Cost Guide

How Much Does Cyber Security Cost in Australia? (2026)

By The WTD Editorial Team · Last verified November 2026 · Methodology

Updated November 2026 · Independently researched · 14 min read

Australian cyber security costs in 2026: security assessment or audit $2,000–$10,000, penetration test $5,000–$15,000, managed IT security $120–$300 per user per month and endpoint protection $5–$15 per device per month.

Typical Cyber Security cost by city — What’s The Damage’s November 2026 re-verification across 90+ sources. Point-in-time work (Essential Eight gap assessments, penetration tests) is quoted per engagement; ongoing protection is priced per user and per device. Hourly ad-hoc consulting exists but most small and medium businesses buy one of the five rows.
City	Typical range	Year on year
Sydney	$2,000–$10,000	—
Melbourne	$2,000–$10,000	—
Brisbane	$2,000–$10,000	—
Perth	$2,000–$10,000	—
Adelaide	$2,000–$10,000	—
Gold Coast	$2,000–$10,000	—
Canberra	$2,000–$10,000	—
Newcastle	$2,000–$10,000	—
Sunshine Coast	$2,000–$10,000	—
Wollongong	$2,000–$10,000	—
Geelong	$2,000–$10,000	—
Townsville	$2,000–$10,000	—
Hobart	$2,000–$10,000	—
Darwin	$2,000–$10,000	—

Cyber Security Cost by City

What Australian cyber security providers charge small and medium businesses in 2026 for Essential Eight assessments, penetration tests, managed security per user and endpoint protection per device, and what a proper quote should itemise.

Quick answerAustralian cyber security costs in 2026: security assessment or audit $2,000–$10,000, penetration test $5,000–$15,000, managed IT security $120–$300 per user per month and endpoint protection $5–$15 per device per month. Get free quotes →

Detailed Pricing — Cyber Security Cost in Australia 2026

Tier	Typical cost (ex GST)	Basis
Cyber security assessment or audit (Essential Eight gap assessment)	$2,000–$10,000 per assessment	Per assessment
Penetration test, external footprint or single web application	$5,000–$15,000 per test	Per test
Penetration test, authenticated or internal network	$16,000–$45,000 per test	Per test
Managed IT with security, per user	$120–$300 per user per month	Per user, per month
Endpoint detection and response, per device	$5–$15 per device per month	Per device, per month

Step 1 of 2

What do you need a callback about?

One tap — we'll show you the going rate, then take your number.

You're in.

A local firm will be in touch about your enquiry. No spam, no middleman.

Getting quotes for cyber security work in Australia? Get a quote from a local provider — free, no obligation.

Get quotes →

Prices verified November 2026 · Cross-referenced against 90+ Australian pricing sources · See methodology

Compare cyber security providers in Australia

No obligation, no spam.

Get Quotes in Australia →

What Moves the Cyber Security Cost in Australia

Scope of the assessment. A gap assessment against ASD's Essential Eight on a single Microsoft 365 tenant sits at the low end of $2,000–$10,000 per assessment; one that covers several sites, servers and line-of-business systems sits at the top. Ask which of the eight strategies the report scores and to what maturity level.
Test type. An external or single web application test at $5,000–$15,000 per test is scoped by the number of hosts and pages in play. An authenticated or internal network test at $16,000–$45,000 per test adds days of manual work, privileged credentials and a longer report.
Users and devices. Managed IT with security is billed at $120–$300 per user per month and endpoint detection and response at $5–$15 per device per month, so the headcount and device count set the monthly figure before any work starts. Servers are often counted as devices; ask.
Breach obligations. The OAIC is plain: if the Privacy Act 1988 covers your organisation, you must notify affected individuals and the OAIC when a data breach involving personal information is likely to result in serious harm. A Australia provider prices incident response readiness into a managed plan, so ask what the plan does in the first 24 hours of a suspected breach.
Remediation after the report. A provider quotes the fixes an assessment or test uncovers separately, so ask for the remediation hourly rate or a fixed price before the work starts. ASD's Annual Cyber Threat Report 2024-25 recorded more than 84,700 cybercrime reports and a 14 per cent rise in the average self-reported cost of cybercrime for a small business, which is why the report is the start of the spend, not the end of it.

Cyber Security Cost in Australia: One-off Assessment or Managed Plan?

Australian cyber security providers price the same protection two ways. A one-off engagement, the Essential Eight gap assessment at $2,000–$10,000 per assessment or a penetration test at $5,000–$15,000 per test, tells a business where it stands on a given day and ends with a report. A managed plan at $120–$300 per user per month, with endpoint detection and response at $5–$15 per device per month, keeps patching, multi-factor authentication, monitoring and backups running every month.

