Steak or steak sandwich: the pub lunch price gap
Two different meals, from the same menu. This compares the lowest regular steak and steak-sandwich prices at venues that list both.
of matched venues list regular steak sandwich for less
Share of matched venues where regular steak sandwich costs less
Same-venue price pairs · share of the matching sample · bar scale 0–100% · n = contributing venues
- Melbourne94.8%268 venues
- Sydney93.8%291 venues
- Brisbane88.9%217 venues
- Gold Coast86.0%93 venues
- Perth96.5%199 venues
- Adelaide98.9%89 venues
- Canberra90.0%30 venues
Rows with fewer than 30 venues are omitted. Each venue needs both prices. Meal portions, restrictions and evidence dates can differ.
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Two ways to order steak
A steak sandwich is a different meal from a plated steak, rather than a cheaper equivalent cut. It can still be a useful choice when deciding how much to spend at the same pub.
Check the sides and the cut
Steak weights, bread and included chips vary. The original names stay in the underlying catalogue; these figures compare starting prices rather than nutrition, quality or portion size.
Steak or steak sandwich: the pub lunch price gap
| Place | Venues | Regular steak | Regular steak sandwich | Second is lower | Same price | Second is higher | Share less |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2,030 | $38.00 | $28.00 | 1,894 | 47 | 89 | 93.3% |
| Victoria | 403 | $43.00 | $29.00 | 382 | 7 | 14 | 94.8% |
| New South Wales | 611 | $34.00 | $27.00 | 563 | 25 | 23 | 92.1% |
| Queensland | 527 | $34.00 | $28.00 | 475 | 10 | 42 | 90.1% |
| Western Australia | 284 | $43.00 | $31.00 | 276 | 2 | 6 | 97.2% |
| South Australia | 115 | $39.00 | $28.00 | 114 | 0 | 1 | 99.1% |
| Tasmania | 38 | $42.00 | $28.00 | 37 | 1 | 0 | 97.4% |
| ACT | 30 | $37.75 | $26.40 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 90.0% |
| Melbourne | 268 | $43.00 | $29.00 | 254 | 3 | 11 | 94.8% |
| Sydney | 291 | $34.00 | $27.00 | 273 | 9 | 9 | 93.8% |
| Brisbane | 217 | $35.00 | $27.40 | 193 | 4 | 20 | 88.9% |
| Gold Coast | 93 | $33.00 | $27.90 | 80 | 1 | 12 | 86.0% |
| Perth | 199 | $42.00 | $30.00 | 192 | 2 | 5 | 96.5% |
| Adelaide | 89 | $39.00 | $28.00 | 88 | 0 | 1 | 98.9% |
| Canberra | 30 | $37.75 | $26.40 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 90.0% |
The data behind the report
Summary tables, contributing venue figures and a chart you can use. No sign-in or email required.
Frozen edition 2026-11-07-501081af9ed8. These download URLs remain attached to this snapshot.
What the fields mean
- venues / n
- Distinct contributing venues in that place and table; not all pubs in the area.
- value
- First price minus second price in AUD. regularPrice = Regular steak; offerPrice = Regular steak sandwich. Negative values and higher second prices are retained.
- checked
- Recorded source-check date. Blank means a complete date is unavailable. For a venue average or bill, every part needs a date; the earliest date is retained.
- snapshot_date
- When the public PINTR catalogue snapshot was retrieved, not when every venue’s menu was checked.
How we counted
2,030 distinct venues contribute 2,030 venue-level figures to this report. 2,030 of those figures have a complete recorded source-check date.
- PINTR includes pubs, bars, clubs and other licensed venues. Every headline count refers to the matching PINTR sample, not every pub in an area.
- This is a snapshot of reported prices in PINTR, not a representative survey of every Australian pub. A venue without a matching price is outside the denominator, rather than counted as expensive.
- A table row needs at least 30 contributing venues. City areas use PINTR’s published state-boundary and radius definitions; neighbouring city catchments can overlap.
- A snapshot date records when PINTR’s public catalogue was retrieved. It does not mean each menu was checked that day. Individual source-check dates, including blanks, are retained in the downloads.
- Inner-join the lowest regular steak and steak-sandwich prices at the same venue. Each venue contributes one pair. These are different meals, not equivalent products.
Prices come from PINTR’s published venue and price catalogue, retrieved . The public directory and downloads show the supporting figures. This report does not measure inflation, national market share or changes over time.
PINTR price methodologyCite this finding
1,894 of 2,030 matched venues (93.3%) in PINTR’s sample listed regular steak sandwich below regular steak.
PINTR. “Steak or steak sandwich: the pub lunch price gap” The PINTR Times. Catalogue snapshot 7 November 2026. https://www.pintr.com.au/articles/data/steak-or-steak-sandwich
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Using the figures and charts
You’re welcome to quote PINTR’s aggregate findings and reuse these charts in your reporting. Please credit PINTR and link to this report. Keep the snapshot date and sample description with the figure. Venue photography and third-party material are outside this permission.
Need a particular city or a calculation checked? Contact the PINTR data desk.