The True Cost of Your Daily Coffee

Are you a coffee drinker? If not, that’s totally fine. We all have our own version of ‘coffee.’ Maybe it’s tea, candy, or protein bars—I’ll admit, there was a time when I was spending SO much money on protein bars. I mean, I was addicted. We all have our version of coffee; I invite you to take a moment and think: what is your coffee?

Now, let’s break this down. How much is coffee worth, monetarily? One cup of coffee per day comes out to $25-$35 a week, depending on if you get the fancy stuff.

Not so bad, right? It’s like $25 bucks a week—who cares? But zoom out a little. That’s $100-$140 a month. Zoom out again: $1,300-$1,820 a year.

Now, the question isn’t whether that’s “a lot” of money—the question is, what do you value? 

Let’s say you love brunch with your friends. I’m with you on that. I love brunch. I want all the cute drinks: coffee, sparkling water with lemon, appetizers, entrées, dessert. I go HARD at brunch. With $1,300-$1,800, you could go to 43-60 brunches a year. That’s almost more brunches than there are Sundays.

Or maybe you’re into massages. I love massages; they’ve been a part of my monthly budget for years.

For $1,300-$1,800, you could get 22-32 massages a year. That’s like, two massages a month! And yet I hear people say, “I can’t afford to take care of myself, I can’t afford to get a massage.”  But you could afford it—if you stop putting that money toward coffee and put it toward something else. 

How about travel? For the cost of one year’s worth of coffee, you could buy two round-trip tickets to Asia. Alright, maybe it’s not first class, but you’re still going to Asia for the price of your coffee habit.

I’m not saying, “Don’t drink coffee.” I’m asking: Is your coffee as valuable as two round-trip tickets to Asia? As two massages a month?

Let’s break it down further.

During COVID, most Americans earning under $120,000 received $600-$2,400 in stimulus checks. Those checks lifted 11.7 million people out of poverty.

Let that sink in: $600-$2,400 was enough to change MILLIONS of lives. So when we’re talking about $1,300-$1,800 a year on coffee, it’s worth asking: is that money going where it matters most to you? 

Every dollar you spend matters.

There’s a narrative out there that millennials can’t buy homes because they’re spending money on lattes and avocado toast, and honestly, I find it so insulting. It’s not about shaming your choices; it’s about understanding them. 

Is a $5 latte the reason you can’t afford a home? Probably not. But knowing how you spend your money—and making intentional choices—is the key to building the life you want.

When you’re in control of your money, you can choose to spend it on what truly aligns with your values.

Maybe it’s fewer lattes and more travel. Maybe it’s self-care, like massages or therapy. Maybe it’s something else entirely. The point is to spend with intention, not out of habit or convenience.

Because here’s the truth: right now, every dollar in your life matters. Every choice you make matters. And when you’re intentional with your money, you’re not just saving for the sake of saving. You’re creating the life you actually want to live.

So go ahead, enjoy your coffee—just make sure it’s worth it to you.