A regular cappuccino in Central London costs around 27% more than it did four years ago, according to Meaningful Vision data.
Prices increased from £3.30 in June 2022 to £4.20 in June 2026, with steady growth across the period: £3.60 in 2023, £3.70 in 2024 and £4.00 in 2025.
The trend is even more pronounced for some individual brands. Separate Meaningful Vision data shows that a Tall Cappuccino at Starbucks rose by almost 41%, from £3.05 to £4.30 over the period analysed.
Coffee inflation is not over
The longer-term trend matters because coffee prices are still moving faster than general food and beverage inflation.
Meaningful Vision data shows coffee prices across UK foodservice increased by 8.2% year on year in Q2 2026, compared with 6.8% growth in the wider foodservice same-item price index.
Operators are also working with a broad range of price positions. Current Meaningful Vision data puts a regular cappuccino at £3.60 at Blank Street, £4.20 at Costa Coffee and Caffè Nero, £4.25 at Starbucks and £4.69 at Black Sheep Coffee.
This is increasingly a question of value positioning rather than simply whether a coffee is “expensive”.
Customers may accept a higher price where the product, location, convenience or experience supports it. The commercial risk comes when price moves faster than the value customers believe they are receiving.
For operators, this makes competitor benchmarking increasingly important at item and location level. A national average can show where the market is moving, but it cannot tell you whether £4.20, £4.50 or £4.70 is right for a particular brand, product and location.
Where does your core coffee range now sit against the competitors your customers actually choose between?
CEO, Meaningful Vision