Business · Economy · 19 hrs ago
Australian pint prices have risen nearly $1 every 18 months since 2020
The average price of a pint in Australia rose from $9.96 in January 2020 to $13.76, according to data covering pubs in capital cities.
Prices increased most sharply after pandemic lockdowns ended in 2022, and the increases have continued since.
Melbourne has the highest average prices for several beers tracked, including Balter XPA, Guinness and Carlton Draught.
Perth is generally the cheapest capital city for those beers.
The price gaps may reflect discounting as breweries seek to enter Western Australia, according to beer expert James Smith.
Costs also differ between beers: Great Northern Super Crisp averages $11.73 nationally, while premium beers Balter XPA and Guinness average more than $14.
The figures show how pub prices have changed, but some city and beer comparisons were excluded because there was not enough data.
The average price of a pint in Australia rose from $9.96 in January 2020 to $13.76.
That amounts to an increase of nearly $1 every 18 months.
Melbourne had the highest average prices for several beers, while Perth was generally the cheapest capital city for those beers.
The steepest price rises came after pandemic lockdowns ended in 2022, when most pint prices rose by about 10 per cent.
Great Northern rose 43 per cent since 2020, the largest increase among major tap beers tracked.
- Who
- Australian pub customers, based on pricing data provided by Square.
- What
- The national average pint price rose from $9.96 to $13.76 since January 2020.
- When
- Since January 2020; the steepest increases followed the end of pandemic lockdowns in 2022.
- Where
- Australia. Melbourne was typically the most expensive capital city for several beers, and Perth was generally the cheapest.
- Why
- The article says prices rose most sharply after lockdowns ended in 2022. It also cites taxes, levies, rates and licensing conditions as costs affecting some Victorian venues.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The $10 pint is effectively extinct in this dataset
WA as a whole, in terms of hospitality and the beer production industry, has generally held firm longer than other states did.
Increases have moderated every year since, but they’ve never reversed.
The national average pint price was $9.96.
After pandemic lockdowns ended, most pint prices rose by about 10 per cent.
SMH published its comparison of Australian beer prices, reporting a national average of $13.76.
- National average, January 2020
- $9.96 a pint
- National average, reported in 2026
- $13.76 a pint
- Price rise pace
- Nearly $1 every 18 months since 2020
- Largest major tap-beer increase
- Great Northern rose 43 per cent, from $8.21 in 2020 to $11.73
- Most expensive Balter XPA city
- Melbourne, at $15.70 a pint
- Cheapest tracked pint
- XXXX Gold averaged $11.24 nationally
Sources
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