Coffee Machine Cost & Pricing Guide

We understand that buying a new coffee machine is a big decision. Our goal is to empower you with honest and reliable coffee machine cost information to help you budget and choose the correct machine.

 

This cost and pricing guide will help you develop an initial budget and plan for the ownership costs associated with each type of coffee machine.

 

Final prices will vary depending on the manufacturer that you choose together with any options and service packages.

 

Coffee Machine Costs: Things to Consider

There are three things to consider when researching the cost of coffee machines:

• The type of machine
• The initial purchase price of the machine
• The lifetime cost of ownership associated with the machine

So first, let’s take a quick look at the different types of machines that are available.

 

Traditional Espresso

This is also referred to as a ‘barista machine’ and is typically found in a coffee shop. It is not a self-service or easy-to-use machine and requires training and knowledge to make a good drink. It is not covered in this guide but is merely here for the sake of completeness.

 

Soluble Product Machine

This type of machine uses soluble products, instant coffee, hot chocolate powder and a granulated or powdered milk product, to make a drink. 

 

Bean-2-Cup with Soluble Milk

This type of machine uses a combination of freshly ground whole coffee beans and soluble products, hot chocolate powder, and granulated milk, to make a drink. 

 

Bean-2-Cup with Fresh Milk

This type of machine uses a combination of freshly ground whole coffee beans and fresh milk, to make a drink. It may also have a soluble hot chocolate mix

 

Moving onto the initial purchase cost of soluble, bean-2-cup with soluble milk, and bean-2-cup with fresh milk machines to get an idea of how much to budget for each.

 

The soluble product-only machine is the cheapest in terms of initial purchase cost, with a bean-2-cup machine using fresh milk being the most expensive. It is important to note, however, that each machine has its benefits. Consider your requirements carefully when deciding what type of machine you’re looking for, and don’t make a decision based purely on price.

 

The price of the coffee machine is determined by two things: the size or capacity of the machine (number and size of the ingredient canisters and suggested daily throughput) and the brand of the machine.

 

Soluble Coffee Machines:

• Small—less than 50 – 60 drinks a day
• Medium—between 60 and 150 drinks a day 
• Large—over 150 drinks a day

Costs typically are £1000 – £1500 for a small machine, £1400 – £2200 for a medium machine, and £2000 – £5000 for a large, high-capacity machine. All prices are excluding vat.

 

Bean-2-Cup Coffee Machines With Soluble Milk:

• Small—less than 50 – 60 drinks a day
• Medium—between 60 and 150 drinks a day 
• Large—over 150 drinks a day

Costs typically are £1800 – £2500 for a small machine, £2400 – £3200 for a medium machine, and £3000 – £6000 for a large machine. All prices are excluding vat.

 

Bean-2-Cup Coffee Machines With Fresh Milk:

• Small—less than 30 – 50 drinks a day
• Medium—between 60 and 150 drinks a day 
• Large—over 150 drinks a day

Costs typically are £1300 – £2000 for a small machine, £2500 – £5000 for a medium machine, and £7000 – £14000 for a large machine. All prices are excluding vat.

 

In addition to the purchase price of the machine, you will also incur some other costs within that initial purchase price.

 

Depending on where you purchase your machine from, an internet supplier or a locally-based business, affects what these costs will be.

 

Many internet-based suppliers have a business model of ‘click-bait’ pricing. Either you’ll see a very low price, or more typically ‘we’ll price match any offer’. Whilst the price will be low, you’ll generally find that the extras get you to a price that’s much nearer to your local supplier. For example, there may be a cost for delivery. There’s almost certainly going to be an extra cost for installation and ongoing service support. A local supplier will generally include these costs in the purchase price

 

All machines come with some level of manufacturer’s warranty against defective parts. This is a minimum of 12 months, with many offering 3 years.

 

One cost that is often overlooked, especially when purchasing online, is the need for a water filter. A water filter offers 2 main benefits. Firstly, it removes impurities from the water, improving the taste of the drink. It’s other, more important benefit is the removal of calcium from the water, this is what causes limescale build-up. Whilst some calcium is beneficial for taste, too much build-up impairs the machine operation through clogged valves and longer water heating.

 

Looking at the lifetime cost of ownership for your machine.

 

All machines require some level of maintenance and annual servicing. 

 

Soluble machines generally are the cheapest to run, as there are no special cleaning products required for weekly maintenance. 

 

Bean-2-Cup machines with soluble milk are similar to soluble machines for cleaning, although you will need to a brewer cleaning chemical on a regular basis to remove the build-up of oliy residues from the beans.

 

Bean-2-Cup machines with fresh milk are the most expensive to run. The milk system will require a daily clean with chemicals to remove the milk fats. Again it will require a regular brewer clean. The most expensive cost however, is the annual boiler pressure safety check.

 

As a guide, again depending upon the actual supplier you use and the make of the machine, an annual service contract for a soluble machine will be around about the £400 a year level. A bean-2-cup machine with soluble milk will be around £500, whilst a fresh milk bean-2-cup machine ranges from £750 – £1400, excluding the boiler pressure test.

 

Cleaning products are around £20 for brewer cleaning tablets (per year) and £60 for milk cleaning solution.

 

Water filters require changing at least annually, depending upon the amount of water they treat and the hardness of the water. Depending on size/capacity the costs range from about £95 – £250 per filter, excluding vat.