Soaring Coffee Prices Reshape Americans' Daily Routines

Some coffee lovers cut back on café visits or switch to cheaper brews amid rising costs.

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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Years of steadily climbing coffee prices have led some Americans to upend their daily coffee habits, with people nixing café visits, switching to cheaper brews, or foregoing coffee altogether. The price of coffee in the U.S. was up 18.3% in January from a year ago, and over five years, prices rose 47%. This extraordinary rise has prompted some coffee drinkers to take extraordinary measures, like cutting consumption, making coffee at home, or finding caffeine substitutes.

Why it matters

Coffee is a deeply ingrained part of many Americans' daily routines, so the soaring prices are forcing people to rethink long-standing habits. This shift in consumer behavior has implications for the coffee industry, cafes, and the overall morning routines of millions of Americans.

The details

Some coffee drinkers, like Liz Sweeney of Boise, Idaho, have cut back on café visits and reduced their daily intake from three cups to one. Others, like Sharon Cooksey of Greensboro, North Carolina, have switched to brewing coffee at home using cheaper brands. The rising costs have led some, like Chandra Donelson of Washington, D.C., to give up coffee altogether in favor of cheaper alternatives.

  • Coffee prices in the U.S. were up 18.3% in January 2026 from a year ago.
  • Over the past five years, coffee prices in the U.S. rose 47%.

The players

Chandra Donelson

A 35-year-old from Washington, D.C. who gave up her daily coffee habit due to rising prices.

Liz Sweeney

A 50-year-old from Boise, Idaho who has cut her coffee consumption from three cups per day to one.

Sharon Cooksey

A 55-year-old from Greensboro, North Carolina who switched from buying Starbucks at a café to brewing cheaper Lavazza coffee at home.

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What they’re saying

“Before, I thought, 'There's no way I could make it through my day without coffee.' Now my car's not on automatic pilot.”

— Liz Sweeney

“I can buy a bag of coffee for $6? It was like I had just discovered another world. The multiverse opened up to me in the coffee aisle of Publix.”

— Sharon Cooksey

The takeaway

The soaring cost of coffee is forcing many Americans to rethink their daily routines and habits, leading some to cut back on café visits, switch to cheaper home-brewed options, or even give up coffee altogether. This shift in consumer behavior has broader implications for the coffee industry and the morning routines of millions.