Why is Diet Coke More Expensive than Regular Coke?

When talking about colas, there is one flavor that reigns supreme… Diet Coke. This Coca-Cola product is just like regular Coke but without added sugar.

Other than the sugar bit, another thing that stands out about the diet coke is its significantly higher prices compared to the normal coke.

So, you may be asking yourself, why is it more expensive than regular Coke if at all it doesn’t contain sugar?

The main reason diet coke is more expensive than regular Coke is its ingredients. Diet coke is made with artificial sweeteners, which are more costly than the traditional sugars used in regular Coke. Diet coke’s growing demand, little competition, and unavailability also contribute to its high prices.

This article looks at the differences between diet coke and regular Coke to make sense of their pricing methods.

Read on to learn the real reasons diet coke is so expensive.

What is the Difference Between Diet Coke and Regular Coke?

The main difference between diet and regular Coke is that the former is flavored with artificial sweeteners like aspartame, while regular Coke uses high fructose corn syrup. Aspartame can be 200 times sweeter than sucrose, meaning you only need a small amount to sugar the beverage. 

Therefore, while the amount of sugar in a regular coke might be 2 or 3 percent, there are only hundredths of a percent of aspartame in diet coke. As a result, diet coke is slightly lighter in weight and has lower calories.

How Much Is a Regular Coke?

Of course, the price of a regular coke depends on where you’re buying it, type of container, and amount. That said, it’s always cheaper than a similar unit of diet coke.

The average price for a 1.5L regular coke in the US is $2.05.

How Much Is a Diet Coke?

Just like regular Coke, diet coke prices will vary depending on the amount, type of container, and where you buy them. Sometimes there are offers, especially in restaurants where you get a free diet coke when you buy a healthy meal.

However, the recommended retail price for a 1.5L diet coke is $2.25, which is $0.20 more than regular coke.

Why is Diet Coke So Expensive?

So, the big question here is, if diet coke is lighter, has less sugar and calories, why is it more costly than regular Coke? Here are a few reasons why it’s more expensive.

1. Ingredients

The main reason diet coke is more expensive than regular Coke is that the former is more costly to produce. While diet coke uses less sugar, the flavoring sugar used is more expensive (aspartame) than regular Coke’s high fructose corn syrup.

2. Growing Demand

Due to the sudden rise of lifestyle diseases, there’s a global demand for healthier food. However, most people who embrace a healthier lifestyle don’t want to cut off their old habits completely. Instead, they just want to make them healthier.

As a result, people who initially took a bottle of regular Coke every day are happy to drink a diet coke which gives them the same level of satisfaction with less sugar and calories. Coca-Cola understands that this is a niche group and charges them as such.

3. Little Competition

Even with the increasing global demand for healthier food and drinks, there is still little competition in the diet beverages space.

For instance, diet coke’s biggest competitors are coke zero and coke light, both of which belong to Coca-Cola.

On the other hand, regular Coke is faced by numerous competitors like Pepsi, Red Bull, Gatorade, Mountain Dew, Fanta, and Sprite. As a result, regular Coke has to be competitively priced to keep up with the market.

4. Availability

Regular Coke is the most popular carbonated drink in the world. As a result, it can be found on almost any counter, shelf, and refrigerator.

Diet coke, on the other hand, appeals to a small group of people who want to watch their sugar intake. Therefore, it’s a bit harder to find in some parts of the world.

Due to its limited availability, those who sell it take advantage and charge a bit more than they’re supposed to.

Is Diet Coke Better Than Regular Coke?

It depends on what you want to get out of your carbonated drink. Regular Coke contains a lot of traditional sugar, which is linked with diabetes, weight gain, and cardiovascular diseases.

Diet coke accomplishes the same taste with artificial sweeteners, which are low in calories.

However, despite having low calories, diet coke offers no nutritional value. A 2012 study on 125,000 subjects also linked artificial sweeteners to an increased risk of multiple myeloma, leukemia, and lymphoma in men.

Is Diet Coke Being Discontinued 2022

Like other food and beverage companies, Coca-Cola is dealing with a few supply chain issues. In fact, Coca-Cola CEO, James Quincey, said that he expects sporadic shortages in 2022. It’s therefore assumed that diet coke, being one of the less popular Coke options, may be scarcer in the near future.

The company has also been aggressively promoting Coke lite and Coke Zero, which serve a similar purpose to diet coke. However, there’s no official statement from Coca-Cola about Diet Coke being discontinued in 2022.