Coffee in Ireland
A cappuccino in Ireland costs about €4.18. One every workday comes to €1,087 a year. In the example above, keeping three café coffees a week and moving the other two to your goal puts €435 a year towards it: €5,625 after ten years at 5%.
Our coffee price check
Prices from the chains' public menus: website, app or delivery platform, checked 26 October 2026. Delivery menus can cost more than ordering in the café.
| Chain | Coffee | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starbucks | Cappuccino | €5.65 | Delivery menu |
| Starbucks | Black coffee | €3.95 | Delivery menu |
Coffee prices by country
Café cappuccino in 26 countries, 21 June 2026. Select a column to sort.
| Denmark | €5.93 | €1,542 | 5.4 | 23% |
| Norway | €4.96 | €1,290 | – | – |
| United States | €4.74 | €1,232 | – | – |
| Austria | €4.42 | €1,149 | 5.2 | 15% |
| United Kingdom | €4.30 | €1,118 | – | – |
| Finland | €4.28 | €1,113 | 7.6 | 18% |
| Sweden | €4.20 | €1,092 | 8.0 | 30% |
| Ireland | €4.18 | €1,087 | 1.7 | 19% |
| Netherlands | €3.84 | €998 | 5.2 | 21% |
| Estonia | €3.82 | €993 | 4.3 | 14% |
| Greece | €3.61 | €939 | 3.1 | 53% |
| Germany | €3.60 | €936 | 5.7 | 11% |
| France | €3.56 | €926 | 3.1 | 16% |
| Poland | €3.34 | €868 | 2.9 | 12% |
| Lithuania | €3.14 | €816 | 4.2 | 12% |
| Latvia | €3.13 | €814 | 2.6 | 13% |
| Romania | €2.61 | €679 | 2.4 | 19% |
| Japan | €2.61 | €679 | – | – |
| Slovakia | €2.59 | €673 | 2.7 | 4% |
| Hungary | €2.57 | €668 | 2.6 | 17% |
| Bulgaria | €2.40 | €624 | 3.3 | 17% |
| Spain | €2.39 | €621 | 3.1 | 39% |
| Slovenia | €2.29 | €595 | 7.1 | 15% |
| Croatia | €2.22 | €577 | 5.6 | 42% |
| Portugal | €1.90 | €494 | 2.9 | 45% |
| Italy | €1.85 | €481 | 3.2 | 28% |
Prices: livingcost.org, updated 21 June 2026, converted at the ECB reference rate of 19 June 2026. kg per person: Euromonitor 2023 retail and foodservice volume divided by Eurostat population (our calculation), from the European Coffee Federation report 2023/24; product weight, so lower than green-coffee figures. "Outside home": foodservice share of coffee volume. "–": no comparable figure.
The biggest coffee chains
World, by stores
- Starbucks — 40,990 (September 2025)
- Luckin Coffee — 31,048 (December 2025)
- Cotti Coffee — 15,000+ (December 2025)
- Lucky Cup — 10,000+ (December 2025)
- Tim Hortons — 5,700+ (2025)
Europe, branded coffee shops
- McCafé — 3,983
- Starbucks — 3,534
- Costa Coffee — 3,097
51,042 branded coffee shops in Europe in 2025 (Allegra, Project Café Europe 2025).
United Kingdom
- Greggs — 2,737 (2026)
- Costa Coffee — 2,707 (2026)
Store counts from company reports: Starbucks FY2025 10-K, Luckin Coffee Q4 2025 results; Cotti Coffee and Lucky Cup as reported by Jiemian; UK and Ireland from Allegra Project Café UK 2026.
The "latte factor": where it comes from
David Bach made the idea famous in Smart Women Finish Rich (1999) and The Automatic Millionaire (2004): small daily purchases, saved and invested instead, add up over decades.
Critics note that the classic examples assume returns of around 11% and leave out inflation and tax, and that housing, health and education shape a budget far more than coffee does. Ramit Sethi's answer: automate saving first, then spend freely on what you love.
This calculator shows both sides: a cautious 5% return, the result in today's money, and you choose how many coffees to keep.
Who drinks the most coffee
Finland leads Europe with 10.5 kg per person a year, then Sweden (9.0 kg) and Denmark (7.4 kg), according to the European Coffee Federation for 2023. Greece drinks the largest share outside home (53%), Slovakia the smallest (4%).
Frequently asked questions
How much does the average person spend on coffee?
One café cappuccino every workday costs about €481 a year in Italy, €1,087 in Ireland and €1,542 in Denmark at June 2026 prices. The often-quoted "$1,100 a year" comes from a 2012 US survey.
How much does a cappuccino cost in Ireland?
About €4.18 in a café (livingcost.org, 21 June 2026). In Italy it is about €1.85, in Denmark about €5.93.
Is coffee cheaper at home?
Usually several times cheaper per cup. Enter your home price in the calculator to see the yearly difference.
Which country drinks the most coffee?
Finland: 10.5 kg per person in 2023, followed by Sweden and Denmark (European Coffee Federation).
What return should I use?
The 5% default is a cautious long-term figure for a diversified investment, not a promise. Change it to match your own plan; the result in today's money is shown next to it.