Published: 29 June 2026
This page is part of our Airport Travel Hub, which brings together all our guides to making your journey through the airport easier.
Airport Prices Compared: Are Airport Shops Really More Expensive?
Airport shops have a reputation for charging premium prices, but is it really true?
We compared the prices of 35 everyday products such as toiletries, sun protection and snacks at Heathrow with the same items in the same high street store to answer the question:
Is Boots more expensive at the airport?
The answer? On average, airport prices were 16% higher, with drinks and snacks costing almost 20% more.
Airport retailers have high overheads
Retailers operating in airports have higher costs than those operating on the high street. Rents are notoriously high, companies often have to comply with airport rules around long opening hours and there is increased operational complexity with having to security screen all stock. Recruitment of employees can also be a challenge as commuting to and working at an airport is not for everyone. Despite all this, there do not appear to be so many empty retail units in our major airports.
How Much More Expensive Are Airport Shops?
Our conclusion is that pretty much everything at Heathrow is a minimum of 10% higher than at a high-street store. As Boots tend to round their prices to the nearest 5p, rounding means that some products were actually 9% or 11% more.
Furthermore, we also found that some items that were on a promotional discount at the high street store were not always on offer in the airport, meaning that travellers are missing out on prices that regular Boots shoppers could take advantage of. Four of the products in our sample were over 40% more expensive in the airport due to the high street offers not being replicated.
Some of the price differences are fairly extreme, this can of Sure deodorant is £4.75 in the airport, 66% more expensive compared to the high street:
In addition, Boots appear to charge significantly more for drinks and snacks at the airport. Across a sample of 5 items, the average price found at Heathrow was actually 18% higher than in their high street branches.
It was also interesting that Boots do not appear to sell their cheapest paracetamol at the airport (49p on the high street), preferring the £1.69 capsule version instead.
Only one item that was the same price at both premises and that was a USB mobile phone charging cable. However, at £14.99, we felt that the high street price for this item was not particularly competitive anyway.
Overall, if we had purchased one of each of the 35 items, we would have paid £190.30 at Boots in the airport, 16% more than the Boots high street price of £164.27.
The Price Differences (highest to lowest)
| Category | Item | High Street Price | Airport Price | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Womens deodorant | Sure Women Nonstop Protection Anti-Perspirant Aerosol Frozen Açaí & Jasmine 250ml | £2.86 | £4.75 | +66% |
| Mens razor | Gillette Fusion5 Razor for Men (1 Razor) | £7.32 | £12.10 | +65% |
| Suncream | Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Sun Cream Spray SPF 30 200ml | £6.90 | £10.50 | +52% |
| Hairspray | L'Oreal Paris Elnett Hairspray, Extra Strong Hold 200ml | £3.86 | £5.65 | +46% |
| Chewing gum | Wrigley's Extra Peppermint 14g | £0.90 | £1.10 | +22% |
| Chocolate bar | Cadbury's Dairy Milk 45g | £0.99 | £1.20 | +21% |
| Bottle of water | Evian Water 750ml | £1.80 | £2.15 | +19% |
| AA batteries | Duracell Powerboost AA Battery 4s | £5.00 | £5.95 | +19% |
| Bag of crisps | Walkers Tomato Ketchup Crisps 45g | £1.10 | £1.30 | +18% |
| Bottle of fizzy drink | Coke Zero 500ml | £2.10 | £2.40 | +14% |
| Toothpaste | Colgate Triple Action Toothpaste 75ml | £1.25 | £1.40 | +12% |
| Mens deodorant | Sure Men Antiperspirant Aerosol Active Dry 200ml | £2.25 | £2.50 | +11% |
| Womens shampoo | L'Oréal Paris Elvive Colour Protect Shampoo, for Coloured & Highlighted Hair, 250ml | £3.25 | £3.60 | +11% |
| Womens conditioner | L'Oréal Paris Elvive Colour Protect Conditioner, for Coloured & Highlighted Hair, 200ml | £3.25 | £3.60 | +11% |
| Paracetomol | Boots Paracetamol 500mg Capsules - 16 Capsules | £1.49 | £1.65 | +11% |
| Tampons | Tampax Pearl Compak Regular Tampons with Applicator x20 | £3.75 | £4.15 | +11% |
| After bite | After Bite Classic Handy Pen 14ml | £4.75 | £5.25 | +11% |
| Hayfever tablets | Boots One-A-Day Hayfever & Allergy Relief 10mg Tablets (14 Tablets) | £3.49 | £3.85 | +10% |
| Mens shampoo | Head & Shoulders Classic Clean Anti-Dandruff Shampoo 250ml | £2.50 | £2.76 | +10% |
| Mens shaving foam | Gillette Series Sensitive Men's Shaving Gel 200ml | £2.45 | £2.70 | +10% |
| Condoms | Durex Thin Feel Condoms Extra Silicone Lube – Regular Fit (12 pack) | £10.99 | £12.10 | +10% |
| After sun | Nivea Sun Moisturising After Sun Spray with Aloe Vera 200ml | £6.09 | £6.70 | +10% |
| Tissues | Boots Everyday Soft Tissues 4ply Pocket Pack Single | £0.50 | £0.55 | +10% |
| Moisure wipes | Wet Ones Be Gentle Biodegradable Antibacterial Hand Wipes (40 Wipes) | £2.00 | £2.20 | +10% |
| Anticeptic cream | Savlon Antiseptic Cream 30g | £2.50 | £2.75 | +10% |
| Flight earplugs | Boots Earplugs Flight 2s | £4.50 | £4.95 | +10% |
