Melbourne Tops Deutsche Bank's Night-Out Index at $111 as Excise Taxes Lift Costs 89%
Updated
Updated · The Conversation · Jul 24
Melbourne Tops Deutsche Bank's Night-Out Index at $111 as Excise Taxes Lift Costs 89%
2 articles · Updated · The Conversation · Jul 24
Summary
Melbourne’s Oasis basket of five beers and two cigarette packs cost US$111.20 in 2026, making it the world’s priciest night out in Deutsche Bank’s annual ranking.
Sydney followed at US$109.50, while New York was far cheaper at US$54.10; Deutsche Bank said Australia’s heavy, steadily rising excise taxes on alcohol and cigarettes drove the gap.
Melbourne’s basket cost US$59 in 2016, meaning the price has climbed 89% over a decade in the bank’s broader Mapping the World’s Prices report covering 69 cities.
Because the index isolates two heavily taxed items rather than a broad consumer basket, it highlights how sin taxes and currency moves can shape lived inflation differently from headline CPI.