Reach for your wallet
Photo: Cherrysweetdeal / Flickr
If you want to buy a Starbucks latte in Norway, prepare to spend $10. But don’t worry, not all hope is lost!
On your next trip to Norway, you might want to consider alternative methods of caffeine intake.
Your usual cup of morning joe, if it’s a grande latte from Starbucks, will put you out $9.83 in Oslo.
On Feb. 22, the Wall Street Journal printed an infographic comparing relative prices of a 16-oz. latte around the world.
“In countries where the currency is overvalued, a dollar doesn’t go as far,” the infographic explains. “That means it would take more dollars to buy a Starbucks latte in a country with a strong currency, like Norway, than in one with a currency that has less buying power, like in India.”
In New Delhi, the same coffee will cost you only $2.80, a dollar and a half cheaper than in New York, where you’ll dish out $4.30.
Don’t worry; all hope is not lost for visiting coffee drinkers in Norway.
Kaffebrenneriet is Oslo’s most popular chain coffee shop, with locations found throughout the city. In fact, Oslo’s sole Starbucks is located inside Gardermoen airport; therefore, most Oslo dwellers wouldn’t buy their daily coffee there anyway.
Prices for coffee at Kaffebrenneriet, though still more expensive than average U.S. prices, won’t break the bank like a drink from Starbucks would.
Order a regular cup of “dagens kaffe” (coffee of the day) and spend NOK 20 (USD 3.49) for an 8 oz. cup, NOK 25 (USD 4.36) for a 12 oz., and NOK 28 (USD 4.89) for a 16 oz.
A “Cafe au lait” (regular latte) will cost you NOK 32 for a single shot of espresso (USD 5.59) and NOK 37 for a double shot (USD 6.46). Still expensive, but much better than reaching for that 10-dollar bill!
Anthony Juvera, owner of Cafe Fedora in the Frogner neighborhood of Oslo, says, “Coffee is a major revenue for us at the cafe.” The prices at this independent cafe, as described by Juvera, are “in the middle.”
An Americano costs NOK 28 (USD 4.89), a cappacino NOK 30 / 34 (USD 5.24 / 5.94, depending on a single or double shot), and a cafe mocha NOK 36 / 40 (USD 6.29 / 6.99).
“In Norway, we don’t do sizes like at Starbucks, but rather, single and double shots of espresso. The milk is always the same,” explains Juvera.
He doesn’t deny that prices in Oslo can be a little high.
“I have even seen some coffee shops sell lattes for NOK 48! Insane!” he says.
Perhaps high prices are one reason instant coffee options, such as those offered by Nescafe, are popular in Norway.
If you are thinking about taking a trip to Norway and don’t want to spend all your money on coffee, consider stopping in at a regular grocery store (Meny, Rema 1000 and Kiwi are all good options) and find cheap instant coffee to tide you over – or, if you have access to a coffeemaker, just buy the beans! But watch out for the “kaffeinfri” label, which designates caffeine-free coffee.
To view the infographic made by the Wall Street Journal, visit http://online.wsj.com.
This article originally appeared in the Mar. 8, 2013 issue of the Norwegian American Weekly. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (800) 305-0271.
