Everyone's staring at the price of a cup of coffee, while the real cost for families comes from the supermarket and their bills. The controversy over the " high coffee price " regularly returns to the forefront of the debate, but for Fipe Confcommercio Sud Sardegna, the numbers demand a proper perspective: since 2020, rising food and energy prices have led to approximately €60 billion in additional spending for Italian families, while coffee shop consumption represents just 2% of household spending.

And even when looking at the cup itself, the picture is very different from that of uncontrolled price increases. According to the Fipe Restaurant Report , in December 2025, an espresso in Cagliari cost an average of €1.52. Nationally, between 2020 and 2026, bar service and the price of coffee increased by around 23%, essentially in line with general inflation over the same period.

Essential spending fared quite differently: over the same period , food prices saw increases exceeding 30%, while the cumulative increase for housing and energy exceeded 70% . This disparity is even more significant when considering the impact these items have on the wallet: spending at bars represents approximately 2% of a family's consumption, compared to 16% for food and 6% for energy bills. And it is precisely these last two items, being largely expenses that are difficult to reduce, that are most impacting households with lower spending power.

"We don't want to downplay the difficulties facing families, because we know that even a few euros can make a difference today. But that's precisely why we need to talk about the real numbers," emphasizes Emanuele Frongia, president of Fipe Confcommercio Sud Sardegna. "A few cents in coffee cup adjustments aren't enough to empty your wallet. In recent years, families have had to spend tens of billions more on food, electricity, gas, and other essential expenses. This is where the real erosion of purchasing power has occurred."

The most recent situation in Cagliari confirms the continued importance of housing and energy costs. In July 2026, inflation in the Sardinian capital stood at 2.7% year-on-year, while housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels increased by 7.2% compared to the same period last year. Food and non-alcoholic beverages, on the other hand, increased by 1.4%. The same dynamics impacting household budgets are also reflected in the accounts of public establishments. Bars and restaurants must cope with the rising prices of raw materials, energy supplies, and services, in addition to the costs of staff, rent, and day-to-day operations.

"When a family's bill goes up, so does the bar's. When the prices of raw materials go up, they also go up for those who have to raise their shutters every morning ," Frongia continues. "In recent years, many businesses have absorbed a significant portion of the price increases, avoiding passing them on entirely to the customer. This is why talking about coffee speculation is profoundly unfair to thousands of entrepreneurs."

There's another element that, according to the association, can't be ignored: the economic and social value of the Italian bar model. A cup of coffee consumed at the bar continues to be affordable in Italy and represents a daily habit that goes beyond the simple purchase of a product. " In Sardinia, the bar is still a place of socializing, meeting, and community," concludes Frongia. "Behind €1.52, there's more than just the coffee in the cup: there's a business that must stay open, workers to be paid, energy, services, and professionalism. We can discuss any increase, but let's start with proportion: turning coffee into a symbol of the cost of living means focusing on the 2% item and risk forgetting the ones that are truly putting pressure on families and businesses."

(Unioneonline/En.Ne.)

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