Report reveals consumer spending habits in Australian cafés – BeanScene

The cappuccino is the most popular coffee in Australia according to data released by Hey You and Westpac DataX, which has identified key consumer habits and pricing changes in Australia’s café scene through its latest Australia’s Daily Brew report.

Overall, total café spend across Australia has decreased 1.6 per cent to $722 million, with order frequency at 4.8 per month, down two per cent year-on-year. Total transactions were down 3.6 per cent at 41 million and unique customers was down 1.7 per cent at nine million.

Despite these small decreases, average spend per order has risen 2.1 per cent to $17.70, which the report says shows customer appetite to pay higher prices.

“Cafés are managing to pass through moderate price increases without alienating their core customer base,” the report states. “The 2.1 per cent average lift in spend per transaction suggests a level of price elasticity, particularly in urban centres where convenience and quality still drive behaviour.

“Westpac DataX shows the average café customer is spending $85 a month, which works out to around 4.4 per cent of their weekly disposable income on cafés and takeaway food.

“It’s a meaningful slice of the budget. It shows that even as costs rise, Australians are still carving out room for small comforts – but they’re doing it with more intention.”

The average price of a coffee reflects the passing on of higher costs to the customer, with a coffee now costing $4.63 on average – a 7.7 per cent annual price increase on the average price of $4.31 seen in 2024.

In Western Australia, coffee prices have surged more than 10 per cent in the past year, however, Victoria saw an overall average price drop of 0.7 per cent, meaning coffee became cheaper for consumers despite ongoing cost pressures to venues.

Tasmanians purchase the most expensive coffee in the country at an average price of $5.26, while Victorians have the cheapest average price at $4.55.

The cappuccino was the most popular coffee in South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Tasmania, while the latte still reigned supreme as the go-to brew for Victorians. Western Australia was the other outlier, with the state’s most popular coffee a flat white.

The popularity of the cappuccino saw its price rise 7.57 per cent on average across Australia, almost double the average 4.52 per cent price increase seen for lattes.

Finally, cow’s milk is still by far the most popular milk choice in Australian cafés with 71 per cent of the market share, however, that figure has dropped 16 per cent in five years.

Almond milk makes up 14 per cent of the milk market, with oat (eight per cent) and soy (six per cent) also proving popular.

The data reported in Hey You and Westpac DataX’s Australian Daily Brew report covers a reporting period of June 2024 to June 2025.