Starbucks vs costa: how do they compare?

For many coffee lovers, a good cup of coffee could be the perfect start to a busy day. A cup of coffee can leave you feeling energized and alive.

As a freelance writer working is mostly boring and many of us visit a coffee shop to unwind. This is also the case for many citizens of New York City. Starbucks coffee shops are at most corners, and this is my favourite since no matter where I am, I can be sure to find a Starbucks nearby. I write this article to help you choose which of these two coffee houses suites you best. As well as learn a few facts about them.

What are the differences between costa Vs Starbucks?

Features	Costa	Starbucks
Ambience	Has a more traditional restaurant design	Has a more modern look in cooperating good lighting and interesting art pieces
Location	Has about 3883 locations in various countries in the world	Has over 33500 locations in 84 countries around the world
Menu	Its beverages are more on the traditional side Has numerous food items to choose from	The menu is diverse and caters for everyone’s needs Food options are few
Price Range	Its products are priced affordably	Many of its products are expensive
Beverage	The beverage sizes vary from 12 ounces to 20 ounces	The beverage sizes vary from 8 ounces to 31 ounces
Environmental Consciousness	Makes use of eco-friendly packaging. Green building design	Encourages recycling and makes use of dishes washers to minimize water usage.

Costa Vs Starbucks- How they compare

Ambience

When visiting Starbucks, customers are treated with the most care and respect. It gives the feeling of being at home. The ambience at Starbucks is enjoyable as they incorporate creative art pieces that you may admire while enjoying a cup hot of cappuccino.

On the other hand, Costa offers a more traditional restaurant style. Unlike Starbucks, this coffee shop does not incorporate creative art on its walls and has a generally boring design. It is also designed to cater for small groups of people.

Starbucks has a better ambience of the two coffee houses, both for individuals and large groups.

Location

Starbucks has over 33,800 locations worldwide in over 80 countries. In New York, you can find a Starbucks on most blocks. This is done so as to gain access to a wider market.

Costa, on the other hand, has much lesser locations. It has over 3800 locations around the world. In New York, it is difficult to come across a costa shop; hence its popularity in the city is minimal.

Once again, Starbucks takes the lead in this category as it serves a wider market and is accessible by most in New York.

Menu

For most coffee lovers, Starbucks is simply a place of fantasy as they offer a wide variety of coffee-based beverages having different taste profiles and sweetness levels. Some of the drinks offered at Starbucks are frappuccinos, vanilla latte (a summer favourite), hot and cold coffee and the classics such as cappuccinos and Americanos. However, it does not offer a variety of food options, with the most available items being sandwiches and pastries.

However, Costa would be the go-to coffee house if you want a wider variety of food items to choose from, as well as enjoy a nice cup of coffee. However, their coffee options are rather conservative, having customers pick between hot or cold coffee.

In this category, there is no clear winner as both coffee houses specialize in different products.

Price range

Starbucks is, without doubt, the more expensive of the two coffee houses. However, I find that you get what you paid for as their beverages tend to be of really high quality. So, if you have a few more coins to spare, I’d definitely advise you to go to Starbucks for a better experience.

On the other hand, Costa has a very affordable price range for all its menu items. However, I found its drinks to be of a lower quality than Starbucks. The food items, however, are of good quality, and I find them to be quite enjoyable.

In this category, costa wins for me since it offers an affordable price range for fairly good quality beverages.

Beverage sizes

Starbucks definitely offers a wide variety of beverage sizes. Their beverage sizes vary from 8 once cups to 31-ounce cups. This gives customers a wide variety to choose from and can be enjoyed by various age groups.

Costa has a variety of sizes varying from 12 once to 20 once cup sizes

Starbucks is the winner in this category as it offers a wide variety of sizes that can easily be customizable to different needs.

Environmental consciousness.

Both coffee houses have made huge investments in ensuring they lower their individual carbon emissions. Costa makes use of environmentally friendly packing, while Starbucks encourages recycling of its packing. Both companies make use of dishwashers to reduce water wastage in their facilities.

In this category, I think both companies tie as they both are very environmentally conscious.

Costa Vs Starbucks- A comparison overview

Costa overview

Cota coffee was founded 51 years ago in 1971 by Sergio Costa, an Italian, in London, England. It first started by supplying local caterers. The shop branched out and started selling coffee to London locals. This was particularly difficult as London had a strong tea culture; hence most found it hard to try out coffee.

Over the years, it has since grown from one shop in London to over 3800 shops in various parts of the world. The coffee house caters for the everyday coffee lover who would want to enjoy coffee with a meal. They are well known for their cappuccino, and this draws its roots from Italy, where the owner is originally from. The coffee house recently launched a campaign dubbed “The coffee for you “, which is an online campaign to encourage people to take more coffee.

Starbucks overview

Starbucks coffee was started on March 30, 1971, by three young men; Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel and Gordon Bowker. At Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington, United States. The trio wanted to fill in a market gap that existed by selling high-quality coffee beans and coffee roasting equipment.

It has grown over the years from that a café in Washington to having 33,833 as of 2021 in 84 countries worldwide. The coffee house offers various products that cater to various people’s needs, but its specialty definitely has to be the wide range of coffee-based beverages.

Starbucks has often taken part in various community campaigns, and it’s most recent was the pink campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer, which affects a lot of women all around the world.

Final verdict: So, which is better? – Costa Vs Starbucks

In my honest opinion, Starbuck coffee is much better than Costa coffee. Although Starbucks boasts expensive product prices, they are worth every coin. They also have a wide variety of drinks that satisfy different taste profiles, including a secret menu that I am yet to try. Their drinks are also very customizable to fit the customer’s individual preferences. However, Costa is also a good coffee house for the average coffee lover as it offers beverages at affordable prices. The food menu is more diverse than that of Starbucks and comes at an affordable price as well. Costa is generally a good coffee house that offers an affordable price range.

FAQs

Is Starbucks more popular than Costa?

Starbucks is definitely more popular than Costa as it is available in various parts of the world. It also gains its popularity by having a wide variety of beverages.

Is Costa coffee stronger than Starbucks?

Costa coffee is stronger than Starbucks because they use more traditional methods of making coffee and use a deeper roast level.

Which is bigger Starbucks or Costa?

Starbucks is definitely bigger than Costa since it has more outlets, making it have a bigger market.

Is Starbucks more profitable than Costa?

Yes, it is. This is due to the fact that Starbucks has a wider market and more outlets in various parts of the world.