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Sorry to come your way with more bad news, but some facts need to be shared. Dining out in Melbourne is getting more expensive. And the kicker? One of the most-impacted meals is pizza. New research tracking thousands of dishes across the city has found that restaurant menu prices are rising faster than official dining-out inflation over the past six months, with the price of cheaper eats (and particularly our beloved slices of pie) rising the most.
The October 2026 edition of MenuTrender's Price Watch compared 9,137 dishes across 498 Melbourne restaurants, finding that the cost of ordering the same dishes increased by 2.4 per cent between February-April and October this year. That's slightly ahead of the 1.9 per cent rise in Melbourne's meals out and takeaway food Consumer Price Index (CPI) between the March and September quarters.
But it's not all bad news for Melburnians watching their spending. Almost two-thirds of menu prices (64 per cent) remained unchanged, with 5,843 dishes still costing exactly the same as they did earlier in the year. Of the dishes that did become more expensive, the typical increase was $2, equivalent to a 7.3 per cent rise. Meanwhile, 285 dishes actually became cheaper.
If you're sticking to more affordable options, you’re likely to notice the difference most. Dishes that previously cost less than $20 increased by an average of 2.9 per cent – the largest rise of any price bracket. The typical increase in this category was $1, although that represents a 10 per cent jump on the price of the average affected dish. Meanwhile, dishes priced between $20 and $35 rose by 2.7 per cent, and those costing $35 to $50 increased by 1.4 per cent.
And now to the clincher: the rising price of pizza. Looking at individual menu categories, pizza recorded the biggest overall increase, with prices rising by 3.3 per cent. Sharing plates weren't far behind at 3.2 per cent, followed by grilled dishes at 2.8 per cent.
Seafood was the most stable category, increasing by just 0.3 per cent, and curry prices rose by 1.6 per cent. Mains in general increased by 2.6 per cent, with the typical price rise coming in at $2. Starters and pasta both rose by 2.4 per cent. The study also found that 60 per cent of restaurants charged more for the same dishes, while 29 per cent kept prices unchanged and 10 per cent charged less.
It's worth noting that this research tracks dishes that remained on restaurant menus, rather than every item available earlier in the year. MenuTrender excluded set menus, children's dishes and items whose descriptions changed substantially, meaning the figures offer a snapshot of price movements, not a complete picture of Melbourne's dining costs.
You can check out the full study (and check if the price of your fave meal is on the up) over here.