It Wasn't Starbucks... Where Is the Most Expensive Place for the Must-Have Commute Item 'Americano'?

Korea Consumer Agency's 'Appropriate Coffee Price' Survey Results
"2600 Won is Appropriate for One Americano"

The appropriate price for coffee as perceived by consumers is 2,635 won for an Americano, and a survey found that major cafe franchise stores sell Americanos at prices nearly twice as high as this.

On the 5th, the Korea Consumer Agency announced that a survey of 1,000 coffee consumers and 25 franchise coffee specialty stores revealed that the actual selling prices of coffee and beverages differed by up to 32.4% from the 'appropriate price' consumers expected.

In the case of Americano, Coffee Bean is the most expensive at 5,000 won, followed by Paul Bassett at 4,700 won, and specialty stores such as Starbucks, Pascucci, Angel-in-us, Twosome Place, Hollys, Droptop, and Caffe Bene are priced at 4,500 won.
[Photo by YouTube channel 'Starbucks Korea' video capture]

A survey conducted by the Consumer Agency targeting 1,000 consumers who had used coffee specialty stores in the past six months showed that 73.5% (735 people) of respondents felt that coffee and beverage prices at coffee specialty stores were expensive. The expected appropriate prices were found to be 2,635 won for an Americano, 3,323 won for a Cafe Latte, 3,564 won for a Caramel Macchiato, and 2,983 won for Tea.

The appropriate price for coffee as perceived by consumers is 2,635 won based on an Americano, while major cafe franchise stores sell Americanos at prices close to nearly twice that amount.
[Image source=Getty Images]

Americano Average Price 3,001 Won... 13.9% More Expensive Than Consumer Expectation

[Photo by Korea Consumer Agency]

However, the average price of 25 coffee specialty stores surveyed by the Consumer Agency showed that the Americano averaged 3,001 won, which is 13.9% more expensive than consumers expected. Cafe Latte (3,978 won) was 19.7% more expensive, Caramel Macchiato (4,717 won) was 32.4% more expensive, and Tea (3,555 won) was 19.2% more expensive than the expected prices, respectively.

The survey also confirmed significant price differences among companies. For the same size Americano, Coffee Bean was the most expensive at 5,000 won, followed by Paul Bassett at 4,700 won, and specialty stores such as Starbucks, Pascucci, Angel-in-us, Twosome Place, Hollys, Droptop, and Caffe Bene priced it at 4,500 won. Six companies including Mega MGC Coffee, Compose Coffee, and Paik’s Coffee priced it at 1,500 won, and Cafe Bombom was the cheapest at 1,300 won among the surveyed stores.

In the case of Americano, Coffee Bean was found to be the most expensive at 5,000 won.

For the most expensive Coffee Bean, the Americano is 5,000 won, Cafe Latte 5,900 won, Caramel Macchiato 6,900 won, and Tea 6,000 won, which is 2,365 won more expensive for Americano, 2,577 won more for Cafe Latte, 3,336 won more for Caramel Macchiato, and 3,017 won more for Tea compared to the 'appropriate price.'