What Australian tradies charge in October 2026, in one place: 41 trades and 610 published prices from the national cost guides, with 15 city editions. This is the first release, so there is no month-on-month comparison yet.
Hourly rates by trade
Low, typical and high hourly rates as published on each national cost guide in October 2026.
| Trade | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklaying | $45 /hr | $75 | $120 |
| Carpenter | $55 /hr | $85 | $130 |
| Electrician | $80 /hr | $100 | $150 |
| Gas Fitting | $100 /hr | $150 | $200 |
| Handyman | $50 /hr | $90 | $120 |
| House Cleaning | $35 /hr | $55 | $80 |
| Insulation | $40 /hr | $60 | $80 |
| Landscaping | $55 /hr | $80 | $110 |
| Lawn Mowing | $50 /hr | $65 | $90 |
| Painter | $40 /hr | $60 | $100 |
| Plastering | $50 /hr | $77 | $120 |
| Plumber | $80 /hr | $120 | $200 |
| Pressure Washing | $40 /hr | $65 | $100 |
| Removalist | $120 /hr | $160 | $220 |
| Tiling | $50 /hr | $70 | $100 |
| Tree Removal | $70 /hr | $120 | $180 |
| Window Cleaning | $40 /hr | $55 | $80 |
Headline job by trade
The first row of each national cost guide's price table: the job most people ask about for that trade, its published band.
| Trade | Job | Low–high | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Conditioning | Split system 2.5 kW (supply + install) | $1,200–$2,500 | $1,800 |
| Bathroom Renovation | Basic renovation (budget fittings) | $10,000–$20,000 | $15,000 |
| Bricklaying | Bricklaying (hourly rate) | $45–$120 /hr | $75 |
| Building | Minor structural repair (lintel, crack stitching, wall ties) | $500–$5,000 | $1,800 |
| Carpenter | Carpentry (hourly rate) | $55–$130 /hr | $85 |
| Carpet Cleaning | Steam clean (per room) | $30–$60 /room | $45 |
| Concreting | Plain concrete slab (per sqm) | $75–$150 /sqm | $110 |
| Decking | Treated pine deck (per sqm) | $180–$350 /sqm | $260 |
| Electrician | Electrician (hourly rate) | $80–$150 /hr | $100 |
| Fencing | Colorbond fence (per m) | $80–$190 /m | $130 |
| Flooring | Carpet (supply + install) | $45–$110 /sqm | $70 |
| Garage Door | Single roller door (auto, installed) | $1,200–$3,500 | $2,200 |
| Gas Fitting | Gas fitting (hourly rate) | $100–$200 /hr | $150 |
| Glazier | Single-pane / minor glass repair | $120–$500 | $350 |
| Granny Flat | Prefab / modular granny flat — 1-bed (delivered) | $80,000–$120,000 | $95,000 |
| Gutter Cleaning | Single storey home (standard) | $100–$400 | $260 |
| Handyman | General handyman (hourly rate) | $50–$120 /hr | $90 |
| Hot Water System | Electric storage (supply + install) | $800–$3,000 | $1,800 |
| House Cleaning | General cleaning (hourly rate) | $35–$80 /hr | $55 |
| Insulation | Ceiling insulation batts (per sqm installed) | $12–$35 /sqm | $20 |
| Kitchen Renovation | Cosmetic refresh (reface + paint) | $8,000–$20,000 | $14,000 |
| Landscaping | Landscaper (hourly rate) | $55–$110 /hr | $80 |
| Lawn Mowing | Small lawn up to 100sqm | $45–$100 per visit | $60 |
| Locksmith | Standard lockout (business hours) | $120–$300 | $180 |
| Painter | Painter (hourly rate) | $40–$100 /hr | $60 |
| Patio | Flat / skillion Colorbond patio (per sqm) | $250–$600 /sqm | $400 |
| Pest Control | General pest treatment (interior + exterior) | $180–$450 per visit | $270 |
| Plastering | Plastering (hourly rate) | $50–$120 /hr | $77 |
| Plumber | General plumbing (hourly rate) | $80–$200 /hr | $120 |
| Pool Construction | Plunge / small fibreglass pool (installed) | $45,000–$62,000 | $53,000 |
| Pool Maintenance | Regular pool service (fortnightly visits, chemicals extra) | $130–$300 /month | $210 |
| Pressure Washing | Pressure washing (hourly rate) | $40–$100 /hr | $65 |
| Removalist | 2 movers + truck (hourly) | $120–$220 /hr | $160 |
| Rendering | Cement render (per sqm) | $30–$60 /sqm | $45 |
