Vladimir Ilyich Lenin must be rolling over in his grave. Just 17 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the one-time capital of communism is now home to the world's most expensive cup of coffee. The average cup of joe in Moscow is $10.19, including service, according to a new survey by the London office of U.S. consulting firm Mercer.
The rest of Europe isn't much kinder--coffee is $6.77 in Paris and $6.62 in Athens. International travelers looking to satisfy their caffeine cravings should look to South America and Africa for relief: At $2.03 per cup in Buenos Aires and $2.36 in Johannesburg, both continents offer relief to cash-strapped java seekers. New York is far from the most expensive, weighing in at a mere $3.75.
Moscow's prices continue to rise across the board, but there is some relief in sight for coffee drinkers. Last year, beleaguered Starbucks (nasdaq: SBUX - news - people ) opened its first location in the Russian capital following a victory in a lengthy dispute with a Russian patent squatter. Muscovites complained about the prices from the get-go, but Starbucks' brew is actually lighter on the wallet than most. According to The Moscow News, the company's notorious lattes ranged in price from 150 to 200 rubles, or $6.42 to $8.56 at today's exchange rates.
Either way, Moscow's elite can afford the costly beverage--the city boasts 74 billionaires, the most in the world.
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