Coffee, how much does it cost me? Sipping an espresso at the counter remains one of the most deeply rooted rituals for Italians, but in recent years the break has become decidedly less easy on the wallet. A cup of coffee today costs an average of 1,29 euros., 25 cents more than in 2021. In five years the price increase has reached 24,2 %, almost a quarter more, with very marked differences from one city to another.
A study by the photographer of the high price of coffee Training and Research Center on Consumption (Crc), created together with Absolute users based on official Mimit data and dedicated to price trends in 2026.
From Bolzano to Messina, the price of express trains changes.
To find the most expensive coffee in Italy you have to go to Bolzano, where the average price has reached 1,51 anduro a cup. A little further behind is Pescara, with 1,49 euros. Overall they are 11 provinces have reached or exceeded the 1,40 euro mark, including Ferrara, Belluno, Ravenna, Trieste, Parma, Trento, Padua, Treviso, and Udine. At the other end of the scale is Messina, where an espresso costs on average 1,06 €, followed by Catanzaro with 1,08 euros. Aosta, Syracuse, Varese, Rome, and Pistoia complete the small group of provinces where the average price remains below 1,20 euros.
However, the comparison with 2021 shows that the most expensive cities today are not always those where prices have increased the most. The primacy of increases in fact belongs to Pescara, with a 49% jump in five yearsParma follows with 41%, Bari with 39,5%, and Naples, the symbolic home of espresso, with a 37,8% increase. The price increase in Aosta was decidedly more modest, at 6,7%, while Cagliari, Biella, and Reggio Emilia recorded increases of around 15%.
Coffee: the bean costs less, but the cup continues to rise
The most curious data comes from looking at international markets. The new increase in bar prices, according to the CRC, in fact it would not be explained mainly by the cost of the raw material, which has decreased compared to the peaks reached in 2025.
Robusta, after reaching around $5.600 per ton last year, is now trading around $3.900. Arabica has also fallen to close to $3,20 per pound, compared to prices above $4 in 2025. Therefore, other factors affecting the final price appear to be the main factors affecting the cost of coffee shops. "The increases seen at bars are due to other factors, such as rising energy and management costs for coffee shops, which are then passed on to consumers in final prices," explains the president of the CRC's scientific committee. Furio Truzzi.
However, there are still elements of uncertainty regarding the future. uncertainty Even on the supply front. Colombian coffee exports are facing a serious logistical disruption following the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the country, a factor that could add new tensions to the supply chain.
Italians rediscover coffee beans
As prices change, habits are also changing. In 2026, Coffee bean sales in Italy increased by 33%, with a growing share of consumers preferring it to capsules and pods.
According to the president of Assoutenti, Gabriele Melluso, "industry analyses tell us that Italians' coffee habits are changing." The growth in bean prices, combined with the ever-increasing price at the counter, could therefore gradually challenge one of the country's most deeply rooted habits. Melluso observes that this trend "could soon undermine the primacy of espresso at the bar, today an indispensable ritual for millions of citizens." The ritual, in short, persists. But with a cup now approaching the average of €1,30, even everyday coffee is starting to have an increasingly salty aftertaste.
