Food & Drink

New survey shows Swansea is one of the most expensive places in the UK for a Chinese takeaway

Fans of sweet and sour chicken and spring rolls in Swansea may be in for a shock, as the city has been named as one of the most expensive places in the UK for a Chinese takeaway.

Published

3 months ago

20th June 2023

Editor

close up shot of a food on white ceramic plate

From sweet and sour to Kung Pao chicken and spring rolls, it’s no secret we are a nation of Chinese food lovers with the cuisine regularly topping the list as the nation’s favourite.

But when it comes to Chinese takeaway prices, which cities are the most expensive?

British Chinese food recently came under fire on TikTok with foodies around the world being shocked at how we’ve adapted the cuisine to suit our tastes, especially by adding chips as a side. That being said, nothing will stop us Brits from enjoying a Chinese on a treat day with the cuisine regularly topping the list as the nation’s favourite.

With this in mind, Betway has revealed the average cost of a Chinese takeaway in cities across the UK, analysing the cost of two mains and two sides – including chips, a must have for many Chinese takeaway fans.

Edinburgh is home to the most expensive Chinese takeaway in the UK

Setting residents back an average of £28.92 for two mains and two sides, Edinburgh is revealed to be the most expensive city for a Chinese takeaway in the UK. In the Scottish capital, you can expect to pay around £9.75 on average for a chicken chow mein and £4 for a side of chips.

Birmingham comes in second place as the most expensive city for a Chinese takeaway whilst London comes in third place.

Closer to home, Swansea made the top ten most expensive cities in the UK for a Chinese, ranking seventh.

The top 10 most expensive cities for a Chinese takeaway:

Rank	City	Average cost	Average cost of a chicken chow mein dish	Average cost of a chicken sweet and sour dish	Average cost of a side of spring rolls	Average cost of a side of chips
1	Edinburgh	£28.92	£9.75	£9.63	£5.53	£4.00
2	Birmingham	£27.83	£8.33	£9.43	£6.40	£3.66
3	London	£27.47	£9.13	£9.06	£5.93	£3.36
4	Liverpool	£27.17	£9.87	£9.37	£4.87	£3.07
5	Belfast	£27.07	£9.15	£9.77	£5.28	£2.87
6	Bristol	£26.37	£8.21	£10.20	£5.23	£3.40
7	Swansea	£25.43	£8.57	£8.80	£4.57	£3.50
8	Milton Keynes	£25.20	£7.70	£8.63	£5.07	£3.80
9	Coventry	£24.30	£8.03	£8.10	£4.53	£3.63
10	Newcastle	£24.28	£8.12	£7.58	£5.41	£3.17

Hull is the cheapest city in the UK for a Chinese takeaway

Costing £18.63 on average for two mains and two sides, the research crowns Hull as the cheapest city for a Chinese takeaway in the UK. In Hull, a chicken chow mein and a chicken sweet and sour dish will set residents back just £6.47 each on average.

Reading follows in second place as the cheapest place for a Chinese takeaway whilst Blackpool comes in third. Blackpool is also revealed to be the cheapest city in the ranking for a side of chips, costing just £1.93 on average.

The top 10 cheapest cities for a Chinese takeaway:

Rank	City	Average cost	Average cost of a chicken chow mein dish	Average cost of a chicken sweet and sour dish	Average cost of a side of spring rolls	Average cost of a side of chips
1	Hull	£18.63	£6.47	£6.47	£3.40	£2.30
2	Reading	£19.95	£6.83	£7.03	£3.52	£2.57
3	Blackpool	£20.23	£6.83	£6.57	£4.90	£1.93
4	Plymouth	£20.27	£6.40	£6.63	£4.17	£3.07
5	Sheffield	£20.52	£6.83	£6.87	£3.97	£2.85
6	Luton	£20.63	£6.57	£6.90	£4.13	£3.03
7	Southend-on-Sea	£20.79	£6.46	£6.90	£4.33	£3.10
8	Nottingham	£21.13	£6.77	£6.97	£3.77	£3.63
9	Preston	£21.20	£7.40	£7.05	£3.90	£2.85
10	Stoke-on-Trent	£21.53	£6.93	£7.27	£4.16	£3.17