Swifties need to be thrifty: Research reveals huge increase in costs for fans attending Eras tour

15 May 2024 5 min read

Contents

When Taylor Swift’s sell-out Eras tour comes to the UK in June and August, fans will be looking to ‘Shake it Off’ during the 15 four-hour concerts in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London, but new research has revealed a huge increase in costs for Swifties.

At UK Debt Expert, we have analysed the cost for resale tickets and car parking, as well as hotel and Airbnb costs at each of her UK tour dates.

Our team of experts used StubHub resale prices to compare the increase in resale tickets for each of the tour nights.

To assess average hotel and Airbnb prices, we analysed 20 hotels and Airbnbs within the immediate area of the arena and compared these to the average cost for the same hotels on 1 June – a week before her record-breaking tour starts.

In order to analyse average parking charges, we gathered prices on JustPark.com, looking at 20 options for each of the 15 tour dates, compared to the prices on 1 June.

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Rising resales

Although tickets quickly sold out when they were released for British Swifties in November, there are still a number of tickets available across resale sites.

While the cheapest tickets available on resale site StubHub are priced at £296, our analysis shows that fans could pay more than £36,000 for the luxury of seeing All Too Well’s 10-minute version live.

On average, resale tickets are available for an eye-watering £1,850. Taylor’s Edinburgh shows currently have the lowest prices, with seats on offer for an average of £1,274.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the headline shows at Wembley Stadium are the highest priced, with average prices standing at £2,297. Fans looking to attend the Wembley concert on 20 August are facing a minimum cost of £783.

DateLocationMost expensive resale priceLeast expensive resale priceAverage resale price
17 AugustLondon£36149£481£2,704.48
15 AugustLondon£24099£617£2,519.06
22 JuneLondon£24099£710£2,412.09
23 JuneLondon£13693£482£2,312.35
21 JuneLondon£6025£723£2,263.34
16 AugustLondon£17171£695£2,217.12
20 AugustLondon£18677£783£2,031.23
19 AugustLondon£7230£602£1,919.85
14 JuneLiverpool£7374£422£1,513.22
13 JuneLiverpool£7230£492£1,390.98
18 JuneCardiff£9640£518£1,359.96
7 JuneEdinburgh£6025£361£1,330.02
15 JuneLiverpool£10336£512£1,308.69
9 JuneEdinburgh£6868£296£1,261.19
8 JuneEdinburgh£7757£410£1,230.79

Any room in the budget?

It’s not just resale tickets where Swifties will be facing a huge increase in costs if they’re looking for last-minute accommodation.

Our analysis shows that an average double hotel room currently costs £417.80 for the night of the concert across the fifteen tour dates. This is an increase from an average of £127.93 on 1 June – a rise of 227%.

Fans attending the BT Murrayfield concerts in Edinburgh face the highest average costs, with rooms priced as high as £749 on average. The Scottish capital also had the most expensive rooms, with a single night’s stay costing as much as £1,365.

The cheapest option in our analysis was priced at a hefty £399.

Those looking for a room at the Anfield shows in Liverpool on 13, 14 and 15 June faced the biggest increase in average costs. We compared the cost of a double room on the night of the tour shows against the price on Saturday 1 June, and Swifties attending the Liverpool tour dates faced an average increase in costs as high as 458%.

The London show on 22 June saw the smallest average increase in prices. The average cost of a double room on 22 June was £306.20, which was still 137% higher than the average cost on 1 June.

Fans can still bag a bargain stay for the tour dates later in the summer, with some rooms for London and Liverpool concerts as low as £54.

Which tour date has the highest increase in average hotel prices?

DateLocationMost expensive optionAverage priceIncrease for concert
15 JuneLiverpool£760£419.00459%
14 JuneLiverpool£1,950£410.00440%
8 June13 JuneLiverpool£874£323.80332%
8 JuneEdinburgh£604£392.85301%
7 JuneEdinburgh£1,365£749.35258%

I’m the problem, it’s Airbnb

Swifties looking for a bargain on Airbnb may be disappointed, with average costs for the night still 60% higher than on a Saturday before the tour kicks off. Those looking to book last-minute stays across the fifteen dates can expect to pay £185 for the night, compared to £116 on 1 June.

Airbnbs for the Cardiff concert on 18 June have the highest increase, with average prices standing at £307.45, compared to a pre-tour average of £108.40, a rise of 184%.

Which tour date has the highest increase in average Airbnb prices?

DateLocationMost expensive optionAverage priceIncrease for concert
18 JuneCardiff£528£307.45184%
20 AugustLondon£468£188.05127%
8 JuneEdinburgh£1,052£365.70120%
7 JuneEdinburgh£1,032£365.70120%
19 AugustLondon£468£163.7109%

Cardiff cheapest for parking

For Swifties looking to find a cheap spot to park when they attend the concert, those heading to Cardiff on 18 June are in luck, as prices are actually lower compared to a ‘normal’ Saturday.

Average prices for four hours of parking on JustPark.com stand at £7.85, compared to £8.15.

This is in stark contrast to Edinburgh, where prices are 183% higher when Taylor heads to the Scottish capital. Four hours of parking will cost fans a whopping £56.35, compared to a typical average of £19.85. The most expensive option for parking was as high as £251.

Which tour date has the highest increase in average parking prices?

DateLocationMost expensive optionAverage priceIncrease for concert
9 JuneEdinburgh£251£56.35183.88%
8 JuneEdinburgh£230£53.80171.03%
13 JuneLiverpool£227£36.4543.50%
23 JuneLondon£167£33.5563.26%
14 JuneLiverpool£218£28.3011.42%

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Methodology

UK Debt Expert analysed the costs of resale tickets available on StubHub.com, inclusive of estimated fees, to work out an average cost per ticket. To analyse the increase in the cost of hotel rooms and Airbnbs its team collated the prices for the 20 rooms or stays closest to the concert venues on Booking.com or airbnb.com and compared them with the price for a stay on 1 June, a week before the tour begins. Parking costs were collected from JustPark.com, selected 20 parking spaces available near the concert venues, and compared against the same prices on 1 June. Prices correct as of 10 May 2024.

Maxine McCreadie

Maxine McCreadie

Author/Debt Expert

Maxine McCreadie, prominent personal finance writer featured in Vogue and Yahoo News, delivers practical guidance, simplifying money management and championing financial literacy.

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