The canonical Short Black, read from 9,200 café menus across Australia.
| # | Region | Price | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tuggeranong | $4.00 | 16 |
| 2 | Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton | $4.00 | 88 |
| 3 | Jervis Bay | $4.05 | 8 |
| 4 | Stirling | $4.20 | 648 |
| 5 | Dural - Wisemans Ferry | $4.25 | 3019 |
| # | Region | Price | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eyre Peninsula and South West | $6.00 | 6 |
| 2 | Bourke - Cobar - Coonamble | $5.00 | 7 |
| 3 | Tumut - Tumbarumba | $4.50 | 512 |
| 4 | Melbourne City | $4.50 | 1671 |
| 5 | Maryborough | $4.50 | 590 |
At the median Australian café, a Short Black costs $4.50 this reading. The middle half of venues sit between $4.00 and $5.00 — but the regional spread is the story. In Eyre Peninsula and South West the median runs $6.00; in Tuggeranong it's $4.00.
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.
A Short Black costs $4.50 at the median Australian café, based on 9,200 priced menus in the October 2026 reading. The middle half of cafés charge between $4.00 and $5.00.
Western Australia is cheapest at $4.20; Northern Territory is dearest at $4.80.
Of the regions we read, Eyre Peninsula and South West has the dearest median at $6.00 and Tuggeranong the cheapest at $4.00.
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.