How much does landscaping cost in Melbourne?
Hiring a Melbourne landscaper costs $50–$99 an hour, and a basic backyard makeover with new turf, garden beds and a little paving runs $4,500–$13,500. Starting from bare dirt around a newly built home is a bigger job, at $13,500–$54,000. Many people want a drawing before any digging, and a professional garden design here costs $720–$4,500. Outdoor space differs widely across the city. Flats and apartments are 15.6% of homes, more than the national 14.2% (ABS 2021 Census), so a balcony or courtyard garden is as much a Melbourne job as a full suburban backyard.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Landscaping cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Landscaping Cost in Melbourne 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaper (hourly rate) | $50/hr | $72 | $99 |
| Garden design / plan | $720per plan | $1,800 | $4,500 |
| Natural turf — supply & lay | $14/sqm | $25 | $36 |
| Synthetic turf — supply & install | $45/sqm | $68 | $110 |
| Retaining wall (timber sleeper) | $135/sqm | $270 | $450 |
| Retaining wall (concrete sleeper) | $225/sqm | $405 | $630 |
| Garden bed, new (soil prep, edging, plants + mulch) | $45/sqm | $90 | $160 |
| Irrigation system (automatic, multi-zone, front & back) | $2,250total | $3,600 | $5,400 |
| Paving / pavers | $54/sqm | $90 | $145 |
| Decking (hardwood) | $270/sqm | $450 | $540 |
| Basic backyard makeover | $4,500total | $9,000 | $13,500 |
| Full landscape (new home) | $13,500total | $36,000 | $54,000 |
| Irrigation — drip system, single zone for garden beds (incl. tap timer) | $720total | $1,250 | $1,975 |
| Bobcat or mini excavator with operator (per hour) | $81/hr | $99 | $145 |
| Green waste removal (one trailer or ute load) | $110total | $170 | $290 |
| Mulch, supplied and spread (per sqm, about 75 mm) | $7/sqm | $13 | $22 |
| Garden soil / topsoil, supplied and delivered (per cubic metre) | $63per cubic metre | $90 | $135 |
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Get Melbourne quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Melbourne metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
How Landscaping Costs Vary Across Melbourne
Our Melbourne landscaping prices apply across the city. Natural turf is $14–$36 per sqm, an irrigation system $2,250–$5,400, and a full landscape for a new home $13,500–$54,000. Melbourne’s Regional Office averages 648.3 mm of rain a year (Bureau of Meteorology), well under Sydney’s 1,211.1 mm, so irrigation is worth costing in.
What Affects Landscaping Costs in Melbourne
Watering under the permanent rules
The state's Permanent Water Saving Rules never lapse. Sprinklers and automatic systems are limited to the hours from 6pm to 10am, hoses need a trigger nozzle and no leaks, and hand watering with a hose, can or bucket is allowed around the clock. A multi-zone system for front and back costs $2,250–$5,400; single-zone drip on a tap timer is $720–$1,975.
Real lawn or synthetic
Natural turf is cheaper to lay, at $14–$36 per square metre against $45–$110 for synthetic grass. The trade-off is upkeep: January and February average 25.9°C tops (BOM averages), so real grass needs regular watering through summer within the permitted hours, plus mowing. Synthetic suits shaded courtyards where real grass struggles to grow.
Paving and decks
A paved area or deck is built to outlast the plants around it. Pavers laid on a prepared base cost $54–$145 per square metre, and a hardwood deck $270–$540. Base preparation, edge restraints and drainage falls away from the house all sit inside those figures, so check each quote spells out the depth of crushed rock under the pavers.
Sloping blocks
Levelling a slope for lawn or a terrace usually means a retaining wall. Timber sleeper walls cost $135–$450 per square metre of wall and concrete sleeper walls $225–$630. Victorian rules exempt a wall below 1 m from a building permit when it stands alone rather than as part of a larger build, so a slope stepped down in low walls can stay clear of the permit process.
Commercial and owners corporation sites
Commercial landscaping in Melbourne, for an office frontage or an owners corporation common garden, is quoted per project. The pricing still builds from the same parts: labour at $50–$99, a bobcat or mini excavator with operator at $81–$145, and materials by the square or cubic metre. Ongoing upkeep is normally a separate maintenance contract.
Soil, mulch and clearing
Clearing comes first: each trailer or ute load of green waste hauled away costs $110–$290. Fresh garden soil is $63–$135 per cubic metre delivered, and mulch 75 mm deep is $7–$22 per square metre. New beds with soil prep, edging and plants come to $45–$160 per square metre.
How to Save Money on Landscaping Cost in Melbourne
Frequently Asked Questions — Landscaping Cost in Melbourne
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 →