How Expensive is London?

I'd heard it's the most expensive city in the world. But what if you weren't going to go to fancy restaurants or luxury hotels--is it possible to do London on the cheap?

Well, with the British Pound worth more than two dollars...

Gourmet Burger
Chicago: $10
London: 10 pounds ($20)

Convenience store pint of Ice Cream
Chicago: $4.50
London: 5 ($10)

Starbucks coffee drink
Chicago: $3
London: 3 pounds ($6)

Semi-casual, nice Italian Restaurant Lunch for two: a personal pizza, pasta, soup, and a soda
Chicago: $35
London 40 pounds ($80)

Navy Pier Ferris Wheel - 150 feet, 7 minutes: ($6)
London Eye - 443 feet, 30 minutes: 15 pounds ($30)

Grocery Store Bottled Water
Chicago: $1
London: 50 pence (1$)

Grocery Store Box of Crackers
Chicago: $3
London: 1.50 pounds ($3)

Indeed, everywhere except the grocery store, the prices were twice as high. (Which, by the way, gives Londoners even more incentive to eat in.) So if you really want to do London on the cheap, go to the free musuems and art galleries and get your food from the grocery store.

But seriously, London is worth doing right. So just save up a little and spend those pounds like they're dollars.

Oh, and the price of a pint of Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Bitter at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub is 1.86 pounds, or a reasonable $3.75. And it's pretty funny when the Brewery that was founded in 1758 is actually not as old as the pub--founded in 1538, rebuilt as is in 1667, after the Great Fire.