The Froth Price Index
What do cafes charge for decaf?
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The Froth Price Index
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The Froth Price Index
What a cafe adds to make a coffee decaf.
The typical price is the middle price: half the cafes charge less, half charge more.
The thin line or pale band runs from the 10th to the 90th cafe in every 100, so it covers the middle 80% of cafes.
From 189 menus in 6 cities, November 2026.
The typical price is the middle price: half the cafes charge less, half charge more.
The thin line or pale band runs from the 10th to the 90th cafe in every 100, so it covers the middle 80% of cafes.
Dearest in Adelaide and Gold Coast at $1.00, cheapest in Sydney at $0.60: a 40c gap.
Not enough cafes yet in Canberra and Hobart.
What most cafes charge
Each column is how many cafes charge a price in that step, from 189 menus in 6 cities, November 2026. Each cafe counts once, at its main price.
The darker columns hold the middle 80% of cafes, from the 10th to the 90th cafe in every 100. The solid column holds the typical price: half the cafes charge less, half charge more.
The first and last columns also hold the few cafes cheaper or dearer than the picture runs.
1 in 3 charge $1.00 or more.
$1.00 is the most common price: 1 in 3 cafes charge exactly that.
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 bar is against its city's typical price, the dashed mark.
In Sydney, from $0.60 in Hills District to $0.90 in Western Sydney.
Not enough cafes yet in Inner West, Eastern Suburbs, Lower North Shore, Upper North Shore and Hornsby, Northern Beaches, Ryde and Northern Suburbs, Parramatta and surrounds, Canterbury-Bankstown, St George and Sutherland Shire.
What cafes typically add, against decaf at $0.80.
Decaf typically costs $0.70 in Melbourne, from 65 menus we read in November 2026. Most Melbourne cafes charge $0.50 to $1.00. That is $0.10 less than the typical price across Australia.
Decaf typically costs $0.60 in Sydney, from 57 menus we read in November 2026. Most Sydney cafes charge $0.50 to $1.00. That is $0.20 less than the typical price across Australia.
Decaf typically costs $1.00 in Adelaide, from 23 menus we read in November 2026. Most Adelaide cafes charge $0.70 to $1.44. That is $0.20 more than the typical price across Australia.
Decaf typically costs $0.70 in Brisbane, from 17 menus we read in November 2026. Most Brisbane cafes charge $0.50 to $1.00. That is $0.10 less than the typical price across Australia.
Decaf typically costs $0.80 in Perth, from 15 menus we read in November 2026. Most Perth cafes charge $0.50 to $1.30. That is the same as the typical price across Australia.
Decaf typically costs $1.00 in Gold Coast, from 12 menus we read in November 2026. Most Gold Coast cafes charge $0.50 to $1.18. That is $0.20 more than the typical price across Australia.
Of the 6 cities with enough cafes, Sydney is cheapest at $0.60 and Gold Coast dearest at $1.00, 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.