If you want to understand why houses are so expensive, go to the airport

July 22, 2026 — 5:00am

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Walk into any airport, even a touch peckish, and it’s game over. There are few places that feel quite as extortionate as Australia’s housing market, but airports surely come a close second. The thing is – they have a lot in common.

I was reminded of this fact just before boarding a red-eye flight this week. A sandwich (the kind you slap together for a kid’s lunchbox with a bit of cheese, ham and lettuce) was $15; a shallow takeaway dish of salad was $21; and a tiny pack of cheese and crackers was $7.

The latter – full price and exactly the same brand as at Coles and Woolworths – retails for $3.20, meaning the airport store was charging more than double the price you’d pay at the supermarket.

Most of us grit our teeth and pay up. That’s because, much like housing, food is something we need to survive.

Sure, some people might pack snacks ahead of time. But preparing or buying a proper meal, carrying it to the airport and through security and making sure it doesn’t become unappetising in the process can be tricky. That means airport food is difficult to swap out or substitute perfectly.

And if you’re about to hop onto a flight for several hours with limited food options, or find yourself stuck in the airport waiting for (an often delayed) flight, buying a decent meal can become more of a necessity than a “nice to have”.

These characteristics make airport food a relatively “inelastic” good: one where demand doesn’t change drastically even if the price does. We’re willing (usually very........

© Brisbane Times