Alcohol calculator: What is the cost of alcohol?

It's no secret that Australians love a drink. ABS figures – analysed by Finder – show households spend a massive $1,891 on grog per year on average. And the high cost of alcohol is a big reason why so many are reconsidering their vice.

Cost of alcohol calculator: How much money can you save without alcohol?

Check out Finder's cost of alcohol calculator below and work out how much money you can save if you cut down or ditch the booze completely.

• Finder's cost of alcohol calculator: Our methodology
  

  Finder's cost of alcohol calculator: Our methodology

  To calculate the cost of a drink, we sourced prices from an extensive list of bottle shops, pubs and bars in Australia between May and June 2023. Overall, we analysed 37 separate drink pricing categories. We averaged out the cost of beer, wine and spirit-based bevvies.

  Drinking at home

  For the "Drinking at home" category, we looked at 3 major retailers and calculated the price per standard drink (10 grams of alcohol). We've defined a drink at home as one that's bought from a store – we're assuming you don't brew your own!

  • Aldi. Beer & Cider
  • Aldi. Wine
  • Aldi. Spirits
  • Dan Murphys. Craft beer
  • Dan Murphys. Red wine
  • Dan Murphys. Whisky
  • Liquorland. Beer
  • Liquorland. Red wine
  • Liquorland. White wine
  • Liquorland. Spirits.

  Going out

  The watering holes used for our "Going out" calculations were taken from urban and rural locations in Australia. We looked at the current drinks menu at each venue.

  • Dag Sheep Station, Nundle, New South Wales. Beer, wine & spirits
  • Bar 83 at Sydney Tower, Sydney, New South Wales. Beer, wine & spirits
  • Moana restaurant and bar, Surfers Paradise, Queensland. Beer, wine & spirits
  • The Cabin Small Bar, Perth, Western Australia. Beer, wine & spirits
  • Belgian Beer Cafe, Melbourne, Victoria. Beer, wine & spirits
  • The Camfield, Perth, Western Australia. Beer, wine & spirits
  • Bombabar, Melbourne, Victoria. Beer, wine & spirits
  • Backyard At The Alex - Merivale, Sydney, New South Wales. Beer, wine & spirits
  • The Espy Main Bar, Melbourne, Victoria. Beer, wine & spirits.

• Our findings: A quick summary

  When we checked prices in May and June 2023, at home you could expect to pay $2.29 for a beer, $2.76 for a wine or $3.67 for a spirit pour on average.

  Once you head outside to a pub or bar, you'll be hit hard with average costs of $8.50 (beer), $13.60 (wine) and $13.07 (spirits).

  Beer was the most cost-effective option across the 3 drink types we looked at – at home, in pubs and in bars.

  Across pubs and bars, we found wine to be more expensive per drink than spirits on average. This may not shock wine lovers who are used to the staggering markups on their favourite plonk.

Economic cost of alcohol abuse in Australia

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) estimates that the social and economic cost of alcohol use rounds up to $66.8 billion.

Of course, alcohol cost doesn't end when the bill's settled. In fact, components of this cost estimate include healthcare costs, death, injury, loss of property and crime. The figure above may be a conservative estimate since data on substance abuse are often underreported.

Legal aid costs for alcohol-related cases alone are estimated at $44 million per year.

Health costs: the shocking number of alcohol-related deaths in Australia

Every year there are more than 4,000 alcohol-related deaths in Australia, according to the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Based on an AIHW study, there were 30,000 alcohol-related hospitalisations between 2019 and 2020. Falls and alcohol poisoning are among the top causes.

According to an ABS report on alcohol consumption, 1 in 4 Australians ages 18 and over drink more than 4 standard drinks a day or the recommended maximum of 10 standard drinks per week. This is based on the latest alcohol guidelines the National Health and Medical Research Council sets.

What are some of the benefits of reducing alcohol consumption?

Aside from reducing your taxi bill, there are a range of different benefits to going sober. Primarily, it leads to better overall health and wellbeing. Alcohol has been associated with a long list of chronic diseases and medical emergencies. Taking even a small amount of alcohol increases your risk of developing cancer.

By cutting down on alcohol, you might save yourself from expensive medical treatments, rehab, maintenance drugs, and other medical care and support you might need later down the line.

Frequently asked questions

• How much does the average Australian spend on alcohol?

  Finder research shows that, on average, Australians spend $47 per week on alcohol. People who live in NSW spend significantly more on average – $63 per week.

• Where can I get help if I'm worried about my drinking?

  If you think you may be drinking too much, and require professional help, you can reach out to the Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) by calling them confidentially on 1800-250-015.

  The ADIS is open 24 hours, 7 days a week. You could also review the information found in the government's alcohol screening tool.

• What could a future without booze look like for my finances?

  Evidently, there's money saved for every bottle you don't buy. It isn't our place to say how you spend any extra coin. One option at your disposal could be to look into investing any spare cash. For example, you could read up on how you could invest just $1000.

• How much does alcohol cost you?

  Finder's cost of alcohol calculator can show you how much you can save by skipping on your next bottle of booze. But, clearly, alcohol costs more than the price of your choice of drink. The cost varies from one person to another and only by listing down each cost will you get a better idea of how much alcohol costs you.

  And, what about alcohol-free wine and non-alcoholic beer? Non-alcoholic drinks undergo a similar manufacturing process as a regular bottle of alcohol and end up at the same price range as well. While these drinks may not do your pocket any better, they can still prove to be the healthier choice.

Margaux Diaz, Harold Jacob and Joshua Godfrey did the research for this article and built the cost of alcohol calculator.