Catanzaro is the cheapest city for coffee. This is what emerges from the joint investigation carried out by Assoutenti and the Consumer Training and Research Center (Crc), which reviewed the retail price lists of butter, roasted coffee, chocolate and espresso at the bar in the main Italian cities. As regards coffee, the damage to crops caused by periods of prolonged drought followed by abnormally heavy rains in producing countries (such as Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras) has led to the collapse of production, causing coffee prices to skyrocket. ‘Arabica and Robusta on international markets, which have reached their highest levels since the 1970s. This has resulted in sharp increases in retail prices for roasted coffee sold to consumers in shops and supermarkets. In particular, the price per kg of coffee, in the main Italian cities, has recorded an average increase of 42.8% in the last 3 years, reaching an average of 12.66 euros per kg at the end of 2024, compared to 8.86 euros of 2021. Trieste is the city where roasted coffee costs the most (14.34 euros per kg), while Catanzaro is the cheapest (10.36 euros/kg).
According to the joint survey carried out by Assoutenti and the Center for Training and Research on Consumption, the price increases of the classic cup of coffee served in Italian bars continue, to the point that at the end of 2024 the average price of espresso in Italy reached an average of 1. 21 euros, up by +18.1% on 2021. Bolzano firmly at the top of the ranking of Italian cities where espresso costs the most, with an average of 1.38 euro per cup, followed by Trento (1.35 euros) and Pescara (1.34 euros), a city which also sees the heaviest price increase (+34% from 2021). The average price in the cheapest city, Catanzaro, rises to 1 euro, 1.12 euros in Rome. With 6 billion cups of espresso sold every year in Italy, the total outlay for consumers has reached 7.26 billion euros in 2024. Another consumer product that has recorded abnormal price increases in the last year is butter. The price of this food is influenced by the reduction in milk production, caused both by unfavorable climatic conditions in the producing countries and by a lower availability of pastures, in the face of growing demand. The average retail price of butter stood at 13.35 euros per kg at the end of 2024 in Italy, with an increase of +48.8% on 2021.
