole in the wall than them.

Our comparison of the country’s priciest places to get a pint could well be the answer to your problem. So, is booze blowing your budget or are you just a bit rubbish at this economising malark?

According to www.pintprice.com your average price for a lager in United Kingdom is £2.90. Compiled from user reviews, these are some of the averages they found for a pint in UK cities. How does yours fare?

Bargain Booze

• 1.Cardiff £2.37
• 2.Leeds £2.45
• 3.Swansea £2.50
• 4.Liverpool £2.50
• 5.Birmingham £2.57

It seems the students of Cymru are getting the most bang for their buck - Cardiff is at numero uno in our selection of Uni towns, while students in nearby Swansea are also benefiting from bargain booze.

North westerners and Yorkshiremen (and women) will be pleased to see Leeds and Liverpool both in our top five whilst £2.57 for a larger in Brum suggests pulling a pint north of the Midlands costs you south of the national average.

Average Ales

• Sheffield £2.70
• Glasgow £2.75
• Nottingham £2.90
• Bristol £2.95
• Manchester £2.95

We've got middling prices for your pint in the steel cities of Sheffield and Glasgow whilst Midlanders and Mancs are hovering around the UK average for a non-too-shabbily priced pint.

Priciest Pints

• 1.Oxford £4.50
• 2.York £4.25
• 3.Cambridge £3.50
• 4.London £3.50
• 5.Bath £3.10

Southerners weep - you really and truly are ripped off when it comes to having a tipple. It's no surprise that London ranks in our top five, but the addition of picturesque Cathedral and spa towns York and Bath show it pays not to live in a tourist hot spot.

With Oxford and Cambridge firmly slotted in the top three pricey locations its no wonder students here spend their time with their noses in a book and not a pint!

Tags: Binge drinking