Food prices Australia CPI September 2026: up 3.2 per cent, aisle by aisle

Food prices Australia CPI September 2026: the quick answer

The quick answer: food and non-alcoholic beverage prices rose 3.2 per cent in the 12 months to September 2026, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on 28 October 2026. In August the annual rise was 3.0 per cent. Over the month of September, food prices were flat in the ABS original series and rose 0.5 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms.

That 3.2 per cent is a national average across thousands of prices and every capital city. It is not your trolley. If you buy a lot of beef and fruit, your shop may have risen faster than that. If you buy eggs, pork and coffee, some of it may have fallen.

All prices across the economy rose 4.3 per cent in the year to September, up from 4.0 per cent in August. Housing was the largest contributor and transport rose 8.7 per cent, led by fuel. The ABS releases the October figures on 25 November 2026.

We make Discount Trolley, a grocery price app, so read this with that in mind. The CPI figures below come straight from the ABS. The shelf prices come from Discount Trolley on 29 October 2026, checked against each store's own website.

• Food and non-alcoholic beverages: up 3.2 per cent in the year to September 2026.
• August 2026: up 3.0 per cent.
• Month of September: flat in original terms, up 0.5 per cent seasonally adjusted.
• Next release: 25 November 2026.

Which food prices rose most in the year to September?

The aisles moved in very different directions. These are the ABS annual changes to September 2026, from the monthly CPI tables released on 28 October.

Fruit stood out. It rose 10.2 per cent over the year, up from 1.8 per cent in August. Fruit and vegetables are among the items the ABS calls volatile, so a big swing in one month can turn around quickly. Vegetables rose 2.1 per cent.

1. Fruit: up 10.2 per cent.
2. Beef and veal: up 5.8 per cent.
3. Milk: up 5.4 per cent.
4. Waters, soft drinks and juices: up 4.9 per cent.
5. Meals out and take away foods: up 3.9 per cent.
6. Dairy and related products: up 3.5 per cent.
7. Lamb and goat: up 3.0 per cent.
8. Bread: up 2.3 per cent.
9. Vegetables: up 2.1 per cent.
10. Cheese: up 1.8 per cent.
11. Poultry: up 0.4 per cent.
12. Coffee, tea and cocoa: down 1.0 per cent.
13. Pork: down 1.3 per cent.
14. Eggs: down 2.3 per cent.

Beef is still up, but the rise is slowing

Beef and veal prices were 5.8 per cent higher than a year earlier. That is a big rise, but it is down from 9.4 per cent in August and well below the 13.5 per cent annual rise the ABS recorded in February 2026. Beef and veal prices fell 1.8 per cent over the month of September.

Lamb and goat slowed even more, from 9.4 per cent in August to 3.0 per cent in September. Pork prices fell 1.3 per cent over the year, and poultry rose only 0.4 per cent.

Here is what beef mince cost on 29 October 2026. At Woolworths, Woolworths Beef Mince 500g cost 7 dollars 70, or 1 dollar 54 per 100g, and Market Value Beef Mince 1.8kg cost 23 dollars 40, or 1 dollar 30 per 100g. At ALDI, Regular Beef Mince 500g cost 6 dollars 99, or 1 dollar 40 per 100g, and 2 Star Beef Mince 500g cost 6 dollars 49, or 1 dollar 30 per 100g.

These are different grades of mince with different fat content, so this is not a like-for-like price check. Read the fat percentage on the pack before you pick on unit price. For a full side by side, read our beef mince price comparison.

• Beef and veal: up 5.8 per cent, down from 9.4 per cent in August.
• Peak this year: 13.5 per cent in February 2026.
• Pork: down 1.3 per cent. Poultry: up 0.4 per cent.

Milk is up, cheese is softer

Milk prices rose 5.4 per cent over the year to September, down from 7.7 per cent in August. Milk fell 1.8 per cent over the month. Dairy as a whole rose 3.5 per cent, and cheese rose 1.8 per cent.

Two litre milk shows how wide the gap on one shelf can be. On 29 October 2026, Woolworths Full Cream Milk 2L cost 3 dollars 40, or 17 cents per 100mL. At Coles, a2 Milk Full Cream Milk 2L cost 7 dollars 30, or 37 cents per 100mL, and Gippsland Jersey Full Cream Milk 2L cost 6 dollars 20. Devondale Full Cream Milk 2L was 4 dollars 20 at Coles, down from 4 dollars 70, and Dairy Farmers Full Cream Milk 2L was 4 dollars 20 at Woolworths, also down from 4 dollars 70.

Brand and type matter more than the CPI here. A national 5.4 per cent rise tells you little about the bottle you pick. For more, read how to compare milk prices on one list.

• Milk: up 5.4 per cent, down from 7.7 per cent in August.
• Cheese: up 1.8 per cent.
• Dairy overall: up 3.5 per cent.

Fruit jumped, eggs and coffee eased

Fruit prices rose 10.2 per cent over the year to September, the biggest annual rise of any food group in the ABS table. Bananas are an easy one to check. On 29 October 2026, Cavendish Bananas cost 81 cents each at Woolworths, and Coles Bananas approx. 170g cost 83 cents, or 4 dollars 90 per kg.

Some prices fell. Eggs were 2.3 per cent lower than a year earlier. Coffee, tea and cocoa fell 1.0 per cent, after rising 15.7 per cent in the year to September 2025.

Instant coffee is still a wide spread on the shelf. On 29 October 2026 at Woolworths, Nescafe Gold Original 200g cost 23 dollars, or 11 dollars 50 per 100g, and the Nescafe Blend 43 tin of 500g cost 32 dollars, or 6 dollars 40 per 100g. Our instant coffee price comparison has the full list.

• Fruit: up 10.2 per cent.
• Eggs: down 2.3 per cent.
• Coffee, tea and cocoa: down 1.0 per cent.

How to check your own trolley after a CPI release

The CPI tells you the direction of prices across the country. It cannot tell you which store is cheapest for your shop. To see what happened to your own groceries, check the items you actually buy.

Start with your list. Put your regular items on one shopping list in Discount Trolley, so you check the same things each week.

Read the unit price. Discount Trolley shows the unit price under the shelf price in search and on each product page, per 100g, per 100mL, per kg or each. That is how you compare a 500g pack with a 1.8kg pack.

Check the price history before you trust a special. Open the product and look at the price history. Dete, our koala, reads that history and holds up one sign: Good time, Wait if you can or About usual. When there is not enough history yet, the sign says Not sure yet. For more, read how to check if a supermarket special is worth it.

Compare Coles, Woolworths and ALDI on the items that moved. Beef, milk and fruit are the lines in this release worth comparing first. Compare Stores shows the same product at other stores where data is available. For the bigger picture, read Coles vs Woolworths prices: unit prices and specials.

1. Put your regular items on one list.
2. Compare the unit price, not the pack price.
3. Check the price history before you trust a special.
4. Compare Coles, Woolworths and ALDI on beef, milk and fruit.

What this release does not tell you

The CPI does not say any supermarket is cheaper than another. It measures price change, not which shop is lowest, and it averages across all stores and cities.

A rise of 3.2 per cent also does not mean every item costs 3.2 per cent more. Some lines on your list rose more, some fell, and specials come and go each week. Prices in this post are from 29 October 2026 and will change.

Discount Trolley covers Woolworths, Coles, ALDI, IGA, Harris Farm, Priceline and Chemist Warehouse where data is available. Not affiliated with those stores. The shelf can differ from the screen. Live prices need a connection.

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