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Coffee Prices by City: Creamer Drove the Gap
Coffee prices by city ranged from $122.97 in West San Antonio to $131.04 in East St. Louis on June 15; creamer varied 27.5% between cities.
Coffee prices by city varied most for creamer on June 15. Coffee creamer varied 27.5% between its lowest and highest cities, while whole bean coffee stayed under 4%.
The full Coffee Price Trends history showed a smaller city gap. The 12-city basket ranged from $122.97 in West San Antonio, Texas to $131.04 in East St. Louis, Illinois, an $8.07 difference.
Add-ins and chilled drinks created more separation than bags, cans, and pods.
The city ranking was tighter than the format gaps
East St. Louis and Jackson were the high end of the coffee basket. The other 10 cities fit between $122.97 and $127.09.
| Rank | City | Postal code | Coffee Index | Price observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East St. Louis, IL | 62201 | $131.04 | 1,637 |
| 2 | Jackson, MS - North Jackson | 39206 | $129.53 | 1,580 |
| 3 | Clayton, MO | 63105 | $127.09 | 1,614 |
| 4 | Los Angeles, CA - Mid-City | 90019 | $125.70 | 1,668 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA - Rainier Valley | 98118 | $124.95 | 1,691 |
| 6 | Chicago, IL - North Center/Avondale | 60618 | $124.68 | 1,620 |
| 7 | New York, NY - Ridgewood/Glendale | 11385 | $124.34 | 1,679 |
| 8 | Houston, TX - Midtown | 77004 | $124.19 | 1,652 |
| 9 | Jacksonville, FL - Westside | 32210 | $124.12 | 1,676 |
| 10 | San Jose, CA - Blossom Valley | 95123 | $124.12 | 1,632 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA - South Philadelphia | 19145 | $123.93 | 1,696 |
| 12 | San Antonio, TX - West San Antonio | 78228 | $122.97 | 1,622 |
Across 19,767 price observations, the overall city spread stayed modest while individual coffee formats varied more.
Creamer and cold brew did more work than beans
The Coffee Index combines recurring grocery coffee formats. On June 15, creamer and chilled coffee products had the widest city ranges.
| Format | Lowest city | Highest city | City difference | Price observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee creamer | San Jose, $11.65 | Jackson, $14.86 | 27.5% | 684 |
| Iced coffee and cold brew | Philadelphia, $26.18 | East St. Louis, $29.91 | 14.3% | 1,783 |
| Bottled and canned coffee drinks | San Antonio, $17.43 | Jackson, $19.01 | 9.1% | 392 |
| Instant coffee | Houston, $22.26 | East St. Louis, $23.99 | 7.8% | 2,361 |
| Ground coffee | San Jose, $12.41 | East St. Louis, $13.11 | 5.6% | 4,489 |
| Whole bean coffee | Seattle, $14.10 | Houston, $14.64 | 3.8% | 5,001 |
| Coffee pods | Jacksonville, $16.52 | Houston, $17.01 | 3.0% | 5,029 |
Coffee creamer had the widest city range, and iced coffee and cold brew came next. Whole bean coffee and coffee pods stayed much tighter.
The overall coffee basket can show a small city gap while a shopper’s preferred format varies more. A household buying creamer or ready-to-drink coffee faces a different city pattern from a household buying beans.
The latest city lines are on the Coffee Price Trends history, with separate histories for ground coffee, instant coffee, and bottled and canned coffee drinks.