Parmigiana Price Could Reach $43 by 2036

Modelling projects the national price of a chicken parmigiana to climb under a 3.5 per cent annual increase.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Inflation

Parmigiana Price Could Reach $43 by 2036

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Modelling by PubWatch projects a chicken parmigiana could cost $43 nationally by 2036, up from an average of $30.14 across 3,213 tracked venues. The projection follows a Reserve Bank decision this week to raise the cash rate to 4.85 per cent.

Why it matters

Restaurant meal prices have risen 23.2 per cent between 2019 and 2025, and the projection assumes that pace continues. For households, a regular pub meal habit is becoming a larger share of the weekly budget.

Restaurant meal prices rose 23.2 per cent between 2019 and 2025 according to the ABS consumer price index, and the Reserve Bank lifted the cash rate to 4.85 per cent this week. The 2036 projection applies a 3.5 per cent yearly increase, and the source does not model how interest rate changes would affect that figure.

The players

PubWatch

PubWatch is the venue price-tracking service whose survey of 3,213 pubs produced the parmigiana averages cited in the projection.

Reserve Bank of Australia

The Reserve Bank of Australia is the nation's central bank, which sets the cash rate that influences borrowing costs across the economy.

The details

PubWatch's survey puts the average chicken parmigiana at $30.14, with South Australia the most expensive at $31.15 and the Northern Territory the cheapest at $29.56. Applying a 3.5 per cent annual increase over ten years gives the national price of $42.70, rounded to $43, while South Australia would reach $44.13 and the Northern Territory $41.87.

2019 to 2025: restaurant meal consumer price index rises 23.2 per cent.
This week, November 2026: Reserve Bank raises the cash rate to 4.85 per cent.
2036: projected national parmigiana price reaches $43.

Macro View

The 23.2 per cent rise in the restaurant meal consumer price index between 2019 and 2025 provides the historical basis for the projection. The forecast assumes that the post-2019 pace of restaurant price growth continues through 2036 while the Reserve Bank holds rates at elevated levels.

A household buying one parmigiana each week spends about $3,135 a year at current prices, and that cost would reach roughly $4,440 a year by 2036 under the projection. The figures show how a routine pub meal can absorb a growing share of the household food budget.

The takeaway

Households that eat out regularly can track menu prices across venues and suburbs, since PubWatch's data shows the cheapest average parmigiana in Waterloo, Sydney, at $23.67. Comparing prices before ordering can reduce the cost of a regular pub meal.