Café startup cost calculator

Build your opening budget line by line: the lease, the fit-out, coffee and kitchen equipment, licences, stock, and the cash to carry you through the first months. Start from a typical Australian café, swap in your own quotes as they arrive, then see how much you'd borrow and what it costs a month.

Free, no sign-upRuns in your browserChecked 28 October 2026

Start from a typical café

Pick the closest match and the calculator fills in typical Australian figures. Then change anything you have a real quote for.

How big is your café?

About 70 m² with a small kitchen.

What state is the shop in?

A shell or non-food shop turned into a café, with mid-range new equipment.

Real costs swing a long way with location, the state of the shop, and what you can buy second-hand. Treat these figures as a first draft, and replace them with quotes as they come in.

What it costs to set up

Tap a group to see and change its costs. Remove anything you won't need, and add your own lines.

Set-up$313,844

33 costs in 11 groups

Cash the landlord asks for before you get the keys.

Often 2 to 6 months' rent, and not capped by law. Refundable, but the cash is tied up for the whole lease.
$
Small and medium café rents are commonly $800 to $2,000 a week, plus outgoings.
$
A fit-out often takes 6 to 12 weeks once approvals are in. Ask for a rent-free fit-out period; if you get one, set this to $0.
$

Contingency and working capital

The money people cut first when the build runs over, and the money that decides whether a slow start is a worry or the end.

Together$94,634
For what nobody quoted: old wiring, a council condition. 10 to 15% for a new fit-out, 15 to 20% for an older building.%
0%10%20%30%

Contingency: $28,634 on $286,344

Rent, wages, power and other bills, before any sales come in.
$
Your cushion while trade builds. Three to six is the usual advice.mo
03612

Reserve: $66,000

If you won't draw a wage at first, hold a few months of your personal costs here.
$

How you'll pay for it

Your own money first. A loan covers the rest.

Savings from you and any partners$
More optionsLoan at 13.5% over 5 years, figures excluding GST.
13.5% a year is one broker's starting rate for hospitality businesses under a year old (September 2026). Ask a lender for yours.%
Equipment loans commonly run 1 to 7 years. Longer means smaller repayments and more interest.yrs
Are your figures with or without GST?Most trade quotes are without GST
Shows your fit-out cost per square metre
m²

Total to open, excluding GST

$408,478

3 months in reserve

Set-up costs, a 10% contingency, and $66,000 of working capital.

Set-up costs$313,844
Contingency (10%)$28,634
Working capital (16.2% of the total)$66,000
Total$408,478
Plus GST on top, roughly$30,932
Cash needed, including GST$439,410

Paying for it

Your own savings$200,000
Loan (54.5% of the cash)$239,410
Repayment a month (13.5%, 5 years)$5,509
Check this against break-evenOpens the break-even calculator with rent of $5,500 a month and loan repayments of $5,509 a month filled in.

Where the money goes

Each group's share of the total to open. Tap a slice or a row to pick it out.

Total to open$408,478

Loan figures assume equal monthly repayments and no fees. Real loans add fees and price your rate on your credit and trading history, so use them to plan, then ask a lender or broker.

How to use it

  1. 01Pick the closest starting point
    A kiosk, a café of about 40 seats or a large café, and a fit-out level. “Ex-café site” is a vacant shop that was already a café, with used gear. “New fit-out” turns a shell or non-food shop into a café.
  2. 02Work through the groups
    Tap a group to open it. Every figure is a starting point with a note on where it comes from. Replace it the moment you have a quote, remove what you won't need, and add your own lines.
  3. 03Set the safety money
    Contingency covers what nobody quoted. Working capital is the cash you hold back to pay the bills while trade builds, set as months of running costs.
  4. 04Then how you'll pay
    Your savings, and a loan for the rest. Then check the repayments against the break-even calculator. Your figures stay in the page address, so the link shares the whole budget. Nothing is sent anywhere.

How to read the answer

Take the 40-seat café with a new fit-out, the calculator's default. The building works alone are $140,000 (70 m² at $2,000 a m²), and the whole fit-out group, with design, exhaust and services, is $175,000: more than half the set-up spend. That is why the fit-out quote matters more than anything else on the list.

