New data has uncovered the cost per milligram of caffeine at leading coffee chains, revealing which brand offers the best value for money for those looking to get the most caffeine for their buck.
New data revealed that a Costa cappuccino has almost five times more caffeine than the Starbucks equivalent. Pret A Manger was found to have the highest levels of caffeine in their single espresso shots – almost SIX times as much as one from Starbucks (source: Which?).
In light of the findings, researchers at Little-Loans.com have calculated the cost per milligram of caffeine in drinks at leading high-street coffee chains to uncover which store offers caffeine-lovers the best value for money.
Both cappuccinos and single-shot espressos from Pret, Caffè Nero, Starbucks, Greggs, and Costa were investigated. The amount of caffeine in each drink was taken from Which? and their respective prices were sourced in-store in Manchester.
Researchers were then able to calculate how much one milligram of caffeine costs within each drink, ranking the establishments accordingly.
Which cappuccino is the best value for money for caffeine content?
A cappuccino from Costa has the cheapest price per milligram of caffeine in comparison to Greggs, Pret, Caffè Nero and Starbucks.
At Costa, customers can expect to pay just 1p per milligram of caffeine, compared to Caffè Nero’s 2.8p per milligram of caffeine, and Starbucks’ costly 4.6p per milligram of caffeine.
| Ranking | High street coffee shop | Cappuccino Caffeine Content (mg) | Price (p) | Cost per mg (p) |
| 1 | Costa | 325 | 335 | 1.03 |
| 2 | Greggs | 197 | 240 | 1.22 |
| 3 | Pret | 180 | 330 | 1.83 |
| 4 | Caffè Nero | 112.5 | 315 | 2.80 |
| 5 | Starbucks | 66 | 305 | 4.62 |
Which espresso shot is the best value for money for caffeine content?
Pret offers the cheapest price per milligram of caffeine in their espresso shots, compared to its four competitors.
At Pret, if you buy a single-shot espresso you can expect to pay 1.3p per milligram of caffeine (or £2.30 in total). The cost for a milligram of caffeine at Starbucks is almost five times as much.
Greggs offers the cheapest espresso shot at £1.45, but has lower levels of caffeine, and was therefore deemed worse value for money for those looking for a caffeine injection.
| Ranking | High street coffee store | Single-shot espresso caffeine content (mg) | Price of drink (p) | Cost per mg (p) |
| 1 | Pret | 180 | 230 | 1.28 |
| 2 | Greggs | 75 | 145 | 1.93 |
| 3 | Costa | 100 | 195 | 1.95 |
| 4 | Caffè Nero | 45 | 205 | 4.56 |
| 5 | Starbucks | 33 | 210 | 6.36 |
