Cafe & Restaurant Fitout Costs in Australia (2026 Guide)
This is the money side of a cafe or restaurant fitout. Below are the cost ranges actually being quoted in Australia in 2026, what drives the number up, and where our own furniture pricing sits inside it. For what to actually buy once you have a budget, our cafe fitout guide covers the buying side separately.
What a Fitout Costs Per Square Metre
Most Australian fitout quotes are built from a rate per square metre, then adjusted for the kitchen. As a working range for 2026:
| Build type | Indicative rate per sqm |
|---|---|
| Basic refit of an existing hospitality space | $1,500 to $3,000 |
| Standard cafe or restaurant build | $3,000 to $5,000 |
| Large or specialised commercial kitchen | $5,000 to $8,000 and above |
The biggest single variable is whether the site was previously a food venue. Taking over a space that already has grease trap, exhaust penetration, gas and floor waste is dramatically cheaper than putting those into a retail shell.
Total Project Cost by Venue Size
- Small cafe, roughly 20 to 40sqm of kitchen: about $50,000 to $200,000 and up, including equipment.
- Restaurant, roughly 60 to 100sqm of kitchen: about $200,000 to $500,000 and up.
Those figures cover the kitchen and the build. They do not include your lease, fitout deposit, stock, POS, signage or working capital.
Where the Money Actually Goes
Equipment is typically 40 to 60 per cent of the budget. Cooking and refrigeration decide the number far more than finishes do. Indicative ranges:
- Cooking equipment: $15,000 to $80,000 and above
- Refrigeration: $10,000 to $60,000 and above
- Exhaust and ventilation: $8,000 to $40,000 and above
- Gas and plumbing: $5,000 to $25,000
Services, approvals and professional fees sit outside those numbers. Electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, a certifier, council approvals and drawings all need their own line, and a contingency of around 10 to 15 per cent is normal on a hospitality build because so much of the risk is hidden until walls come down.
Where Furniture Sits in the Budget
Furniture is usually a much smaller share than people expect, and it is the part you can price accurately up front because it is not site-dependent. These are our own current Cafeideas price bands, ex GST, covering the tenth to ninetieth percentile of what we actually stock:
| Category | Typical range, ex GST |
|---|---|
| Cafe chairs and seating | $99 to $189 each |
| Bar stools and bar furniture | $126 to $341 each |
| Table bases | $108 to $350 each |
| Table tops | $84 to $415 each |
A 40 seat cafe needing 40 chairs, 12 tables and 12 bases lands roughly in the $8,000 to $15,000 band for loose furniture at those rates. Built-in booth and banquette seating costs more per seat but buys covers per square metre, which is usually the better trade in a tight room.
What Changed in 2026
Construction costs are forecast to rise around 4 per cent across 2026, and imported steel and aluminium are up roughly 5 to 10 per cent year on year. A like for like fitout is broadly 5 to 10 per cent dearer than a year ago before any code changes are counted. If you are working from a quote more than six months old, treat it as out of date.
How to Use These Numbers
Use the per square metre rate to sanity check a builder quote, not to replace one. Then price the two things that are genuinely knowable early: your commercial kitchen equipment list and your furniture. Those two are usually more than half the spend and they are the parts you control.
Please read these as indicative only. Every one of these ranges moves with your site condition, your council, your state, your trades and your specification. They are drawn from current published Australian fitout cost guidance and, for the furniture rows, from our own live pricing. They are not a quote, and they are not compliance advice. Confirm scope and cost with your builder, your certifier and your local council before you commit.