From set-up costs to cash on the day
Set-up costs, excluding GST
$313,844
Contingency (10% of $286,344, everything but the lease costs)
+$28,634
Working capital (3 months at $22,000)
+$66,000
Total to open, excluding GST
$408,478
GST on top of the GST-able costs
+$30,932
Cash needed on the day$439,410

You claim the GST back through your BAS once you're registered, but you pay it first.

Now switch the fit-out to “Ex-café site”. The same café comes to about $181,000, less than half, mostly because the fit-out group drops from $175,000 to $14,500 and the equipment is second-hand. That gap is the main reason people look hard for a site that was already a café. If you're thinking of buying a running business instead, read buying an existing café first.

Paying for it

The calculator assumes you put in your own savings first and borrow the rest. The default is $200,000 of savings, which leaves a loan of $239,410 on the default budget. Change either to match your plan.

Borrowing $239,410 at 13.5% over 5 years
Cash needed, including GST
$439,410
Less your savings
−$200,000
Loan
$239,410
60 monthly repayments, repaid in all
$330,528
Of which interest
$91,117
Repayment a month$5,509

Equal monthly repayments on a standard schedule, with no fees, deposit or balloon payment.

The rate is an example. 13.5% a year is the indicative starting rate one Melbourne broker, Integrated Finance Group, published in September 2026 for equipment finance to hospitality businesses under 12 months old, from specialist lenders only. Established businesses with two or more years of trading and clean credit were quoted 7.95% to 10.5%. Your rate depends on your credit, security and trading history, so ask a lender or broker.

Equipment finance only funds equipment. Lenders generally won't fund installation labour, design fees, council approvals or building improvements, so a fit-out-heavy budget needs savings or a business loan as well. business.gov.au notes that debt finance often requires collateral, which for a new café often means security over property or a personal guarantee.

Then check it against break-even. The repayment is a running cost from the first month. “Check this against break-even” opens the break-even calculator with your rent and the loan repayment already filled in, so you can see how many customers a day it takes to carry them.

Where the starting figures come from

Each starting figure is a point inside a published Australian range, researched in October 2026. Every line in the calculator carries its range, so you can see how far your own quote sits from it. For the full picture, with ranges for every part of opening, read how much it costs to open a café.

  • Fit-out: Hosposure puts new café fit-outs at $1,500 to $2,500 a m² for basic, $2,500 to $4,000 for mid-range and $4,000 to $7,000 or more for premium. Hospitality Hub's 2026 guide puts a light refit of an existing café at $1,500 to $3,000 a m² and a standard build at $3,000 to $5,000. The calculator uses $2,000 a m² of building works for a new fit-out and $3,500 for premium, with design and approvals as separate lines. A cosmetic refresh of an existing café is commonly $5,000 to $10,000. Put your shop's size in under More options to see your own fit-out per m², and compare it with these ranges.
  • Equipment: ranges from Square's 2026 cost guide and Hosposure, checked against Australian dealer prices for two-group espresso machines (about $16,000 to $23,000 for top brands), grinders and under-bench dishwashers. Used equipment can roughly halve the cost.
  • Licences and fees: ASIC's business name and company fees from 1 July 2026, Brisbane City Council and City of Melbourne food licence fees, and the NSW Food Authority's $30 food safety supervisor certificate. Fees in your council will differ.
  • Contingency and working capital: 10% to 15% contingency for a new fit-out and 15% to 20% for older buildings is common fit-out advice. Three to six months of running costs is the usual working-capital guide (Hosposure), and Lightspeed suggests at least six months' rent as a bare minimum.
  • The loan: 13.5% a year from Integrated Finance Group's September 2026 indicative rates for hospitality businesses under 12 months old. The 5-year term is an example inside the 1 to 7 years Bank of Melbourne offers on equipment loans. $200,000 of savings is simply a starting figure to overwrite.

