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Where is the cheapest coffee in Switzerland?

Naomi Tsvirko
Naomi Tsvirko - [email protected]
Where is the cheapest coffee in Switzerland?
The price of a coffee in Switzerland differs dramatically in each canton. Photo: Depositphoto.com/envivo

In Switzerland, the price differences for a cup of coffee are enormous, even within the cantons. An investigation has determined the costs by comparing Swiss regions.

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Coffee is a popular beverage in Switzerland, with the Swiss drinking 1110 cups each in 2017, which is an average of three coffees a day per capita. But for many coffee lovers, the price of the same coffee varies dramatically based on where they order it. In Ticino, you can get a large black coffee for two Swiss francs, while in Zurich you often pay double or even three times the price for the drink.

The association Cafetier Suisse and Gastro Suisse has reported coffee prices in accordance with region and gross hourly local wages to determine how long you have to work for a cup of coffee. , reports the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. 

The report reveals, that a Swiss employee has to work the longest for a coffee in eastern Switzerland where the average coffee costs 4.17 Swiss francs - around seven minutes compared to five minutes in Ticino where coffee is around 2.70 Swiss francs on average. In Zurich the average coffee is 4.35 Swiss francs, and can for purchased for the local average of 6.6 minutes of work.

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A cafe in Ticino, the canton that is home to Switzerland's cheapest coffee. Photo: Depositphotos.com/encrier

 

According to the survey, the price discrepancy is based on profit margins and the purchasing power of café owners in different cantons. The research concluded that the coffee prices in the German-speaking regions are most expensive and are more often over 4 Swiss francs. Meanwhile, in the midlands and around Lake Geneva they are significantly less. The Canton Ticino was home to Switzerland’s cheapest coffee. 

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Hans-Peter Oettli, President of Cafetier Suisse told the Tages-Anzeiger, believes “that the low prices in the Ticino and around Lake Geneva have to do with the much cheaper competition on the borders”.

“The price differences can also be seen within the individual urban and rural areas, where coffee is cheaper in rural parts,” says Oettli.

Below is a regional comparison of coffee prices and minutes worked (based on the local wage):

  1. East Switzerland: Average coffee price is 4.17 Swiss Francs (7.1 minutes of work)
  2. Central Switzerland: Average coffee price is 4.20 Swiss Francs (6.8 minutes of work)
  3. Northwest Switzerland: Average coffee price is 4.29 Swiss Francs (6.7 minutes of work)
  4. Zurich: Average coffee price is 4.35 Swiss Francs (6.6 minutes of work)
  5. Espace Midland: Average coffee price is 3.93 Swiss Francs (6.4 minutes of work)
  6. Lake Geneva Region: Average coffee price is 3.24 Swiss Francs (5.1 minutes of work)
  7. Ticino: Average coffee price is 2.70 Swiss Francs (5.1 minutes of work)

Across all regions, coffee in Switzerland costs an average price of 4 Swiss Francs. 

 

 

 

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