Weather 
It’s a real pagne in the wallet.
Add New Year’s Eve toasts to the list of activities that are extortionately pricey in New York. Gotham has been ranked the second most expensive place in the world to sip Champagne, according to a sparkly new survey by luxe chauffeur company Blacklane.
An average glass of bubbly sets imbibers back a shocking $37 per glass in the Big Apple, per the report.
The premium ride firm attributes this distinction in part to a strong presence of prestige brands like Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot and Louis Roederer at the city’s top hotel bars, rooftops, and lounges.
Dubbed the Blacklane Champagne Index, the tipple-rich survey was the brainchild of award-winning drinks writer Henry Jeffreys, who created it to “uncover the most distinguished places to indulge in a glass of fizz.”
To compile this cork-pulling pantheon, the beverage scribe examined the average price of a 125ml glass of house non‑vintage brut Champagne in one of the bars or restaurants in 10 five‑star hotels in each city. He also factored in the price of a cup of Auld Lang wine, where available, in airport bars in the featured metropolises.
In the event that more than one label was available by the glass, Jeffreys chose the cheapest option.
This comes amid a turbulent time for the preeminent celebration libation, with sales dipping nearly 10% in 2024 to 271 million bottles, according to Comité Champagne, which represents around 320 Champagne houses and 16,000 winegrowers.
This financial fizzling can be attributed to the tumultuous times we live in, characterized by “inflation, conflicts around the world, economic uncertainty and a political wait-and-see attitude in some of Champagne’s biggest markets,” lamented Comité Champagne co-president Maxime Toubart.
Nonetheless, champagne remains the number one choice when it comes to putting a bow on special occasions, such as ushering in 2026.
The most expensive place to partake in an NYE cheers was Dubai, where a glass of Champagne clocked in at a brut-al $45 a glass. The priciest glass of giggle juice is a $63 cup at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai.
Booze sales are understandably tightly controlled in this Islamic country, which imposes a 30% tax on alcohol.
However, even when this was suspended between 2023 and 2025 to attract tourists, the costs still overshadowed counterparts in Europe and America.
Coming in second was New York City, which Blacklane dubbed the “Champagne capital of the US.”
New York also boasted diversity when it came to Champagne brands, “evidence of a more knowledgeable clientele happy to experiment” beyond the standard bubbly juggernauts.
In fact, high-end NYC restaurateurs went viral in 2024 after refusing to stock Veuve Clicquot — the lifeblood of the luxury bubbly market featured in “Casablanca,” “Downton Abbey” and too many rap songs to count — because they felt it was “overplayed” and not as good as in years past.
Rounding out the five were Miami ($35), Rome ($33), and London ($32).
The top ten most expensive cities in the world for Champagne
- Dubai: $45
- New York: $37
- Miami: $35
- Rome: $33
- London: $32
- Paris: $32
- Côte d’Azur: $31
- Los Angeles: $31
- Tokyo: $29
- Madrid: $23
When it came to bang for your bubbly, Madrid was the clear winner with an average price for a glass of Champagne costing $23 — less than half the price of Dubai. In fact, the top three cheapest cities were all in the Spanish metropolis.
Meanwhile, the most recognizable fizz brands were Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Louis Roederer, Taittinger and Laurent‑Perrier.
