Who Has the Cheapest Fall Drink for Pumpkin Spice Season?

I gotta be honest, coffee prices this year are kind of a buzzkill. I'm not sure who Starbucks thinks they are (and I used to work there), but paying nearly $7 for a 16-ounce drink is not doable with my coffee budget.

But Starbucks and Dunkin' PSLs aren't the only fall drinks available anymore. Other coffee chains have introduced their own pumpkin spice lattes, or other fall drinks entirely. In fact, the cheapest fall drink this year is a Caramel Apple Pie Latte at McDonald's. I compared medium-size lattes at six different shops to find the best value.

Bottom line: if you're pinching pennies like me, avoid Starbucks and Dutch Bros. and opt for McDonald's for the best value per ounce this fall.

McDonald's has the cheapest fall latte (again) this year.

Since medium means something different at every coffee chain, I broke this down by price per ounce. You'll pay $2.36 less for the McDonald's Caramel Apple Pie Latte compared to the Starbucks PSL, which works out to 35% less per ounce.

If you prefer the big-name coffee chains, Dunkin' rings up at $0.34 per ounce, which is still 19% less than Starbucks.

Spice up an iced coffee and create an Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte dupe for $2 cheaper.

With gas prices what they are, it doesn't make sense to drive across town to save on your coffee, though. So if a pricier chain is closer, here's what I do (especially since I like iced coffees better than hot).

Many coffee shops have iced coffee options, and it costs less to doctor up a cold coffee than it does to order a specialty latte. The caveat? You won't be getting espresso. But you'll still get a creamy, fall-spiced caffeine kick for $2 less.

Here's a price breakdown when you order a customized medium iced coffee ( not a cold brew) compared to an iced PSL at Starbucks:

• Grande Iced Coffee: $3.95

• Add Pumpkin Sauce: $0.80

• Add a splash of cream: Free

• Add whipped cream: Free

• Add cinnamon powder: Free

• Total: $4.75

• Iced PSL price: $6.75

• Savings: $2.00

KCL TIP: Iced coffee requires fewer Starbucks Stars, so you can get one of these pumpkin spice dupes for free with 100 Stars instead of redeeming 200 Stars for the latte.

You'll see similar savings at Dunkin' ($4.15 vs. $5.47; $1.32 saved) and other chain coffee houses. And if you order one PSL per week for the entire season, you'll save over $20.

So go ahead. Enjoy the fall season with a PSL in your hand. You'll get the cheapest option at McDonald's for both hot and iced drinks. But don't be afraid to use the mobile apps to your advantage and create some custom coffees that are cheaper than menu-board pricing.

You May Also Be Interested In:

• National Coffee Day Is Sept. 29 Every Year

• Best Starbucks Offers

• How To Save at Dunkin'