Babycino prices soar across Melbourne as Herald Sun reveals cheapest cafes

It’s a way for mums to get out of the house but a Herald Sun investigation has revealed the average cost of a babycino has doubled in a decade. See where the cheapest frothed milk is in Melbourne.

Pauline Delos Trinos and Tammy Ha with their kids Isaac Burslem, 13 months, and Hugo Vo, 3 years old, at Brunetti in Carlton. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

The cost of a babycino is higher than ever, with Melbourne cafes charging up to $3.50 for the frothed milk drink.

The Herald Sun surveyed 50 coffee shops across the suburbs and found most charged $2 for the children’s beverage — double the average price from a decade ago.

Compared to a 2015 investigation, in 2025 the maximum price blew out by 25 per cent, up from $2.80 to $3.50.

Meanwhile, one in five cafes gave away babycinos for free 10 years ago but just two don’t charge for the drink now — and they are both owned by the same man.

And these prices are just for the milk with cocoa powder sprinkle — some venues charged more to include marshmallows.

Pauline Delos Trinos and Tammy Ha with their kids Isaac Burslem, 13 months, and Hugo Vo, 3 years old, at Brunetti in Carlton. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Brunetti Classico owner and self-proclaimed co-inventor of the babycino Fabio Angele said he was proud his Carlton and Moonee Ponds cafes didn’t charge for the beverage.

“It is definitely important for us to keep them free,” he said.

“We are not ever going to charge for a babycino.”

Of the 50 cafes surveyed this year, Mabels in Toorak charged the most at $3.50.

A manager at Mabels said all of their babycinos were served with three marshmallows.

“We charge $3.50 because a babycino uses the same amount of milk as a small coffee and we can’t use the leftover milk for anything else,” he said.

The Herald Sun looked into this issue a decade ago and prices have gone up significantly since then. Picture: Herald Sun.

First-time mother Pauline Delos Trinos said there was a limit to how much money she would spend on a babycino for her 13-month-old son Isaac Bur.

“I would not spend any more than $2.50 on a babycino,” she said.

“I think the price of babycinos are ridiculous.

“It’s a tiny amount of milk, and you can buy an adult-size coffee for $3.50 at some places.”

Ms Delos Trinos said going out for a coffee and babycino was a lovely excuse for a change of scenery and to socialise, but it was a luxury not everyone could afford in a cost-of-living crisis.

“Leaving the house to meet your friends or other babies for a coffee and babycino makes the day a lot easier for mothers and it means we’re not always stuck in the house, bound by mealtimes and naptimes,” she said.

“It’s a nice treat getting out and giving your baby a babycino once in a while but when you do it all the time it adds up.

“You want to feed your baby nice clean food, and with fresh groceries getting more expensive, a babycino for $3 is a luxury.”

Independent economist Saul Eslake said it was normal for the price of the frothy milk to have increased over 10 years.

“The price of just about everything has gone up, so it would be astonishing if babycinos hadn’t,” he said.

“As of March quarter 2025, consumer prices were on average 13.6 per cent higher, rent was 19.4 per cent higher, and wages were 11.8 per cent higher than in March 2022.

“The amount of foot traffic in the city is a lot less than pre-Covid levels, meaning these places aren’t making as much money, and they can’t give things away for free as readily as they did.”

Originally published as Babycino prices soar across Melbourne as Herald Sun reveals cheapest cafes