The US State With The Most Expensive Cup Of Coffee By A Long Shot

How much can the price of a regular cup of filter coffee vary across the country? The answer: A lot. According to data from restaurant management software maker Toast, as of summer 2025, the median price for a cup of joe in the U.S. was $3.52. In Hawaii, however, you'd pay a hefty $5.23, or $1.71 more than you would in the country as a whole. Since Hawaii has a warm climate, maybe you'd prefer a cold brew, but don't expect a much better deal. You can expect to fork over about $6.74 for a cold brew in Hawaii, compared to a country-wide median of $5.47. That's a marginally better but still substantial $1.27 price difference. 

Considering that Hawaii is the only U.S. state where coffee grows on a significant scale (California has a very small industry), what's the deal? (Puerto Rico also grows coffee, but as a territory, it wasn't included in this data.) Hawaiian coffee is just more expensive to grow and harvest: Wages and equipment costs are higher than in most other coffee-producing countries, and that translates into a higher price for your cup. The Kona coffee that Hawaii is known for is also considered premium quality, which also leads to higher prices even if the coffee is locally grown.

Groceries are generally more expensive in Hawaii than in the continental United States. Since it's in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, many products have to travel a lot farther to reach Hawaii, resulting in higher transport costs. When those shipments arrive, there are other costs: High living expenses mean businesses need to sell more to profit, and higher real estate costs mean a coffee shop is more likely to have to pay higher rent. That translates into a higher price per cup whether it's filter coffee, cold brew, or tea.

Other states with pricey coffee include California, where it'll cost you $4.25 (still nearly a dollar less than Hawaii), and Washington, at $4 for the median cup. Although neither of these states has the transport issue that Hawaii has, they're still generally expensive places to live and work, which pushes prices up in a similar way to Hawaii.

And the cheapest cups? They're available in Mississippi and West Virginia, each with a median price of $2.99, although there are numerous states where it costs $3, just a cent more.