How much more do you have to pay to get your caffeine fix at the airport? Coffee-lover and travel journalist Sarah Pollok investigates.

It was still dark outside when I walked to the counter of an Auckland Airport cafe and ordered a long black. At the time, $5 felt overpriced but this was expected in an airport.

However, the next day, the same order cost another $5 but I wasn’t trapped airside this time. Instead, I was at a central Wellington cafe and didn’t think twice about the price as I tapped my card.

It was only later, back at the airport to fly home I realised that, despite feeling like coffee was so much more expensive at an airport, this may not be the case.

Currently, the ‘average’ price of a retail coffee is $4.75, according to Stats NZ.

Now, any city-dweller knows this price has likely been tugged down by regional prices because a regular flattie in central Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch is rarely less than a fiver.

The question is, when you’ve arrived at the airport for a morning flight, or just need a cup of coffee, how much more do you have to pay?

Using the price of a regular-sized flat white with normal (cow’s) milk, I set out to find the answer.

How much does a flat white cost at Auckland Airport?

The first stop was Auckland Airport’s domestic and international terminals. Landside, there are at least 11 spots to grab coffee, including McDonalds, Best Ugly Bagels and Retro Espresso. Once you pass through security, there are at least eight spots airside (two domestic and six international).

Since prices for ‘essential’ items such as food and drink can increase once you’re airside, I wasn’t surprised to see the average cost of a flat white before security was $5.50 and increased (albeit, marginally) to $5.70 airside.

Even if you forget where the cheap spots are, there’s only really a dollar difference between the cheapest and most expensive regular flat white across the whole airport.

Krispy Kreme in the Domestic Terminal wins at $4.70, while McDonald’s International Airside location charges $6.30.

Overall, the average cost of a regular flat white at Auckland Airport is $5.60. Yet, the mode (the most commonly occurring price) was $5.50. How does this compare to ‘typical’ prices?

The price of a ‘typical’ coffee

Now, most of us shell out more than $4.70 (the Stats NZ average) for a coffee, especially if we’re in the city centre. To get a better idea of prices in the city, we visited 18 cafes in Auckland CBD to see what they charged for a regular flat white.

Four spots boasted a $5 price tag and one asked for $6.40 but most were $5.50, which resulted in an average price of $5.40.

Is a regular flat white more expensive at the airport? Yes…and no.

While the average price is more expensive (although, only by 10 cents), the most popular price, $5.50 is identical.

So, go forth and stay caffeinated (just remember to polish off that landside airport coffee before heading through security).