London hospitality, culture spots cost 15 pct more than rest of England: data

LONDON, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Enjoying London's culture or staying at hotels in the British capital costs around 15 percent more than in any other part of Britain, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Thursday in a prices review.

It showed that on average prices in London were 7 percent above the British average.

The cost of enjoying recreation and culture in London is 18.6 percent higher than the rest of England, while people visiting restaurants or staying at hotels in London could expect to pay 15.6 percent more than the average in England.

Those wanting recreation and cultural life on the cheap would have to head to Northern Ireland which has the lowest overall price levels, 2.3 percent below the British average.

As well as London, three other regions have prices higher than the national average, South West England, South East England and Scotland.

Yorkshire and the Humber and Northern Ireland had the lowest of the regions in Britain with relative prices of 2.3 percent and 2.4 percent respectively below the national average.

A spokesperson for ONS said: "Greater price dispersion exists in the divisions that include an element of services, including restaurants and hotels, recreation and culture, and miscellaneous goods and services. This reflects the variance in labor expenses in the regions, which make up a large proportion of the total costs in the services industry and also the variability in the cost of renting or leasing premises across the regions." Enditem