New Delhi: If you like your beer and want it at a reasonable price, Delhi is where you should be heading—at least in India. The Indian capital is ranked fifth in the 2015 beer price index for cities where you can get the cheapest bottle of the brew.
One bottle of beer (330ml) is available at an average price of $1.75 (around Rs.112) in Delhi—costlier only than Krakow (Poland) and Kiev (Ukraine) at $1.66; Bratislava (Sovakia) at $1.69 and Malaga (Spain) at $1.72.
The beer price index was released on Tuesday by GoEuro, the travel site that helps tourists plan trips across Europe by comparing flight, train and bus prices.
The index compares several beers in supermarket stores and bars to rank 75 world cities in terms of price, including the five most commonly imported beers as well as the main local beer.
Geneva is the world’s costliest city for beer with one bottle costing $6.32. It is followed by Hong Kong, where one bottle of beer costs $6.16, Tel Aviv ($5.79), Oslo ($5.31) and New York ($5.2). “The Beer Index proves a useful guide for holiday makers looking to find the best value holidays this year, and perfect for those looking at costs beyond their hotel and accommodation,” GoEuro said in a statement.
In terms of average per capita consumption of beer, Delhi is the second lowest consumer after Cairo at six litres per year. It also has one of the lowest annual per capita spending on beer at $29, but this could be attributed to its high population.
As per a 2014 United Nations report, Delhi is the world’s second most-populous city with a population of 25 million. “Delhi is what we call an image market for beer consumption. It’s not the largest market in terms of size, but premiumization of beer consumption is happening in Delhi,” said Samar Singh Shekhawat, senior vice-president, marketing, United Breweries Ltd, the maker of Kingfisher beer.
“The national average in terms of beer consumption is 85% strong beer and 15% mild beer and Delhi closely represents this national average. What’s different about Delhi is that the super premium mild beer segment—which consists of higher priced mild beer brands such as Budweiser, Carlsberg, Heineken and Kingfisher Ultra, among others—constitutes 57% of the mild beer consumption here. Which indicates higher disposable incomes and the willingness to consume beer,” added Shekhawat.
Analysts are more sceptical about Delhi as a beer-drinking destination. “The pricing data point is fairly incidental for Delhi. People don’t travel to Delhi to have beer. India is also largely a liquor market,” said Pinakiranjan Mishra, partner and national leader (retail and consumer products) at consulting firm EY.
