While there are certainly some wonderfully delicious and affordable bottles on the market, wine isn’t exactly known for being one of the cheaper beverages one can enjoy. An expensive bottle of wine has always been somewhat of a luxury, but in certain cities it’s quickly becoming almost unattainable for certain budgets. Of course, with inflation, even the more budget-friendly wines are costing a bit more these days, and wine drinking is quickly becoming a more expensive pastime than it used to be, especially in particular cities.
A recent study done by Magnet Kitchens analyzed data collected from Numbeo, the world’s largest cost-of-living database. The research studied 190 cities across Europe, Australia, Canada, and the United States and found that a majority of the top most expensive cities to buy a bottle of wine are, sadly, right here in America.
Of course, there are many contributing factors to these numbers including particularly high taxes and stringent laws, but the news still comes as a bit of a shock. When one stops to consider all of the luxuriously expensive cities around the globe, it’s jarring that the United States houses most of them.
It turns out, perhaps unsurprisingly, that the most expensive city in the world in which to buy a bottle of wine is New York. The Big Apple certainly has a reputation for being pricey, but the average cost of a bottle of wine is a staggering $20, five times more expensive than the cheapest bottle in Cordoba, Spain, which averages $3.55. Of course, the taxes attached to wine sales have a significant impact on the data, with New York’s excise taxes for wine at 30% per gallon. In addition, there is a tax added to sales of wine with over 24% alcohol by volume in New York.
It’s not a surprise that California’s San Francisco and Oakland are tied for third on the list. California has higher sales taxes for wine than many states at 7.25%, and an excise tax of 20 cents per gallon. Columbus, Ohio, though, seems like a bit of a misfit in the number two spot. The reason for Columbus’s exceptionally high wine cost is because alcohol prices are required by Ohio law to have a markup of at least 30%, depending on where and how the wine is sold.
Philadelphia, unfortunately, isn’t giving off too many brotherly love vibes, clocking in at the fourth-highest spot on the list. Tied for the fifth spot are the only two non-American cities in the top five, Launceston and Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, where there are also infamously high alcohol taxes.
Average wine bottle price per city
- New York, NY – $20
- Columbus, OH – $18
- San Francisco, CA and Oakland, CA – $17.75
- Philadelphia, PA – $17
- Launceston, Tasmania and Hobart, Tasmania – $16.45