| Mens hair wax | Vo5 Matt Long Lasting Hold Hair Clay 75ml | £5.00 | £5.50 | +10% |
| Face cream | Olay Regenerist Day Face Cream SPF30 Active Firming Moisturiser with Niacinamide and Peptides 50ml | £30.00 | £33.00 | +10% |
| Toothbrush | Colgate Advanced White Medium Toothbrush | £1.50 | £1.65 | +10% |
| Insect spray | Jungle Formula Maximum Any Destination Aerosol 125ml | £9.20 | £10.10 | +10% |
| Diarrhea relief | Imodium Original 2mg Capsules (6 Capsules) | £3.60 | £3.95 | +10% |
| Herbal sleeping tablets | Nytol Herbal Tablets (30 tablets) | £6.20 | £6.80 | +10% |
| Hand cream | Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream Concentrated Unscented 50ml | £4.29 | £4.70 | +10% |
| Mens shower gel | Original Source Lemon and Tea Tree Shower Gel Body Wash 250ml | £1.65 | £1.80 | +9% |
| iPhone charging cable | Juice USB-C to Lightning Cable 1m White | £14.99 | £14.99 | - |
| Grand Total | £164.27 | £190.30 | +16% |
Research was undertaken on 21 & 22 June 2026 at Boots Teesside Park, Boots Heathrow Terminal 5 and WH Smith Terminal 5. For the purposes of the research, single item promotional prices were included but we did not include any multi buys, such as 3 for 2 offers.
The Easy Way to Beat Airport Prices
If you place an order on the Boots website, you can use Boots Click and Collect service and pick up your items in store. This gives you the same offers as in a high street branch, plus some additional online codes can often reduce the price significantly. You can’t order drinks & snacks online but we were able to save 21% on the 30 items when taking advantage of the website prices and using a 20% online discount code which was showing against some items. Boots charge £4.50 for the in-store collection service.
At airports that still have the 100ml liquid restriction in place, you can take advantage of Click and Collect to pick up your items from the airside Boots store, meaning that you can take larger liquid items in your hand luggage.
Boots offer Click and Collect at 13 airports: Aberdeen, Belfast International, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Gatwick North and South, Glasgow, Heathrow (Terminal 5), Leeds Bradford, London City, Luton, Manchester (Terminal 2), Newcastle and Stansted. When ordering, remember to select the airside branch (ie the one after security).
Boots vs WH Smith at Heathrow
We originally intended to do this research only on Boots but when we popped into WH Smith at Heathrow, we compared the prices of the same 5 drink & snack items on our list and got a bit of a shock. The cost of a bottle of water, a bottle of Coke Zero, a bag of crisps, a bar of chocolate and a packet of chewing gum totalled £15.25 – 87% higher than the £8.15 charged by Boots Heathrow…
| Category | Item | Boots Airport Price | WH Smith Airport Price | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chewing gum | Wrigley's Extra Peppermint 14g | £1.10 | £1.89 | +72% |
| Chocolate bar | Cadbury's Dairy Milk 45g | £1.20 | £2.69 | +124% |
| Bag of crisps | Walkers Tomato Ketchup Crisps 45g | £1.30 | £2.69 | +107% |
| Bottle of water | Evian Water 750ml | £2.15 | £3.99 | +86% |
| Bottle of fizzy drink | Coke Zero 500ml | £2.40 | £3.99 | +66% |
| Grand Total | £8.15 | £15.25 | +87% |
Of course WH Smith may well claim that many of their items were available with a multi-buy discount but then again, not everyone wants to purchase a meal deal or 3 bottles of Coca-Cola at that same time.
VAT on airport spend
Back in 2015, there was significant coverage regarding airport retailers not passing on VAT savings on items sold to people travelling outside the EU. After a lot of media pressure, retailers such as Booths & WH Smith partially ended this practice but since then, new HMRC rules have meant that since 1 January 2021, VAT has to be charged on airport sales in the same way as on the high street.
Should You Buy at the Airport?
Our research suggests that the common belief that airport shops are more expensive is well founded.
Across the 35 products we compared, prices at Boots Heathrow were 16% more than the same items in a high street branch. Drinks and snacks showed the biggest differences, costing 18% more on average.
That doesn’t mean you should never buy anything at the airport. Sometimes convenience outweighs cost, and if you’ve forgotten an essential item you’ll probably have little choice. However, a little planning can save money. Buying toiletries before you travel or using Boots’ Click & Collect service can help you avoid paying airport prices while still enjoying the convenience of collecting your shopping after security.
As for WH Smith and based on our small sample, it is perhaps no surprise for regular travellers that it can be considerably more expensive than Boots for everyday snacks and drinks. If you’re buying refreshments before your flight, it’s worth checking both shops before heading to the departure gate.
Further Reading
- Learn how you can get rewarded for your airport shopping with our articles on Club Avolta and Heathrow Rewards
- If you are a regular traveller, it might be worth considering Priority Pass – which gives you access to over 600 airport lounges in the UK and all over the world.
