Just like the Big Mac Index that was created by The Economist almost three decades ago, the prices of specific food and drinks around the world reflect the purchasing-power parity (PPP) and the cost of living of the city or country.

People are increasingly becoming interested and appreciative of a good cuppa, and a fantastic go-to beverage wherever we travel to is always a lovely hot latte.

Of course, there is a very stark and obvious price fluctuation between these major cities and they do in fact, reflect the cost and standard of living in that city itself. In this light-hearted article, we explore the prices of a cup of latte from a cafe or coffee house from 10 major cities in Asia Pacific.

So just How Much is a Cup of Latte in Asia Pacific? Let us find out in this latte index.

SUMMARY OF THE LATTE INDEX

Auckland / Average price: NZD$4 = SGD$3.70
Bangkok / Average price: THB40 = S$1.50
Beijing / Average price: RMB35 = S$7.40
Hong Kong / Average price: HK$30 = S$5.50
Kuala Lumpur / Average price: RM10 = S$3.30
Melbourne / Average price: A$4 = S$4
Seoul / Average price: W4,500 = S$5.50
Singapore / Average price: S$6
Taipei / Average price: NT120 = S$5.30
Tokyo / Average price: ¥320 = S$3.824

*For all the cities mentioned, we took an average price of three major coffee houses and cafes per city to calculate the generic average.

#1 AUCKLAND

With plentiful dedicated roasteries and chic cafes, we sure can tell that they take their coffee seriously in NZ.

Average price: NZD$4 = SGD$3.70

#2 BANGKOK

Despite the jarringly lower price tag, we know for a fact that the cafes in Bangkok do not skimp on good coffee. One of our favourite Asian cities for a cuppa!

Average price: THB40 = S$1.50

#3 BEIJING

Over the past few years, China’s capital saw the opening of many exciting third-wave coffee specialty establishments.

Average price: RMB35 = S$7.40

#4 HONG KONG

Indie cafes, coffee chains and all, Hong Kong is a great place for coffee lovers to gather to sip latte together.

Average price: HK$30 = S$5.50

#5 KUALA LUMPUR

The Malaysian cafe scene is slowly but steadily growing, with more unique and beautiful cafes popping up very frequently. Third wave coffee is also starting to popularise.

Average price: RM10 = S$3.30

#6 MELBOURNE

We don’t even have to explain much, because Melbourne is synonymous with the world’s best coffee.

Average price: A$4 = S$4

#7 SEOUL

Seoul is home to some of the best cafes in the world, and coffee is one of the many reasons to love Seoul’s cafes.

Average price: W4,500 = S$5.50

#8 SINGAPORE

Singaporeans love specialty coffee, and with more new cafes roasting their own beans and upping their latte art game, a good cuppa ain’t hard to find.

Average price: S$6

#9 TAIPEI

The Taiwanese do love their coffee too, and Taipei has pretty amazing lattes too.

Average price: NT120 = S$5.30

#10 TOKYO

Of quirky coffee houses and the prettiest cafes, the Japanese city has so many specialty coffee places to boast!

Average price: ¥320 = S$3.824