Add-ons and up-sizes also push up the cost. Opting for soy milk over cow's usually costs another 50c, as do caramel or other flavoured "shots" for those that way inclined.
What affects the cost of a cup of coffee
Havana Coffee managing director Geoff Marsland says when milk and international green bean coffee prices rose in recent years, many cafes responded by increasing prices by 30c to 50c a cup.
However, he says, because of intense competition between cafes, many other increases are not passed on.
Rises in the cost of wages, fuel, power and rent in the past five years have also contributed to higher costs, and lower margins for cafe owners.
Havana pays "way above the fair trade price" to guarantee the supply of premium green beans and secure coffee farmers' livelihoods.
"The sort of coffee we buy, there's such a demand for it because it's good coffee that to secure it you've got to pay a premium as well."
So, though the commodity price of coffee may have dropped - to a three-and-a-half year low because of an onslaught of beans from Brazil, according to the Wall Street Journal - the "real cost" of premium coffee has remained the same, says Marsland.
The real cost of a cup
Excluding overheads, the actual cost of a cup of Joe is around 60c, says Marsland. Additional overheads vary depending on a cafe's management and location.
"You've got cafe people that pay minimum wage, you've got cafe people that are paying their baristas $20 [an hour], you've got organic milk, you've got Mainland milk."
The amount of profit made on each cup ranges from 50c to $1, depending on how well the cafe is run, says Marsland.
Cheaper options
Cafe loyalty cards will often give you your 10th coffee free.
Making coffee yourself can also yield significant savings, while ensuring your daily brew is just the way you like it.
For the thriftiest coffee fans, a 200g jar of Homebrand instant coffee would provide over a month's worth of coffee and costs a mere $5.59 (from Countdown), while a 200g packet of freshly ground Caffe L'Affare coffee would provide one to two weeks' worth of daily coffees and costs $8.99.
Coffee machines
Coffee machines offer consistency and convenience to some caffeine addicts. However, the savings are not always apparent.
Chic Nespresso machines retail for around $380 and promise perfect coffee every time with mess-free coffee capsules.
Unfortunately, at 50c to $1 a pop, the capsules aren't cheap, and the taste is an acquired one.
At the premium end of the scale are cafe-quality Rocket machines "built in every way to replicate the commercial espresso machine experience". However, priced at $3250, it would take more than 900 hand-crafted long blacks before the machine started to pay itself off, and that's excluding the cost of the main ingredient.