Is Pod Coffee More Expensive?

In this article, we answer the question is pod coffee more expensive than beans.

Is pod coffee more expensive. Four white coffee pods with the contents of one pod exposed
Read on to know the cost difference between beans and pods

Most of us love coffee, not only because it wakes us up and keeps us going during the day, but it also tastes so good. There are different ways you can make coffee at home, either instant, with coffee beans or coffee pods, which need a coffee machine. If you are really looking into a machine, you are probably wondering what the cost difference between beans and pods is.

The coffee capsules cost more than coffee beans; per 5-ounce coffee, it will cost $0.70 when using capsules and $0.30 when using coffee beans. The difference in price is just over double for the capsules than the beans. Reusable coffee capsules are more reasonable and cost $0.35 per cup of coffee.

Buying a coffee machine can be pretty expensive and a long-term product in your household. This is why you are probably wondering what the long-term costs of these products are.

We will be looking at a significant factor that may alter our decision between the two coffees. But we will look a little deeper, which may help you decide without money being the most significant factor.

Which Is More Costly, Coffee Pods Or Coffee Beans?

a white cup of coffee beans  with coffee beans in a saucer.
Coffee beans cost less than coffee capsules

Buying a coffee machine can be quite a considerable expense which is why we want to choose the right one; the choice is between a coffee capsule and a coffee bean machine. One of the main factors to consider when deciding on what kind of machine to buy is the long-term costs involved; in this case, it’s the cost difference between the coffee pods and coffee beans. 

So as we know and would expect, coffee capsules are more expensive compared to coffee beans. This makes sense as they are individually packed for each cup of coffee, and the coffee is fresh and of good quality.

Most standard brands sell their coffee capsules for around $0.50 per capsule, which is reasonable. However, they can be as much as $1.00 per capsule, depending on what brand of coffee you buy.

A standard price for a 12-ounce bag of decent coffee beans is around $4.76; for high-quality beans, it can be as much as $5.78. Let us compare a specific coffee brand to get a better idea of the costs, we are going to look at Starbucks since most people enjoy it and it is trendy.

A 12-ounce packet of ground Starbucks Verona coffee costs about $7.49. A box of 22 Starbucks Verona coffee capsules costs $15.99. 

Let us look at how much it would cost per cup of coffee with each of these products, and each coffee capsule makes a 5-ounce cup of coffee which will cost $0.70 each. One 5-ounce cup of ground Starbucks Verona coffee uses about 0.5 ounces of coffee grounds. So a packet of ground coffee can make about 24 cups of coffee; the price of each cup of coffee will be $0.30, which is less than half the price of the capsules. 

There is quite a vast difference in the prices of these two types of coffee which may trump your decision. Also, remember to consider how many cups of coffee will be made per day in your home or workplace. If it is around 2 cups per day, then the extra costs may not be that bad if you prefer the capsules for convenience. 

Are There Cheaper Options For Coffee Capsules?

reusable red plastic coffee pod with a black pod, white spoon, and ground coffee on a white background
Reusable coffee capsules can save you cash

So coffee capsules are very expensive but also easy and quick to use while providing great coffee. Maybe you are set of the coffee capsule machines due to convenience but can’t maintain the high price of everyday use. Thankfully the coffee industry is evolving, and there are now reusable coffee capsules available for us; not only will this save cash, but it is also more environmentally friendly.

There are plastic and stainless steel options from many companies you can choose from; these will cost you quite a lot initially but will definitely save you money long-term. Another perk is that you get to choose what type and flavor of coffee you would like from a broader range of coffee brands. 

The lifespan of your reusable coffee capsule will depend on the brand you buy from, and it can either be used infinitely or up to 200 times. If you are really looking to save money, it would be best to buy infinitely usable ones.

An average coffee-spending household can save up to $300 a year by changing to reusable coffee capsules. Let us look at the price per cup of coffee on the Capsule cost Calculator; this site shows us that a single-use coffee capsule can cost about $0.70 per cup. The reusable coffee capsules, including high-quality coffee grounds, cost about $0.35. 

This is half the price of single-use coffee capsules and very close to the price of coffee beans per cup, as we calculated above. This definitely makes a coffee capsule machine worth considering, as the price per cup is more reasonable. 

This allows you to focus on other factors such as convenience, time to make a cup of coffee, the taste, and brew size. We can now look at which of these factors are of most importance to us rather than just the long-term cost is the most significant factor.

Final Word On Is Pod Coffee More Expensive

It’s a big decision to decide what type of coffee machine is best to buy as they are expensive and will last us a few years, so we don’t want to make the wrong decision. The everyday cost of a coffee machine is also essential as you don’t want to spend a fortune on a good cup of coffee at home. 

We can see from the above information that single-use coffee capsules are much more expensive than coffee beans, making our decision relatively easy. But there is a great alternative: reusable coffee capsules that work brilliantly and are at a similar price to coffee beans. The fabulous thing about this is that you can base your decisions on other important factors besides money.

Author

  • Cian Murray

    Cian Murray is an experienced writer and editor, who graduated from Cardiff University’s esteemed School of Journalism, Media and Culture. His work has been featured in both local and national media, and he has also produced content for multinational brands and agencies. Find Cian on muckrack.com.