A traditional beef roast with all the trimmings costs an average of £22.14 in the Wiltshire city, the study found.
That means a family of four would pay more than £88 before drinks or other extras are added.
The figures come from credit card company Zablewhich examined roast dinner prices at popular independent pubs in the UK’s leading staycation destinations.
Salisbury was included in a list of the ten destinations with the highest average roast prices. It ranked below Manchester, where the average cost was £22.44, and above Aberdeen, where diners paid an average of £21.75.
Cambridge topped the table at £24.34 per person. Richmond was second at £24.19, followed by Oxford at £23.97.
Edinburgh, Knaresborough, Bath and Stamford also recorded higher average prices than Salisbury. Their costs ranged from £22.99 to £23.55 per diner.
At the other end of the table, Whitby in North Yorkshire was found to have the lowest average price, at £16.78. Bradford followed at £17.80, while Penzance was third at £17.86.
The gap between Whitby and Salisbury is £5.36 per person. For four diners, that would amount to a difference of £21.44 before drinks and extras.
Zable said its research was part of a wider study into the best-value autumn staycations for 2026. The company compared hotel prices, attraction costs, weather and visitor satisfaction across destinations in the UK.
Fowey, in Cornwall, ranked first overall. It had the highest share of attractions rated four stars or above, at 91 per cent. Its free-to-visit locations include Readymoney Cove and the town’s historic harbour.
Cambridge was second overall, helped by an average hotel price of £150.11 a night and the lowest autumn rainfall in the ranking, at 59.47mm.
Tregaron, in Ceredigion, had the lowest average hotel price, at £105.20 per night. Padstow was named the most popular destination in the wider ranking, appearing in 36.4 million Instagram posts.
The study said traditional beef roasts with all the trimmings were used when comparing pub meal prices. It also found average roast costs varied by almost £8 per person between the most and least expensive destinations.
James Goforth, Product Manager at Zable said: “When planning a seasonal getaway, accommodation and day-to-day travel expenses can mount up faster than expected.
“While popular destinations often attract premium hotel prices, our research shows that exceptional value can be found by looking slightly off the beaten track or prioritising locations with free, high-quality local attractions.
“Using tools like a flexible credit card can help manage break expenses responsibly, spread costs where appropriate, and keep autumn staycation plans on track without compromising on experience.”
The full study is available on Zable’s website.
Source: www.salisburyjournal.co.uk