In money terms, set a year of the two managed rows beside one assessment plus the remediation it produces; the managed plan starts to pay once someone has to keep the Essential Eight controls current anyway. Most Australian businesses end up with both: an assessment first, then a managed plan sized to the gaps it found. Ask the provider to state the user count, the device count and the Essential Eight maturity level the plan targets.

How to Keep the Cyber Security Cost Sane in Australia

Ask which of ASD's Essential Eight strategies the assessment measures and which maturity level the report scores against.

Agree the scope of a penetration test in writing: the hosts, applications and credentials in play, and the dates the testing runs.

Count users and devices before asking for a managed plan quote; both rows are priced per seat and the count sets the monthly figure.

Ask for the remediation rate or a fixed price for fixing what the assessment or test finds, before the work starts.

Check the plan covers multi-factor authentication, patching and tested backups, the controls that appear in every Essential Eight maturity level.

Keep a written incident response plan: the Privacy Act 1988 notification duty applies when a breach is likely to cause serious harm.

This guide is general information, not advice. Figures are typical ranges compiled from published Australian sources in 2026 and are not a quote; confirm fees with the provider before engaging them.

Cyber Security Cost in Australia by Service Package

Quick answerIn Australia the cost follows what is being bought: a point-in-time engagement, an assessment at $2,000–$10,000 per assessment or a penetration test at $5,000–$15,000 per test, or an ongoing plan priced per user at $120–$300 per user per month.

Lay the rows out together. A Australian business with a single Microsoft 365 tenant and no servers suits an Essential Eight gap assessment at the low end of $2,000–$10,000 per assessment; a business with a customer-facing web application adds an external penetration test at $5,000–$15,000 per test; and one with an internal network, remote access and privileged accounts moves to an authenticated or internal test at $16,000–$45,000 per test.

Ongoing protection is priced per seat. Managed IT with security at $120–$300 per user per month and endpoint detection and response at $5–$15 per device per month scale with headcount and device count, so a Australian quote should name both numbers. Before signing, ask which Essential Eight maturity level the plan targets and what the remediation of findings costs on top.

Cyber Security Cost in Australia: What the Quote Should Include

In Australia a cyber security quote can describe a two-day gap assessment or a month of monitoring, so the quote has to say which. Ask a Australian provider for each line in writing, with the users, devices and systems counted.

The assessment named against its row, $2,000–$10,000 per assessment, with the systems in scope and the Essential Eight maturity level it scores against
A penetration test with its type stated: external or single web application at $5,000–$15,000 per test, or authenticated and internal at $16,000–$45,000 per test, with the hosts and applications listed
The managed plan at $120–$300 per user per month, with the user count it is priced on and what the help desk, patching and monitoring cover
Endpoint detection and response at $5–$15 per device per month, with the device count and whether servers are included
Remediation of findings, quoted as an hourly rate or a fixed price, listed apart from the assessment
Multi-factor authentication, backups and backup testing named inside the plan, not left as extras
Incident response: who is called, the response time, and the steps for a notifiable data breach under the Privacy Act 1988
The term, the notice to end, who owns the licences and logs when the plan ends, and GST on top

Frequently Asked Questions — Cyber Security Cost in Australia

How much does a cyber security assessment cost in Australia?

Our national table puts a cyber security assessment or audit at $2,000–$10,000 per assessment; a single-tenant Essential Eight gap assessment sits at the lower end and a multi-site review with servers and custom systems at the upper end.

How much does a penetration test cost?

In our national table an external or single web application test is $5,000–$15,000 per test, and an authenticated or internal network test $16,000–$45,000 per test. Scope, the number of hosts and the depth of manual testing set the figure.

What does managed IT security cost per user?

Our national table prices managed IT with security at $120–$300 per user per month. The band covers help desk, patching, multi-factor authentication and monitoring; the top of it usually adds a security operations centre.

What does endpoint protection cost?

Endpoint detection and response is $5–$15 per device per month in our national table, licensed per laptop, desktop or server and usually bundled into a managed plan.

What is the Essential Eight?

The Essential Eight is the Australian Signals Directorate's set of eight baseline mitigation strategies: patch applications, patch operating systems, multi-factor authentication, restrict administrative privileges, application control, restrict Microsoft Office macros, user application hardening and regular backups. Most Australian assessments at $2,000–$10,000 per assessment score a business against them.

Do I have to report a data breach?

Yes where the scheme applies: if the Privacy Act 1988 covers your organisation, you must notify affected individuals and the OAIC when a data breach involving personal information is likely to result in serious harm. A managed plan usually includes the incident response steps that make that notification possible.

Our Methodology

These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no provider can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed November 2026. Read our full methodology →