How much does landscaping cost in Brisbane?
Want an exact price for your job?
A local installer calls you with a real number — usually same day.
Enter a valid Australian mobile (e.g. 0400 000 000).
Your number goes to one or two local tradies — never five, never a call centre, never resold.
You're in. We’ll text you to ask what you need done — reply there. A local installer will be in touch about your job. No spam, no middleman.
Brisbane landscapers charge $55–$110 an hour for labour, but a whole yard is normally quoted as a fixed job. A basic backyard makeover with turf, garden beds and a little paving lands at $5,000–$15,000, typically $10,000, while a full landscape around a new home costs $15,000–$60,000. Priced by the square metre, natural turf is $15–$40, pavers $60–$160 and a freshly built garden bed $50–$180. Storm-season downpours and a long dry winter decide much of what a Brisbane garden needs, from drainage under the lawn to irrigation for the beds. All prices include GST.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Landscaping cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Landscaping Cost in Brisbane 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaper (hourly rate) | $55/hr | $80 | $110 |
| Garden design / plan | $800per plan | $2,000 | $5,000 |
| Natural turf — supply & lay | $15/sqm | $28 | $40 |
| Synthetic turf — supply & install | $50/sqm | $75 | $120 |
| Retaining wall (timber sleeper) | $150/sqm | $300 | $500 |
| Retaining wall (concrete sleeper) | $250/sqm | $450 | $700 |
| Garden bed, new (soil prep, edging, plants + mulch) | $50/sqm | $100 | $180 |
| Irrigation system (automatic, multi-zone, front & back) | $2,500total | $4,000 | $6,000 |
| Paving / pavers | $60/sqm | $100 | $160 |
| Decking (hardwood) | $300/sqm | $500 | $600 |
| Basic backyard makeover | $5,000total | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| Full landscape (new home) | $15,000total | $40,000 | $60,000 |
| Irrigation — drip system, single zone for garden beds (incl. tap timer) | $800total | $1,400 | $2,200 |
| Bobcat or mini excavator with operator (per hour) | $90/hr | $110 | $160 |
| Green waste removal (one trailer or ute load) | $120total | $190 | $320 |
| Mulch, supplied and spread (per sqm, about 75 mm) | $8/sqm | $14 | $24 |
| Garden soil / topsoil, supplied and delivered (per cubic metre) | $70per cubic metre | $100 | $150 |
You're in.
A local installer will be in touch about your job. No spam, no middleman.
Getting quotes for landscaping work in Brisbane? Get a quote from a verified local tradie — free, no obligation.
Get Brisbane quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Brisbane metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
How Landscaping Costs Vary Across Brisbane
Our Brisbane landscaping rows carry no suburb loading. A landscaper is $55–$110 an hour, natural turf $15–$40 per sqm laid and synthetic $50–$120; a basic backyard makeover is $5,000–$15,000. Brisbane averages 1,065.2 mm of rain a year, wettest in February on Bureau of Meteorology records — plan drainage into the design.
Landscaping cost in Brisbane (2026): per m² prices, budget makeovers and what a quote should include
Landscaping in Brisbane is priced by the elements in the design, so the per-square-metre rates are the way to cost a garden: natural turf supplied and laid is $15–$40 per m², synthetic turf $50–$120/m² and paving $60–$160/m². As whole jobs, a basic backyard makeover is $5,000–$15,000 ($10,000 typical) and a full landscape for a new home $15,000–$60,000.
| Job | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural turf — supply & lay | $15/m² | $28 | $40 |
| Synthetic turf — supply & install | $50/m² | $75 | $120 |
| Paving / pavers | $60/m² | $100 | $160 |
| Retaining wall (timber sleeper) | $150/m² | $300 | $500 |
| Retaining wall (concrete sleeper) | $250/m² | $450 | $700 |
| Irrigation system (automatic, multi-zone, front & back) | $2,500 | $4,000 | $6,000 |
| Basic backyard makeover | $5,000 | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| Full landscape (new home) | $15,000 | $40,000 | $60,000 |
Affordable landscaping in Brisbane: softscape is the cheap part and hardscape the dear part. Turf at $15–$40/m² and garden beds cost a fraction of paving ($60–$160/m²) or retaining walls, so a budget makeover leans on lawn, planting and mulch with a small paved area. Doing the job in stages works well: levels, drainage and irrigation ($2,500–$6,000) first, then turf and planting, then paving and features when the budget allows.
Landscape design: a design plan from a landscape designer is quoted separately from the build; many landscapers include a simple layout in a construction quote. A plan is worth paying for when the job involves levels, retaining walls or drainage, because those are the parts that are expensive to redo.
What a landscaping quote in Brisbane should include:
- Site preparation: clearing, removal of old turf or paving, and disposal of the spoil.
