Everyone's staring at the price of a cup of coffee, while the real cost for families comes from the supermarket and their bills. The controversy over the " high coffee price " regularly returns to the forefront of the debate, but for Fipe Confcommercio Sud Sardegna, the numbers demand a proper perspective: since 2020, rising food and energy prices have led to approximately €60 billion in additional spending for Italian families, while coffee shop consumption represents just 2% of household spending.
And even when looking at the cup itself, the picture is very different from that of uncontrolled price increases. According to the Fipe Restaurant Report , in December 2025, an espresso in Cagliari cost an average of €1.52. Nationally, between 2020 and 2026, bar service and the price of coffee increased by around 23%, essentially in line with general inflation over the same period.
Essential spending fared quite differently: over the same period , food prices saw increases exceeding 30%, while the cumulative increase for housing and energy exceeded 70% . This disparity is even more significant when considering the impact these items have on the wallet: spending at bars represents approximately 2% of a family's consumption, compared to 16% for food and 6% for energy bills. And it is precisely these last two items, being largely expenses that are difficult to reduce, that are most impacting households with lower spending power.
"We don't want to downplay the difficulties facing families, because we know that even a few euros can make a difference today. But that's precisely why we need to talk about the real numbers," emphasizes Emanuele Frongia, president of Fipe Confcommercio Sud Sardegna. "A few cents in coffee cup adjustments aren't enough to empty your wallet. In recent years, families have had to spend tens of billions more on food, electricity, gas, and other essential expenses. This is where the real erosion of purchasing power has occurred."
