The table compares the average price of a cup of coffee in six Australian cities in 2010 and 2014, together with the percentage change over the four-year period.
Overall, coffee prices increased in every city except Brisbane, where they remained unchanged. Sydney consistently recorded the highest prices in both years, whereas Melbourne experienced the most substantial increase. By contrast, Canberra remained the least expensive city throughout the period.
Looking first at the two largest markets, Sydney charged the highest price for a cup of coffee in 2010, at $2.80, before the figure rose by 13.2% to $3.17 in 2014. Although Melbourne started at a lower price of $2.40, it recorded the most pronounced growth among the six cities, climbing by 20.8% to $2.90. As a result, it remained the second most expensive city for coffee by the end of the period.
The remaining cities generally displayed lower and broadly comparable prices. In Perth, the price increased from $2.10 to $2.25, representing a rise of 7.1%. Similarly, Adelaide and Canberra saw modest increases from $1.87 to $2.00 and from $1.60 to $1.70, equivalent to growth of 6.95% and 6.25%, respectively. Brisbane was the only exception to the overall trend, with the price remaining stable at $2.25 in both years, matching Perth’s figure in 2014.