Ben Hamilton
November 17th, 2016

Share

Newspapers, books, porn, television shows … and sex of course – the list of the best things in life that are free is increasingly growing!

But while many Danes frown at the thought of paying 20 kroner for something that might entertain them for hours, they’ll happily pay quadruple that for a coffee and croissant.

Such is their willingness to pay, it’s no surprise to discover that Copenhagen is the second most expensive city in the world to drink coffee.

High coffee shop sales
Danes spend an average 3.01 euros on every cup of coffee they drink, according to the 2016 Coffee Price Index compiled by online office supply company Service Partner ONE, based on results accumulated from 75 cities in 36 countries.

But when you consider the average price of a cup of coffee at home costs 0.30 euros and at the office just 0.36 euros, that translates into an awful lot of coffee bought on the highstreet.

Swiss-dominated list
While Zurich topped (or came last in) the index with an average of 3.24 euros, it massively trailed the Danish capital for its average at independent coffee shops, ringing the cash register with 5.49 for a medium cappuccino, compared to Copenhagen’s world-leading 6.01.

Still, Starbucks prices were more expensive in Zurich at 6.33 for a grande latte compared to 5.37, so maybe their executives need to take notes! Their prices have certainly ensured there’s a heavy Swiss presence in the bottom five, with Geneva, Bern and Basel all present as well.

Cheapest in Brazil
According to the survey, the average resident in Denmark consumes 5.3 kilos (approximately a standard bag a month) of coffee a year, which was well ahead of most countries. The Swiss only average 3.9, for example.

The cheapest country to drink coffee is Brazil, with Rio topping the index with an average of 0.94 euros, followed by Sao Paolo.

The cheapest European cities were Milan (4th) followed by Seville and Valencia (5th and 7th). Starbucks charges 3.50 euros a cup in both Italy and Spain.