Travelers grabbing a latte before boarding are paying a premium of more than 26% on average — and at some airports, the markup climbs past 50%, according to a new study from Upgraded Points.
The travel research site compared pretax prices of five common Starbucks menu items — a grande brewed coffee, a grande Caffè Latte, a bacon, Gouda, and egg sandwich, a Strawberry Açaí Refresher, and a birthday cake pop — at post-security locations in 53 major U.S. airports against a company-operated store near downtown in each corresponding city. Across all airports analyzed, the five-item order cost an average of $6.15 more at the airport, a 26.5% premium.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) tied for the steepest markup: The five-item order rang up at $34.95 at both airports, $12.60 more than city prices — a 56.4% increase. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) followed at $12.40 more (55%), with Denver International Airport (DEN) and Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) each adding $11.20 (51%). Every airport in the top five charged at least 51% more than its city comparison. Denver has concession-pricing caps in place, but Starbucks has reportedly been approved for corporate pricing that sidesteps the restriction, per the study.
Starbucks Cities Price List
(Upgraded Points)
At the other end of the rankings, Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) was the only airport in the study where the order cost less than downtown—$21.85 versus $22.35, a 2.2% decrease. PIT enforces street-pricing requirements monitored through spot checks by the Allegheny County Airport Authority. Portland International Airport (PDX) added just $1.00 (4.3%), followed by Boise Airport (BOI) and Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) at $1.40 each (6.0 and 6.3%, respectively) and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) at $1.60 (7.0%). PDX and SLC both enforce street pricing, requiring concessions to match prices found outside the airport.
“Everyone expects to pay a little more for convenience at the airport, but the size of that markup can be a real surprise,” said Keri Stooksbury, editor-in-chief at Upgraded Points. “Some airports charge travelers 50% more than what the same Starbucks order costs downtown, while others stay a little closer to city prices. We wanted travelers to know what kind of prices to expect before standing in line.”
Prices were collected through the Starbucks mobile app in July 2026 using a nonmember account before checkout, meaning taxes, promotions, and rewards discounts were not applied. One post-security airport location (where available) and one nonairport comparison store were sampled per city during a single sampling period.
For full results, check out the study online.
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