LONDON at 100K Philippine Peso Budget. ALL-IN!

Here’s a rough guide on what to expect and how to enjoy London with a 100K Peso Budget. The content of this article is inspired by my recent trip to London last Christmas 2015. I hope this will help you plan your trip accordingly. Enjoy!

Note: There is a TIPS section at the bottom part of the article to help you in cutting down the costs further. If you can apply all the tips below, you may be lucky enough to cut down your expenses from 100K to 60K Pesos! Good luck and let me know if you did it! 🙂

ITINERARY (Where-to-go at London)

So, first things first: let’s plan the itinerary. Here’s my proposed go-to list and you may change it as you wished. Ours is a more laid-back itinerary for we were at London for 10 whole days. Below is an optimised version for a 6-whole day vacation at London, wherein the arrival and departure days are not included. If you think I missed something, let me know and hit the comment section below!

Day 1: Arrival and Rest Day (Note: London is 8 hrs behind Philippine Time, hence JETLAG)

Day 2: St. Paul Church, Millennium Bridge, Tower Bridge, Tower of London & Linden Hall

Day 3: Oxford St., British Museum, Regeant St., Piccadilly Circus

Day 4: Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, Baker St., Abbey Road

Day 5: V&A Museum, Science Museum, Natural Museum,

Day 6: Buckingham, Hyde Park, Harrods

Day 7: Big Ben, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Camden Market

Day 8: Pack Things and Get Ready for Departure

BUDGET

Now, let’s get to the most important part: the budget. See below for the breakdown of my proposed budget:

Round Trip Air-Fare Tickets:

Air-fare tickets from Manila to London with or without stopover will cost you around P35,000 to P55,000. (Assumption: P40,000 round trip tickets)

UK Visa:

UK Visa Application Fee filed in the Philippines will cost you approximately P6,500 per person

Accommodation:

AIRBNB Entire Apartment (8 days for 1-2 pax) = P4,500 per day or P35,000 total

Food:

Water = 0 pound … Their tap cold water is potable! Hooray for FREE water!
Rice 2Kg = 3 pounds = 210 pesos
1 whole chicken = 5 to 7 pounds = 350 to 490 pesos
Cod fish fillets (8 pcs) = 4 to 8 pounds = 280 to 560 pesos
Seasoning and other ingredients (Soy sauce, Salt, Pepper, Catsup and etc) = 10 pounds = 700 pesos
Pizza from Tesco (2 pcs) = 3.50 pounds = 250 pesos
Fruit Juices (1 liter) = 1 pound = 70 pesos
Kiwi fruit (10 pcs) = 1 pound = 70 pesos
Oranges (6 pcs) = 1 pound = 70 pesos
Subway Sandwich = 5 to 7 pounds = 350 to 490 pesos
Restaurant Meal (per person) = 7 to 10 pounds = 490 to 700 pesos

(Rule of Thumb: almost all ready-to-eat meals are doubled in price when compared to the Philippines. Buying raw food are way cheaper, and YES their fruits are such a cheap find too! Just so you know, a Kiwi in the Philippines cost roughly 25 pesos each. There, it will only cost you 7 pesos. AMAZING!)

Budget for (Cook your Own) Breakfast and Dinner Meals (8 days): 30 to 35 pounds = P2,000 to P2,500

Budget for (Eat Out) Lunch Meals (8 days): 50 to 60 pounds = P3,500 to P5,000

Transportation:

Underground Train and/or Bus Fee (Daily Cap – Max. Fare) = 7 pounds = 490 pesos

Transportation Budget (8 days): 56 to 80 pounds = P4,000

Souvenir Items:

Key Chains (6 pcs): 5 pounds = 350 pesos

Refrigerator Magnets (6 pcs): 5 pounds = 350 pesos

Museum Book Guide: 7 pounds (each) = 490 pesos

Souvenir & Shopping Budget: 65 to 70 pounds = P9,000

8 TIPS for cutting down the cost further!

Return your oyster card on your last day to get your refund.
Walk as much as you can and cut down your transpo budget to 4 pounds.
Take advantage of FREE entrance fees: Museums and Parks. This is the reason why the bulk of the itinerary consists of Museums. Besides, who would want to miss Vincent Van Gogh’s, Michelangelo’s and Raphael’s works of art? There is a lot to be seen. Promise, you’ll enjoy it!
Cook your own Lunch Meals too! Yet, I hope you allot at least 2 days of lunch out in your budget, so you can get to experience their “fish and chips” or “english breakfast” kind of meals.
Scout for air-fare ticket sales, or ask a family member or friend (who works for an Airline Company) if they have discount tickets that they’re willing to share with you. Round trip tickets can go down to P25,000 if you’re that lucky.
If you can bear sharing a bathroom and kitchen with your host or another guest, choose an AIRBNB Private Room instead of renting an Entire Apartment. This will cost you around P2,000 each night.
Get a travel buddy to cut down your accommodation cost for the entire apartment into half.
Lastly, why buy souvenirs if you now have your London photos and videos with you. Right? What do you think?

PS #1: If you’re successful in cutting down your budget, why not add another day to include Greenwich, Stonehenge, Warner Bros. Studio Tour (for Harry Potter fans) and / or Doctor Who Experience (for Doctor Who fans) in your itinerary. 😀

PS #2: The prices above are true and relevant on Dec 2015. Prices may slightly vary in the future depending on the status of the economy. Also, the conversion rate assumption is 1 pound = 70 pesos.

That’s it! I hope I am a big help. If you have anything to add, I would love to hear them too. Looking forward to reading your comments or inquiries! 🙂

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