Bunnings sausage sizzle price could hit more than $5 by 2036 as cost-of-living crisis bites

The humble Bunnings sausage sizzle could be heading for a $5 price tag within a decade as the cost of living continues to bite.

The iconic sausage in a bun, which has remained at $3.50 since 2022, could cost about $5.20 by 2036 if food prices keep rising at their current rate.

And it could mean a family of four heading to Bunnings for a weekend snag and drink will need to fork out more than $32.

The projection, compiled by data experts at Playcasino.com, is based on the rate of food inflation recorded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics between 2019 and 2025.

Food and non-alcoholic beverage prices increased by 26.6 per cent over the six years, an average annual increase of about 4 per cent.

If the trend continues, today’s $3.50 snag would cost about $5.19 in 10 years.

A can of soft drink, now $2, would climb to about $2.96, taking the cost of a sausage and drink to about $8.15.

For a family of four, that would mean a $32.61 outing — compared with $22 today.

But the snag has proved remarkably resilient.

It remained at $2.50 for 15 years before Bunnings increased the price to $3.50 in July 2022, marking its first rise since 2007.

The price of canned drinks followed in February 2024, jumping from $1.50 to $2.

Despite the increases, the sausage sizzle remains a popular fundraising fixture with every cent raised going to the school, sporting club or charity running the barbecue.

The latest projection also suggests the current price has become better value over time, with food prices continuing to climb while the cost of a snag has stayed frozen.

Had the $3.50 sausage kept pace with food inflation since September 2022, it would already cost about $4.03.

And the original $2.50 snag sold in 2007 would cost about $4.17 today if it had risen in line with food prices.

Playcasino.com said the humble sausage sizzle remained one of the few things Australians could still buy with a $5 note and receive change.

“The Bunnings snag is one of the few things you can still buy with a $5 note and get change,” the data experts said.

“It has been $3.50 since 2022 while food prices kept rising, so it is better value today than when the price went up.

“If food keeps climbing at the rate it has since 2019, a $5 snag is not far off by 2036.

“The good news is that every dollar still goes to a local club or charity.”

The figures are a projection rather than a prediction of any planned price increase by Bunnings. They assume food inflation continues at the same compound annual rate recorded between 2019 and 2025, with Bunnings retaining control over the national sausage sizzle price.