USA (WOWO) — A new analysis estimates Americans could be spending hundreds of dollars each year on tips for takeout coffee as tipping prompts become more common at coffee shops.
Researchers at GigaCalculator calculated the potential cost of tipping 20% on takeout coffee based on coffee prices in cities across the U.S.
Using an average coffee price of $5.63 and an assumption that the average American buys three takeout coffees each week, the analysis estimates a household could spend about $324 a year on coffee tips.
The analysis comes as consumers continue to deal with tighter budgets. A 2026 survey from Drive Research found that 68% of Americans had changed their coffee habits because of economic concerns.
The GigaCalculator analysis also looked at 50 U.S. cities and estimated how much residents would spend on coffee tips based on local prices.
Honolulu had the highest estimated annual coffee tipping cost at about $554 per year, followed by Nashville at about $384 and Charleston at about $374.
The analysis used coffee prices from Numbeo and calculated a 20% tip on top of the listed coffee price. The researchers noted that the 20% figure was based on a separate study regarding tipping in the U.S.
Dennis Relojo-Howell, managing director of Psychreg, said digital payment systems may contribute to customers feeling pressure to tip by displaying tip options in situations where tipping was not traditionally expected.
A separate Drive Research survey cited in the analysis found that 8% of Americans drink coffee from coffee shops every day.
The researchers said the analysis is intended to highlight how small, frequent tips can add up over the course of a year.
