What a cafe fit-out costs in Australia

A standard 40 to 80 square metre cafe fit-out in Australia costs about $100,000 to $350,000, or $3,000 to $5,000 per square metre. A light refit of an existing cafe runs $1,500 to $3,000 per square metre, and a large cafe with a full kitchen starts near $350,000. Equipment takes 40 to 60 per cent of the budget.

Two cafes of the same size can cost very different amounts to open. One published guide says a previously fitted-out food tenancy can be worth $60,000 to $100,000 more than an equivalent empty shop. Size, kitchen scope and the espresso setup add the rest. This guide sets out published Australian prices per square metre and for each major item, what four real fit-outs cost, council fees, and how a fit-out is funded, with a worked example.

What a cafe fit-out costs per square metre and by item

Fit-out is quoted per square metre, but the figure moves with how much building work the space needs. We found no free quantity surveyor rate for a cafe, so the per square metre bands come from hospitality fit-out publishers, and the item prices come from dealers. Hospitality Hub is a supplier quote service, WhatsTheDamage is a cost-guide site that does not name its sources, and DineOpen is a point-of-sale software company. Treat the bands as a planning range and get two or three itemised quotes. Figures are indicative market data, not Ventas offers. They were checked on 22 October 2026, and GST is shown as each seller shows it. Sqm means square metre.

Two things stand out. The bands overlap but do not agree: Hospitality Hub puts a standard cafe at $3,000 to $5,000 per square metre, while the Melbourne guide puts a basic cafe or takeaway at $2,525 to $3,325 and a full-service restaurant at up to $4,050. Neither shows the quotes behind its band. And the build is not the only large cost. Hospitality Hub puts equipment at 40 to 60 per cent of a cafe budget, and says a commercial espresso machine lists from about $3,000 to $20,000 with grinders extra.

Some items sit outside the table. Replacing an outdated exhaust hood can add about $30,000 in Melbourne, more if there is no discharge path to the roof. Compliant flooring starts around $200 per square metre in the same guide. Joinery, plumbing and electrical are quoted per job, and none of the guides we read publishes a rate for them, so leave them to your builder's itemised quote. If you are weighing a trading cafe against a new build, read our guide to buying a cafe.

What four real cafe fit-outs cost

Published guides are estimates. These are four projects with a stated cost. Three are vendor claims from business-for-sale listings, which are marketing figures and not audited, and may include equipment and setup. The Adelaide figure is the builder's stated project value. Bsale labels some key features as AI-generated, so confirm listing figures with the broker. Listings were opened on 22 October 2026.

The Blacktown figure works out at about $4,100 per square metre, inside the $3,000 to $5,000 band Hospitality Hub gives for a standard build. The Melbourne CBD seller asks $289,000 for a venue the listing says cost $1 million to fit out, so the seller of a fitted site may take far less than the build cost. The Adelaide figure is not like-for-like with a tenancy fit-out, because its scope includes facade alterations and outdoor dining.

Why two cafes of the same size cost different amounts

The same floor area can cost very different amounts, depending on what the tenancy already holds.

• An existing food tenancy. The Melbourne guide says a previously fitted-out food tenancy can be worth $60,000 to $100,000 more than an equivalent empty shop. A bare shell may need a grease arrestor, a mechanical exhaust path to roof level, three-phase power and a cool room. That guide names these as cost items but publishes no price for them.
• The kitchen. The Melbourne guide prices a mid-range kitchen footprint at $3,000 to $5,000 per square metre on its own, and small cafe kitchen equipment (20 to 40 sqm) at $50,000 to $200,000. How much cooking you do decides where in that range you land.
• Price movement. Hospitality Hub forecasts construction costs to rise about 4 per cent across 2026 and says like-for-like fit-outs are 5 to 10 per cent dearer than a year ago.
• Time. Hospitality Hub puts a typical fit-out at 6 to 12 weeks once approvals are in, with 8 to 16 week lead times on imported coffee machines and fridges. Ask your landlord for a rent-free fit-out period.
• Contingency. Zest Coffee, a roaster, advises holding 10 to 20 per cent of the total budget as a contingency line.

Council fees and approvals

Food business fees are small next to the build, but they differ by council and by year. These are the amounts each council lists, either on its own page or on the government business portal ABLIS.

These are registration and inspection fees only. Building approval, planning permits, a liquor licence, trade waste and the food safety supervisor course are separate, and the rules differ by state and council, so ask your council before you sign a lease. We found no published planning or plan approval fee for a cafe that we could cite.

How a cafe fit-out is funded

Lenders treat a cafe fit-out as two piles. Equipment has a resale market, so it finances on its own, usually on a chattel mortgage or lease with the item as the security. Built-in work is harder. Joinery, plumbing, ducting and cool room panels sit inside a landlord's building and resell poorly, so lenders ask for a deposit, a shorter term or other security. Lenders are cautious about hospitality: CreditorWatch measured a 12.03 per cent closure rate for cafes, restaurants and takeaways in the 12 months to July 2026, against 6.69 per cent across all industries. Ventas is a broker, not a lender, so we do not quote rates. Some lenders on our panel fund kitchen and fit-out together up to about $500,000, subject to lender assessment.

Illustrative only, subject to lender assessment. A 70 square metre dine-in cafe in a leased tenancy:

And how it is typically funded across lender types:

Debt here is just over half the cash needed. Built-in work is usually covered by your own cash, a loan secured on property you own, or a landlord contribution or rent-free period agreed before you sign the lease. Get any incentive in writing, because it is a lease term. How the spend is treated for tax is a question for your accountant.

What makes a cafe fit-out fundable:

• Paperwork. A signed builder's quote, the equipment list and the lease.
• Lease term. At least as many years left as the loan term.
• Experience. Hospitality experience, ideally running a venue.
• Security. Property, equipment and cash you can put in.
• Buffer. A contingency line so a cost overrun does not stall the build.

To get a number from Ventas, send the fit-out quote, the equipment list, the lease and your hospitality experience. Start at fit-out finance, see coffee machine finance, read our answer to can I finance a cafe or restaurant fit-out, or see finance for cafes and restaurants. Finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Figures are indicative market data from the sources listed, not Ventas offers, and move with the market. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a professional. All finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This article is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Ventas Asset Lending is a finance broker, not a lender. Approvals are subject to lender assessment. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a qualified professional, including your accountant for any tax questions.