The Froth Price Index
Illustrative: a typical build, not one cafe's recipe.
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The Froth Price Index
A plain babycino: frothed milk with a dusting of chocolate, without marshmallows or a kids' meal deal.
The typical price is the middle price: half the cafes charge less, half charge more.
8 in 10 cafes charge between the two prices shown: we leave out the cheapest 10 and the dearest 10 in every 100.
Each cafe counts once, when its menu prints a price for it. Cafes that list it without a price, or with a price we can't use (a combo, a large size or one far from the usual), aren't counted, so the count can be lower than the number of cafes that have it on the menu.
Illustrative: a typical build, not one cafe's recipe.
On the map, a darker tag is a dearer city.
Each tag is a typical price; the places that charge it sit beside it, and the words over them say how far it is from Australia's.
The typical price is the middle price: half the cafes charge less, half charge more.
8 in 10 cafes charge between the two prices shown: we leave out the cheapest 10 and the dearest 10 in every 100.
Melbourne parents pay 50c more than Sydney's: a babycino is typically $2.50 there and $2.00 in Sydney.
Melbourne$2.50
The same as Australia's $2.50
276 cafes · 8 in 10 charge $2.00 to $3.00
Every price in MelbourneEach column of bubbles is how many cafes charge a price in that step, from 1,025 cafe menus that print a price, in 9 cities, November 2026. Each cafe counts once, at its main price.
Bubbles in the drink's colour are the middle 80% of cafes, pale ones the rest. The tag over the picture marks the typical price: half the cafes charge less, half charge more. 1 in 4 charge $3.00 or more.
The first and last columns also hold the few cafes cheaper or dearer than the picture runs.
Each bubble is about 50 cafes; a small one, fewer
$2.00 is the most common price: 1 in 3 cafes charge exactly that.
What cafes typically add to a babycino at $2.50.
The typical price of a babycino across Australia, plus the typical add-on for each extra you pick.
Each figure is worked out on its own, from the cafes that list it. No cafe was seen charging this total for that exact order, so treat it as a guide.
Tap an extra to add it.
Area by area
An area's figure is the typical price among its cafes, with the city's own set-asides. An area needs at least 5 cafes with a price.
Each bubble counts a step of the difference from the city's typical price: filled for more, pale for less. The key over the rows says how big a step is.
In Brisbane, from $2.00 in Moreton Bay to $2.75 in Inner West.
Each bubble is 5c from Sydney's typical price
Typical prices in Australia, against a babycino at $2.50.
Run a cafe? See what Australia's frothing for
Of the 9 cities with enough cafes, Sydney is cheapest at $2.00 and Darwin dearest at $2.50, each its typical price.
From the cafe menus we read in each city, November 2026. Each cafe counts once, at its main price for the item, and add-ons, large sizes and combos are left out. The typical price is the middle price: half the cafes charge less, half charge more. A city needs at least 8 cafes with a price before we show a figure; below that we say not enough cafes yet. We never name a cafe for its prices.
A babycino typically costs $2.00 in Sydney, from 283 menus we read in November 2026. Most Sydney cafes charge $2.00 to $3.04. That is $0.50 less than the typical price across Australia.
A babycino typically costs $2.50 in Melbourne, from 276 menus we read in November 2026. Most Melbourne cafes charge $2.00 to $3.00. That is the same as the typical price across Australia.
A babycino typically costs $2.50 in Brisbane, from 179 menus we read in November 2026. Most Brisbane cafes charge $1.96 to $3.00. That is the same as the typical price across Australia.
A babycino typically costs $2.50 in Perth, from 113 menus we read in November 2026. Most Perth cafes charge $2.00 to $3.50. That is the same as the typical price across Australia.
A babycino typically costs $2.50 in Adelaide, from 65 menus we read in November 2026. Most Adelaide cafes charge $2.00 to $3.50. That is the same as the typical price across Australia.
A babycino typically costs $2.00 in Gold Coast, from 56 menus we read in November 2026. Most Gold Coast cafes charge $2.00 to $3.50. That is $0.50 less than the typical price across Australia.
A babycino typically costs $2.00 in Canberra, from 29 menus we read in November 2026. Most Canberra cafes charge $2.00 to $3.00. That is $0.50 less than the typical price across Australia.
A babycino typically costs $2.25 in Hobart, from 12 menus we read in November 2026. Most Hobart cafes charge $2.00 to $2.97. That is $0.25 less than the typical price across Australia.
A babycino typically costs $2.50 in Darwin, from 12 menus we read in November 2026. Most Darwin cafes charge $2.02 to $2.95. That is the same as the typical price across Australia.