- Hardscape by area: paving, retaining walls, edging and steps, each with square metres or lineal metres stated.
- Softscape: turf type and area, garden beds, soil and mulch volumes, and the plant list.
- Services: irrigation, drainage and any lighting, with what is connected to what.
- Exclusions: access for machinery, council approval for walls or structures, and how long the plants are guaranteed.
With the elements itemised, Brisbane landscaping quotes compare line by line instead of on a single headline number.
Landscape design, and lower-cost landscaping, in Brisbane
What a landscape design costs in Brisbane
A garden design or plan is $800–$5,000 in our Brisbane table, typically $2,000. That is the plan on its own; building it is priced separately, from a basic backyard makeover at $5,000–$15,000.
Landscaping on a budget in Brisbane
Priced by the square metre in our Brisbane table, natural turf supplied and laid is $15–$40 and a garden bed with plants and mulch is $50–$180, so a budget can be matched to an area before any quote.
These answers use the prices in the table on this page.
What Affects Landscaping Costs in Brisbane
Keeping it affordable
The cheapest way to transform a Brisbane yard is to plant more and pave less. Turf at $15–$40 and mulch spread at $8–$24 cover ground for a fraction of pavers ($100 typical) or hardwood decking at $300–$600. Keep hard surfaces to the paths and the spot where the table goes.
Storm season and dry winters
February is Brisbane's wettest month at 176.1 mm, with January and March not far behind, while July to September are the driest, September averaging just 28.6 mm (BOM averages). A good quote allows for grading the yard away from the house and draining low spots before summer, and for keeping new turf watered through the dry months that follow a winter install.
Big blocks take machine time
Brisbane leans towards detached houses with room to spare: separate houses make up 73.4% of the housing stock, and 41.1% of homes count four bedrooms or more, well above the national 34.8% (ABS 2021 Census). Clearing or levelling a large yard is quicker with a bobcat or mini excavator at $90–$160 than by hand, and each trailer of green waste carted away adds $120–$320.
When a wall needs approval
In Queensland a retaining wall is exempt from building approval only if the wall and the soil it holds back total no more than 1m high, nothing such as a driveway or building loads the ground behind it, and it stands at least 1.5m from a building or another retaining wall. Taller walls add engineering and approval to a timber sleeper wall at $150–$500 or a concrete sleeper wall at $250–$700.
QBCC licence
Walls, paving and decks can count as building work in Queensland, and building work valued at $3,300 or more must be done under a QBCC licence. Below that value, a contractor advertising the job has to say they can only take on work up to that amount. With a basic makeover starting at $5,000, look the contractor up on the QBCC licence register before you sign.
Protected trees
Brisbane City Council protects significant urban vegetation, meaning mature or prominent native and exotic trees on private land, and interfering with protected vegetation without permission is an offence even on your own property. Permit applications are free, and you can request a protected vegetation report for your address, which is worth having before a designer draws a plan around an old tree.
Paying for a design
A landscape plan costs $800–$5,000. On a small refresh a good landscaper can work from a sketch, but once a project mixes walls, paving, beds and irrigation, a drawn plan lets you compare quotes on the same scope. Ask whether the designer also specifies plant species and quantities, since that is what turns the plan into an accurate price.
How to Save Money on Landscaping Cost in Brisbane
Brisbane Landscaping Costs by Project Type
Garden makeover (plants, mulch, edging) — $50–$180 a square metre of replanted bed. Refresh tired gardens with new plants, fresh mulch, and defined borders. The quickest and most affordable landscaping upgrade. Brisbane's climate means plants establish fast.
Turf and lawn — $15–$40 a square metre for natural turf, or $1,500 to $4,000 for 100 m². New lawn installation including soil prep, levelling, and turf. Sir Walter Buffalo is Brisbane's go-to for its shade tolerance and drought resistance. Couch is cheaper but needs full sun.
Retaining walls — $150–$500 a square metre of wall in timber sleepers, $250–$700 in concrete sleepers. Essential for Brisbane's hilly terrain. Concrete sleepers are the workhorse material. Sandstone gives a premium look. Building approval is required for retaining walls over one metre high, walls closer than 1.5 metres to a building or another retaining wall, or walls carrying a surcharge load.
Full backyard transformation — $15,000–$60,000. Complete redesign including paving, planting, retaining walls, drainage, and outdoor living areas. Brisbane's subtropical lifestyle makes outdoor spaces an extension of the home.
Pool landscaping — Quoted per job. Surrounds, screening plants, decking, and garden beds around a new or existing pool. Compliance with pool fencing setbacks affects layout options.
Nearby area guide: landscaping costs in Wynnum.
Frequently Asked Questions — Landscaping Cost in Brisbane
Our Methodology
These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no tradesperson can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed October 2026. Read our full methodology →