7 Most Overpriced Coffee Chains In 2026

Going out for coffee is getting ever more expensive, but some coffee chains are more extreme in their sticker shock. Many of us are still operating on the prices of the past, thinking a small cup of coffee should just be a dollar or two, with espresso-based drinks being $5. If that's where your brain still is, you're going to be floored if you try to buy a coffee or espresso drink at some of the most overpriced chains.

Yes, the cost of coffee is higher in general, but there are still places you can find coffee for a bargain, including coffee shops. Chains like Tim Hortons, where you can get a latte or flavored iced espresso drink for around $4.35, demonstrate it's still possible to go out for coffee or espresso drinks on a tighter budget. Yet, there are places where you'll spend double those prices, if not more.

Keep in mind that the prices we list here are for a single location at a given moment in time, and will vary by location or fluctuate with the cost of coffee beans or even the time of day. Plus, the larger-sized drinks have much higher price tags. When we looked at the average prices of coffee and espresso-based drinks at major coffee chains, we found that these seven chains charge more than the average.

The founder of Peet's Coffee opened the chain in 1966 after realizing just how horrible most coffee in the U.S. was. He was instrumental in introducing dark roast coffees to the U.S. and even taught roasting techniques to the guys who would eventually go on to create Starbucks. So, there's a fair amount of coffee-quality smugness connected to the Peet's Coffee name, which we rank as the top coffee chain in the U.S. Peet's says its rising coffee prices are the result of climate and supply chain issues, along with paying farmers for their premium coffee at prices above fair trade cost.

As of this review, a small cup of coffee starts at around $4.70, and an Americano starts at $5.20. In the case of the Americano, you're paying $1.40 extra for the barista to top off a $3.60 espresso with water, which seems a bit ridiculous. Peet's caffe latte is the most expensive we found, starting at $6.60 for a small one. If you decide you want something fancier, like a horchata oat latte, it starts much higher at $7.95 for a small.

Peet's doesn't have any frozen espresso-based drinks on the menu, but it does have iced espresso-based flavored drinks. An iced vanilla latte starts at $7.30 for a small, and the most expensive small drink on the menu is the $10.55 protein banana matcha oat latte. Yikes!

Scooter's Coffee is a regional coffee chain that's certainly worth a try, despite its high prices. Scooter's boasts that its coffee comes from the top 10% of specialty beans on earth. While it's been around since 1998, it didn't begin expanding exponentially until 2025. So, if you see one of these drive-thru coffee shops pop up in a city near you, you can expect great coffee, but you should know that most of it comes at an inflated price. Although customers report that using the rewards program helps save money through earning free drinks.

Now, if you're just wanting to drive through for a cup of plain coffee at Scooter's, you're going to be pleasantly surprised to find that the price of a small coffee is just $1.26, which sounds like prices from another era. However, once you start delving deeper into the espresso-based menu, the prices are certainly above average. A small plain latte is priced somewhat above our $5.77 average at $6.11 (the cheapest on our list), and it only goes up from there.

Frozen drinks is the category where the prices really take off at Scooter's. The cheapest frozen Licious drinks — like the famous crave-worthy Caramelicious — start at $7.37 for a small. There are some that are drastically more, like a S'mores Blender that starts at $7.94. The most expensive small drink on the menu — a Grape Rush Red Bull infusion — will set you back $9.26.

Another coffee chain that's been beloved since the 1990s is Biggby Coffee. Part of its mission is to help franchise owners be profitably healthy and to pay its coffee farmers a fair price. So, being on the over-priced side is meant to be beneficial not just to the corporation itself. Biggby has also explained that tariffs as high as 50% have also greatly increased its coffee prices. Luckily, Biggby is another place where signing up for the rewards program and looking for local deals on social media can help you save.

If you come in for a basic small cup of coffee, you'll spend around $3.63. Once espresso is involved, the prices start to go up, with a small Americano costing $5.06. At $6.36, a small latte at Biggby Coffee costs more than the average small latte. However, it's the cheapest latte you can find if you go to one of the expensive chains on our list.

Then, you have all Biggby Coffee's flavored espresso drinks. A basic small frozen latte is $7.01. However, once you start adding more flavors and drizzles, they get more expensive, like the Frozen Caramel Marvel, which is $8.31. The most expensive drinks, however, aren't espresso drinks at all. If you want a frozen Red Bull energy drink, you're going to spend more, with the priciest — the Sun of a Peach Creme Freeze — costing $9.61 for just a small.

Paris Baguette is a South Korean coffee and pastry chain that first opened in the U.S. in 2016. Its products aren't nearly as sweet as most American equivalents, which is a draw for some customers. However, its prices tend to be high, with customers on social media saying it's also an expensive chain in South Korea.

