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April 2026 reading
The Dirty Chai Index
April 2026 reading · Next: October 2026

TheDirty Chai Index

The canonical Dirty Chai, read from 859 café menus across Australia.

National median
$6.00
Across 859 venues that listed Dirty Chai in the April 2026 reading.
First readingApril 2026 reading
National price range — 10th to 90th percentile
$5.00 p10median $6.00$7.25 p90
What does the spread look like?
7
24
135
181
187
141
111
33
21
7
4.0–4.5
4.5–5.0
5.0–5.5
5.5–6.0
6.0–6.5
6.5–7.0
7.0–7.5
7.5–8.0
8.0–8.5
8.5–9.0
Median $6.00
Strong sample
n=859 venues · spread $5.00–$7.25 · April 2026
By State & Metro
April 2026 Reading
Geographic variation
Median price of Dirty Chai by state
WA$6.00NT$6.50SA$6.35QLD$6.20NSW$6.00VIC$6.00TAS$6.00ACT$6.13
CheaperMore expensive
By metro median
Darwin
$6.65
Brisbane
$6.45
Adelaide
$6.32
Melbourne
$6.20
Hobart
$6.15
Canberra
$6.13
Perth
$6.00
Sydney
$5.94
Australia
$6.00
Local readings of the Dirty Chai Index
April 2026 Reading
By cityBrisbane $6.45Adelaide $6.32Sunshine Coast $6.30Melbourne $6.20Gold Coast $6.15Canberra $6.13Newcastle $6.00Perth $6.00Sydney $5.94Wollongong $5.90
By stateSouth Australia $6.35Queensland $6.20Australian Capital Territory $6.13Victoria $6.00New South Wales $6.00Western Australia $6.00
Cheapest regions — Dirty Chai
#RegionPricen
1Armidale$5.7526
2Gosford$6.00248
3Bendigo$6.0038
4South Canberra$6.0019
5Perth City$6.0058
Most expensive regions — Dirty Chai
#RegionPricen
1Barossa$6.6510
2Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton$6.5011
3Marion$6.3051
4Wheat Belt - North$6.309
5Nambour - Pomona$6.25163
The Spread
April 2026 Reading

At the median Australian café, a Dirty Chai costs $6.00 this reading. The middle half of venues sit between $5.50 and $6.75 — but the regional spread is the story. In Barossa the median runs $6.65; in Armidale it's $5.75.

Sample sizes vary by region — every number on this page ships with its n, and regions below our confidence bar are marked indicative or thin. Medians, not means: one $40 outlier doesn't move the number.

The gap between the dearest and cheapest region for Dirty Chai is $0.90 +15.0% of the national median.
Dirty Chai prices — the short answers
April 2026 Reading

How much is a Dirty Chai in Australia?

A Dirty Chai costs $6.00 at the median Australian café, based on 859 priced menus in the April 2026 reading. The middle half of cafés charge between $5.50 and $6.75.

Which state has the cheapest Dirty Chai?

Tasmania is cheapest at $6.00; Northern Territory is dearest at $6.50.

Where is a Dirty Chai most expensive?

Of the regions we read, Barossa has the dearest median at $6.65 and Armidale the cheapest at $5.75.

Sister product

For the dedicated Flat White Index — with deeper coffee analysis, roaster intel and suburb rankings — see SmallFlatWhite. TheCafeIndex covers the breadth; SmallFlatWhite covers the coffee depth.

More from Coffee — Hot
April 2026 Reading
Latte $5.40Short Black $4.20Mocha $5.75Long Black $5.00Flat White $5.25Cappuccino $5.25Macchiato $4.50Piccolo $4.50Babyccino $2.00Affogato $6.70Batch Brew $5.50Long Macchiato $5.00Magic $5.50Ristretto $4.50
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