Dubai Is the World’s Most Expensive City for Champagne

Here’s where you’ll pay the steepest price for a glass of fizz. 

From hotel lounges overlooking the Dubai skyline to discreet Parisian bars and Tokyo’s design-led high-rises, the cost of champagne varies dramatically across the world.

Blacklane’s newly released Champagne Index, researched by drinks expert and author Henry Jeffreys, analyzed the price of a 125ml glass of house non-vintage brut champagne across luxury hotels and airport bars in ten international cities. The findings reveal striking disparities not only between cities, but sometimes for the same champagne label served in different global capitals – underscoring how geography, prestige, and local drinking culture shape luxury pricing.

At the upper end of the scale, champagne remains a powerful status symbol, particularly during the festive season. In other destinations, however, the report reveals surprising pockets of value and diversity, challenging assumptions about where luxury must command the highest premium.

Dubai: The world’s most expensive glass of champagne

Luxury excess finds its natural home in Dubai, which tops Blacklane’s Champagne Index as the most expensive city in the world for a glass of champagne, averaging $49 per 125ml pour – 21 per cent higher than in New York.

The survey’s most extravagant single pour was recorded at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai, where a glass of Veuve Clicquot costs $64. Here, champagne is ordered as readily in hotel lounges as it is aboard superyachts and private jets.

New York: High prices, high expectations

Coming in second, New York averages $37 per glass, reflecting the city’s appetite for luxury hospitality paired with globally recognized brands. Five-star addresses such as The Langham charge around $40 per pour, reinforcing champagne’s role as a staple of Manhattan’s high-end social and business culture.

While prices are steep, menus remain rooted in familiarity, with classic prestige labels dominating hotel bars across the city.

London and Paris: A surprising price parity

Despite their reputations as luxury heavyweights, London and Paris emerged as near-identical in champagne pricing, each averaging $32 per glass.

Paris showcased the widest price range in the report, from $22 to $41, reflecting a champagne culture that spans everyday refinement. London, meanwhile, balances heritage hotel glamor with international brand recognition, with pours such as Laurent-Perrier at The Savoy and Ruinart at The Dorchester appealing to a globally attuned clientele.

Tokyo: Boutique bottles at accessible prices

One of the report’s most compelling findings came from Tokyo, which pairs relative affordability ($29.75 average) with one of the most eclectic champagne selections surveyed.

Luxury hotels in the Japanese capital combine established prestige houses with smaller grower-producers, catering to a clientele that values craftsmanship as much as label recognition. Venues such as the Conrad Tokyo feature names like Ruinart and Veuve Clicquot, alongside boutique offerings rarely found at comparable prices elsewhere.

Madrid: The world’s best-value champagne capital

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Madrid stands out as the best-value champagne destination in the world, averaging just $23 per glass.

The lowest price recorded anywhere in the index – $20 for a glass of Taittinger – was found at the five-star Hotel Urban in the city’s Centro district, reinforcing the idea that world-class champagne does not always require world-class spending.