A small plain coffee at Paris Baguette costs $3.59, or $3.95 for a flavor like hazelnut, which is just above our average of around $3.49. However, the prices start looking much more expensive if you decide to order espresso-based drinks. This is another place where having a $4.79 Americano seems silly since a shot of espresso is just $3.11. So, you're essentially paying an extra $1.68 for the barista to add hot water to espresso. Paris Baguette's small latte is also above the average latte cost at $6.35 each.

Then, if you order a small coffee frappe, you'll end up paying $7.19, with the highest-priced espresso drink — a vanilla sweet cream cold brew — costing $7.79 That's nothing compared to if you order a Red-Bull-based Watermelon Sweet Cream Energy Infusion, which starts at $10.79 for a small — the most expensive drink we found at any of the coffee chains on our list. Granted, this is a place where you'll pay just about as much for some of its pastries. So, you have to order strategically if you don't want to break your coffee and pastry budget.

The first Gloria Jean's Coffees location opened in the U.S. in 1979, and the chain has expanded internationally. Gloria Jean's focuses on acquiring high-quality, premium coffee beans from sustainable sources, which drives its prices higher. However, that higher price results in delicious drinks.

Gloria Jean's Coffees is pouring the most expensive small cup of brewed coffee on our list at $4.79. If you prefer an Americano, you'll spend $6.59 to add water to a $4.79 espresso. So, that's $1.80 for the hot water. A small cafe latte is also $6.59, which means you'll spend the same amount to add steamed milk to an espresso in a latte as to add hot water in the Americano. That doesn't make tons of sense if you're on a budget, but okay.

Gloria Jean's frozen drinks are called Chillers, and the least expensive espresso-based ones cost $8.95. However, if the most expensive drink on the menu — the iced strawberry matcha — is singing its siren song to you, you'll end up spending $9.95 on even the smallest version.

Blue Bottle Coffee has been around since 2002, when it was roasting and delivering small batches of beans to fulfill specific orders. Nestlé has owned it since 2017, and it's another chain that has sourcing standards that drive up its coffee prices. It only buys beans from sustainable sources and has a commitment toward its source communities. Plus, it reached its goal of carbon neutrality in 2024. So, when you spend higher prices for coffee drinks from Blue Bottle Coffee, you are not only drinking coffee with some of the highest quality beans, but you can also feel good about doing your small part in helping to sustain the environment.

The coffee chain has a no-frills menu that will make coffee snobs feel quite at home. As such, there is no option for a small brewed cup of coffee. Instead, you will need to choose between a $6.50 pour over or a $6 Americano. As you can see, everything is at a premium price.

It's not surprising that there are also no frozen drinks on the menu. Thus, the cheapest flavored iced espresso-based drink on the menu is an iced caffe mocha, which comes in at $9. Still, that's not the most expensive drink on the menu. That distinction goes to the $10 KSE Shakerato on the specialty menu.

Finally, we have the Human Bean on our list of the most overpriced coffee chains of 2026. This is a drive-thru chain that's been around since 1998 and started franchising in 2003. If you've ever visited one, you'll remember that every drink comes with a chocolate-covered espresso bean on top, which is part of its goal of human connection. Its commitment to human connection extends to fair wages for the farmers who grow the chain's beans as well as improvements for their communities, such as water treatment plants or education and meals for children. Plus, the company gives to local charities through charity-centric drink days. So, the extra few bucks you spend at The Human Bean go toward supporting the needs of ... well ... human beings.

There's no brewed coffee on the menu at The Human Bean, but you can get a small Americano, which costs $5.90. That's more than the average cost of a latte. However, a small latte at The Human Bean will set you back $7.50.

If you opt for a frozen drink, you'll be paying more than at any other chain on our list, with a basic frozen flavored espresso-based granita costing $9.75. Luckily, that's as high as the drink prices go at the Human Bean, but it's also the most expensive flavored frozen espresso drink of any chain on our list.

Our search for the most overpriced coffee chains in 2026 began with looking for large coffee chains in the U.S., and we identified 19. We decided to look at the cost of three different types of drinks from those chains to make price comparisons. The first was a small coffee. When coffee wasn't on the menu, we considered Americano prices instead. The second was the cost of a small plain latte. The third was the cost of a small, espresso-based, flavored frozen drink. If the chain had no frozen drinks, we priced its cheapest espresso-based flavored iced drink. Then, we found an average cost for these drinks among the 19 chains: $3.49 for a small coffee or Americano, $7.77 for a small latte, and $6.72 for a small flavored frozen or iced espresso-based drink. Once we had an average, we looked for coffee chains where the prices in at least two of these three categories fell significantly above average.

Interestingly, there were seven coffee shops where drinks across all three categories we scrutinized were priced below average. So, there are certainly places where you can go without overspending on a cup of joe or even an espresso-based specialty drink. Granted, it still depends on what you buy because you can still find expensive drinks in the $7 to $10 range on even cheaper coffee chain menus, especially if you get premium extras like protein. So, always price before you buy.