Coffee cup increasingly expensive but consumption does not slow down
The price of espresso in the three-year period 2021-2024 increased by 15% with peaks in tourist resorts, in the North and especially served at the table
3' min read
3' min read
The Italian passion for coffee knows no seasons. As confirmed by the "Trends in the Italian coffee market" study carried out by AstraRicerche for the Italian Coffee Committee, almost all Italians between the ages of 18 and 65 (98.6%) consume coffee or coffee-based drinks at least occasionally, while more than 7 out of 10 Italians (71.3%) drink it every day, several times a day. "For 91% of Italians, the day really only begins after the first cup," the survey reiterates, highlighting how this daily ritual remains strong even during the summer months.
With the arrival of warm weather, coffee reinvents itself, conquering social media and transforming the daily break into a moment of creativity and conviviality. "Its freshest variants - from shaken coffee to cream coffee, from granita with cream to iced coffee - invade social media, immortalised in photos and videos that tell of new ways to enjoy it," the report points out.
But behind this unchanged passion hides an economic reality that has undergone significant transformations. According to Fipe-Confcommercio data based on ISTAT surveys, from 2020 to 2025 the national average price of a cup of espresso has risen from around 1 euro to around 1.18-1.20 euro, while cappuccino has risen from around 1.30 euro to over 1.55-1.60 euro. "Nin the three-year period 2021-2024, the price of espresso increased by about 14-15%", the analysis points out, with increases basically following the pace of general inflation.
As the Restaurant Top Restaurant Observatory also observes, the price increases reflect not only the increase in raw materials, but also the need for public establishments to maintain sustainable margins in an increasingly competitive market.
The territorial differences remain marked, with the North leading the list of price increases. In 2024 an espresso cost an average of 1.36 euro in the North against 1.15 euro in the South, according to Gambero Rosso data. The Fipe-Confcommercio 'map' of prices shows values ranging from a minimum of around 0.95 euro in Messina to a maximum of around 1.36 euro in Bolzano. "Cities such as Naples stand at around 1.08-1.10 euro, while Milan and other northern cities have prices around 1.15-1.20 euro," the survey points out.
