London cappuccino prices jump a third in four years

Starbucks cappuccino costs 41% more.

A regular cappuccino in Central London costs around 27% more than it did four years ago, according to new Meaningful Vision data.

The average price increased from £3.30 in June 2022 to £4.20 in June 2026. Prices rose steadily throughout the period, reaching £3.60 in 2023, £3.70 in 2024 and £4.00 in 2025.

Some brands recorded even sharper increases. A Tall Cappuccino at Starbucks rose by almost 41%, from £3.05 to £4.30 over the four years analysed.

The latest UK coffee pricing trends indicate that inflationary pressure has not disappeared. Coffee prices across UK foodservice increased by 8.2% year on year in Q2 2026, compared with 6.8% growth in the wider Meaningful Vision same-item foodservice price index.

Operators are also adopting a broad range of price positions. Meaningful Vision data currently puts a regular cappuccino at £3.60 at Blank Street Coffee, £4.20 at Costa Coffee and Caffè Nero, £4.25 at Starbucks and £4.69 at Black Sheep Coffee.

"The commercial question is whether the price is supported by the product, location, convenience and overall customer experience. Customers may accept a premium where they can see a clear reason for it. The risk emerges when prices rise faster than the value customers believe they are receiving," Maria Vanifatova, CEO of Meaningful Vision, said.

The current difference between £3.60 and £4.69 for a regular cappuccino shows how widely brand positioning can vary. National averages provide useful context, but they cannot tell an operator whether £4.20, £4.50 or £4.70 is the right price for a particular product and location.

“As UK coffee prices continue to rise faster than wider food and beverage inflation, competitor benchmarking at item and location level is becoming increasingly important. Operators need to understand where their core coffee range sits against the competitors their customers actually consider," Vanifatova said.