Frequently asked questions

Most published Australian estimates put a small to medium café at roughly $100,000 to $500,000, and the calculator's starting points land in the same place. A kiosk on a site that was already a café, with second-hand gear, can come in under $100,000. A 40-seat café with a new fit-out is around $400,000 including three months of working capital. A large café with a full kitchen and premium finishes can pass $1 million. The fit-out is the biggest and least predictable part, so get quotes for it first.
Working capital is cash you keep in the bank rather than spend on the fit-out. It pays rent, wages and suppliers in the months before your sales cover them. The usual advice is three to six months of running costs. As a bare minimum, some guides suggest at least six months' rent. If you plan to take no wage at first, add your own living costs on top.
Most trade quotes are given excluding GST, so it is easiest to budget that way. But you pay the GST on top at the time, and only get it back through your BAS once you are registered for GST. That means you need the extra cash up front, roughly 10% of everything that carries GST. A new business has to register for GST if it expects turnover of $75,000 or more in its first year, which nearly every café does.
Fit-out specialists commonly suggest 10% to 15% for a new fit-out in a vacant shop, and 15% to 20% or more for an older building or a refurbishment, where old wiring, plumbing or asbestos can turn up once work starts. The calculator adds contingency to everything except the lease costs and working capital.
It depends on the amount, the rate and the term. As an example, borrowing $239,410 at 13.5% a year over 5 years costs about $5,509 a month, and $91,117 in interest over the life of the loan. 13.5% is one broker's indicative starting rate for equipment finance to hospitality businesses under 12 months old, from September 2026; businesses with two or more years of trading and clean credit were quoted 7.95% to 10.5%. Your rate depends on your credit, security and trading history, so ask a lender.
Usually, and by a lot. Taking over a site with an existing kitchen and services can save tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes more than $100,000, because the plumbing, power, grease arrestor and exhaust may already be in. Check that they still comply and that the equipment works, and read the lease's make-good clause, because you may have to pay to strip the fit-out when you leave.
Often, yes. The $20,000 instant asset write-off is permanent from 1 July 2026 for businesses with turnover under $10 million: each eligible asset costing less than $20,000 can be deducted straight away. Dearer items, like many espresso machines and the fit-out itself, are depreciated over time instead. Ask your accountant how it applies to you.

General information, not financial, credit, tax or legal advice. The starting figures are estimates from published Australian sources as at October 2026, and real costs vary widely by location, site and supplier. Loan figures are an example on a simple repayment schedule, not an offer or a quote. Get written quotes, and talk to an accountant and a lender before you sign a lease or borrow money.

Sources for the starting figures

16 sources, 7 official

  1. 1business.gov.au: Changes for businesses from 1 July 2026 (ASIC fees, instant asset write-off)business.gov.au · official source
  2. 2business.gov.au: Choose your fundingbusiness.gov.au · official source
  3. 3ATO: Registering for GSTato.gov.au · official source
  4. 4Brisbane City Council: Food business licence feesbrisbane.qld.gov.au · official source
  5. 5Business Victoria (ABLIS): City of Melbourne food premises registrationablis.business.gov.au · official source
  6. 6NSW Food Authority: Food safety supervisor certificatefoodauthority.nsw.gov.au · official source
  7. 7Victorian Small Business Commission: Retail leases information for tenantsvsbc.vic.gov.au · official source
  8. 8Urban Utilities: Trade waste for food service businessesurbanutilities.com.au
Show all 16 sources
  1. 9Square AU: How much does it cost to open a café in Australia? (June 2026)squareup.com
  2. 10Hospitality Hub: Café fit-out buying guide, Australia 2026hospitalityhub.com.au
  3. 11Hosposure: How much does it cost to open a café in Australia? (fit-out per m², working capital)hosposure.com.au
  4. 12Access Projects: Average café fit-out costsaccessprojects.com.au
  5. 13Design Yard 32: Café fit-out cost in Australiadesignyard32.com.au
  6. 14Lightspeed: How much does it cost to open a café? (six months' rent)lightspeedhq.com
  7. 15Integrated Finance Group: Café equipment finance rates and what lenders fund (8 September 2026)integratedfinancegroup.com.au
  8. 16Bank of Melbourne: Equipment loan (terms of 1 to 7 years)bankofmelbourne.com.au

Keep going

All tools and guides
GuideHow much does it cost to open a café?Real Australian cost ranges for fit-out, equipment, licences and the cash you need in reserve.Free toolBreak-even and profit calculatorHow many customers a day you need to cover your costs, and what you keep after that.GuideCafé licences and permits by stateFood business registration, food safety supervisors, signage, outdoor dining and more.