To create the ranking, the research team averaged the cost of four separate types of coffee: a cup of coffee in an office, a Grande Latte from Starbucks, a medium cappuccino from an independent coffee shop, and a cup of coffee at home. The research looks into costs of coffee from various sources, not just high street outlets, in order to get a clearer picture of the overall value of coffee in each city.

One city from Indonesia featured in the ranking. Jakarta placed in position 43 ($2.09). This compares to Zurich which came in as the most expensive city overall, at an average of $3.52, and Rio de Janeiro where coffee was the most affordable, with an average of $1.02.

The study revealed overall that the 10 most affordable cities for coffee are:

The five most expensive cities for coffee are:

The Index presents an interesting trend in that the price of coffee within the home and office doesn’t vary much between cities within a country. However, the price of coffee in independent cafes made one of the largest differences to the overall average cost. For instance, in Germany the cost of a home and office coffee, along with a Starbucks Grande Latte, were found to be the same in Leipzig and Frankfurt. However, the cost of a medium cappuccino in an independent cafe in Leipzig was found to be $2.90, whilst the average price of a medium cappuccino in an independent cafe in Frankfurt is $3.80, an approximate a 30% increase in price between the two cities. Leipzig’s overall average coffee cost is $1.93, placing it in 30th position, whilst Frankfurt’s overall average coffee cost is $2.15, placing it in position 47.

Starbucks was selected as a factor in the Index as it is the most most widely available, premium priced coffee chain the world over, and as such offers an interesting economic barometer between countries. The difference in price of a Grande Latte, ranged from $1.45 in Rio de Janeiro to $6.89 in Zurich, nearly a 400% price increase.  

With many different brands of coffee globally available, all metrics were standardized to effectively compare the price of coffee in the home and the office across different economic systems.

Further findings from the ranking include:

• The cities with the most affordable office and home coffee are Kuala Lumpur and Bandar Seri Beg where an average cup costs an office 11 cents, or 9 cents at home.
• The city with the most expensive office and home coffee is Jakarta at an average of 87 cents a cup in an office, or 72 cents at home.
• The city with the most affordable independent coffee shops is Bogota where a cup of cappuccino is priced at an average of $1.64.
• The city with the most expensive independent coffee shops is Copenhagen with an average of $6.53 for a cappuccino.

Notes: Italy is one of the few markets where Starbucks is not yet active, with the first of the chain’s outlets set to open in Milan in January 2017. The cost of a Grande Latte from Milan was calculated as an estimate using similar markets.

Currency exchanges true on 25th October 2016. Differences in currency may now exist due to the recently fluctuating dollar.

Source: Service Partner ONE, with minor editing