Coffee
A pound of ground roast coffee cost an average of $3.23 in mid-1989 in cities tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), while it more recently averaged $4.31, in 2018. That’s an increase of only 33%, reflecting much slower growth than overall prices, which increased by 107% over that period.
Not all coffee has risen in price very slowly, though. Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX), as of last year, had upped its prices three times in three years, with the third increase being $0.10 to $0.20. Just this past May, another increase was announced for small and large brewed coffees – a $0.10 hike in most locations, taking the price of a large coffee to $2.45 in most U.S. stores.
That’s still a bargain compared to some global locations. In Russia, for example, a tall latte can set you back more than $12.
