David Saunders
Coffee may just be roasted beans and hot water, but in Britain it’s practically a national religion. And now new research has revealed just how far we’re willing to go — or pay — to keep the ritual alive.
According to fresh data released during National Coffee Week, the average Brit now splashes out over £31 a month on coffee bought outside the home. Call it convenience, call it culture, call it madness — either way, that adds up to nearly £400 a year just to stay caffeinated.
The figures come from a national survey by SumUp, the fintech firm powering thousands of independent UK cafés and coffee shops with card readers and POS tech.
They surveyed 2,000 people across the UK to dig into the gritty truth of our coffee habits — the results are enough to make your bank balance tremble.
Young adults are Britain’s biggest coffee spenders
Across the country, the average monthly spend sits at £21.04, but that number takes a sharp leap among 25 to 34-year-olds, who part with a frothy £31.87 per month on takeaway coffee. Keep that up and it becomes £382.44 a year — that’s 51% more than the national average of £252.48. You could fly to Barcelona and back three times for that, but no — flat whites come first.
Habit or necessity?
When asked how often they buy coffee from a café or shop:
- 22% of Brits admitted they buy Coffee 2–3 times a week
- Another 22% said at least once a week
- In the 25–34 age group, 31% confessed to buying 2–3 coffees a week
- And 24% go even harder, grabbing 4–6 coffees a week
At this point, it’s less of a habit and more of a subscription service for sanity.
Chains vs independents – Britain is split
The survey also revealed a clean 50/50 divide in where people get their Coffee. Exactly half of Brits head to the big-name chains — you know who they are — while the other half support their local independents. It’s an encouraging sign for small roasters and indie cafés who refuse to serve coffee that tastes like burnt cardboard.
Whether you think £400 a year on coffee is steep or a small price to pay for not falling asleep at work, one thing’s certain: our love affair with Coffee isn’t slowing down. If anything, we’re double-shotting it.
| Spend Bracket (per month) | All | 16–24 | 25–34 | 35–44 | 45–54 | 55+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £0 (I never buy coffee out) | 7% | 1% | 2% | 4% | 5% | 12% |
| £1 – £10 | 36% | 27% | 21% | 30% | 40% | 46% |
| £11 – £25 | 28% | 31% | 31% | 35% | 27% | 22% |
| £26 – £50 | 17% | 28% | 25% | 18% | 16% | 11% |
| £51 – £75 | 5% | 6% | 9% | 9% | 5% | 2% |
| £76 – £100 | 4% | 4% | 9% | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| Over £100 (please specify) | 0% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Unsure | 3% | 3% | 3% | 1% | 4% | 4% |
| Mean (£) | 21.04 | 26.12 | 31.87 | 23.33 | 19.09 | 14.72 |
| Frequency | All | 16–24 | 25–34 | 35–44 | 45–54 | 55+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Every day | 6% | 6% | 12% | 11% | 5% | 2% |
| 4 to 6 times a week | 12% | 15% | 24% | 14% | 11% | 5% |
| 2 to 3 times a week | 22% | 30% | 31% | 27% | 22% | 14% |
| Once a week | 22% | 24% | 15% | 20% | 20% | 25% |
| Once every 2 to 3 weeks | 13% | 11% | 9% | 13% | 12% | 16% |
| Once a month | 11% | 8% | 6% | 9% | 13% | 15% |
| Less than once a month | 14% | 6% | 3% | 7% | 17% | 23% |
| Mean (visits per month) | 8.24 | 9.75 | 13.12 | 10.43 | 7.54 | 4.77 |
| Type | All | 16–24 | 25–34 | 35–44 | 45–54 | 55+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large chain coffee shops | 50% | 38% | 36% | 53% | 60% | 57% |
| Independent coffee shops | 50% | 31% | 46% | 42% | 53% | 61% |
| Coffee stalls in restaurants or bakeries | 20% | 18% | 35% | 21% | 23% | 10% |
| Coffee counters inside supermarkets | 17% | 22% | 24% | 21% | 10% | 12% |
| Drive-thru coffee stands or kiosks | 17% | 17% | 26% | 26% | 16% | 6% |
| Specialty or artisanal coffee roasters | 16% | 20% | 21% | 14% | 17% | 13% |
| Trendy or themed coffee shops (aesthetic, board game, cat cafés) | 13% | 25% | 24% | 17% | 9% | 3% |
| Other (please specify) | 1% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 2% |