| Retaining Wall | Timber sleeper wall (per lineal metre) | $200–$450 /lm | $320 |
| Roofing | Roof inspection / report | $200–$500 per visit | $350 |
| Skip Bin | 2m³ mini skip (general waste) | $200–$360 per hire | $295 |
| Solar | 6.6 kW system (standard) | $4,000–$8,500 | $6,000 |
| Tiling | Floor tiling — standard (labour) | $40–$90 /sqm | $60 |
| Tree Removal | Small tree removal (under 5 m) | $250–$800 per tree | $500 |
| Window Cleaning | Window cleaning (hourly rate) | $40–$80 /hr | $55 |
City price levels, October 2026
Each city's typical prices against the national guide, as a median across every job that both publish.
| City | vs national | Prices tracked |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney price index | +14.8% | 612 |
| Canberra price index | +10.0% | 611 |
| Wollongong price index | +8.0% | 611 |
| Townsville price index | +8.0% | 610 |
| Melbourne price index | +5.0% | 614 |
| Perth price index | +5.0% | 611 |
| Byron Bay price index | +5.0% | 611 |
| Brisbane price index | 0.0% | 610 |
| Darwin price index | 0.0% | 610 |
| Gold Coast price index | -2.0% | 610 |
| Sunshine Coast price index | -3.0% | 610 |
| Newcastle price index | -5.0% | 611 |
| Geelong price index | -7.0% | 611 |
| Adelaide price index | -8.0% | 611 |
| Hobart price index | -10.0% | 610 |
Use this data
The index is free to quote and republish with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Suggested citation:
What's The Damage? Tradie Price Index, Australia, October 2026 — https://whatsthedamage.com.au/price-index/2026-10/Download the October 2026 data (CSV, every tracked price for all 16 editions).
How the index is built
Every figure here is read from the price table on the matching national cost guide at the start of the month, after that guide's monthly price review. Nothing is modelled: if a number is on this page, the same number is on the guide it links to.
- Movement is the median change in the typical price across every job that appears in both this month's and last month's tables, matched by trade and job name. New rows and retired rows are listed but never counted as moves.
- Re-based rows: a typical price that moves more than 25% in one month has been re-based after an evidence review of that job. Those rows are shown separately and excluded from the movement figures, so a review never reads as inflation.
- City level is the median of each city job's typical price divided by the national guide's typical price for the same job, across every job both publish.
- Hourly rates are each trade's published hourly row. Headline jobs are the first row of each trade's table.
- Prices are typical quoted ranges for standard residential work, including GST, and are reviewed monthly against the sources listed on each guide. Full methodology.
Snapshot: 41 trades, 610 price rows, guides verified October 2026, tree c6fa179171.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Australia Tradie Price Index?
A monthly, dated record of what tradies charge across Australia, built from the 41 Australia cost guides on What's The Damage? It tracks 610 published prices and reports how they moved since the previous release.
How often is it updated?
Monthly. Each release is published after the cost guides' monthly price review and kept at its own dated address, so a figure you cite today stays where you cited it.
Can I quote or republish these figures?
Yes. The index is published under a Creative Commons Attribution licence: credit What's The Damage? and link to the release you used. The full data for each month is available as a CSV download on this page.
Planning a job? Each Australia cost guide shows the full price table behind this index, and you can get quotes from screened local tradies.
Get quotes →All releases
City editions: Sydney · Melbourne · Brisbane · Perth · Adelaide · Gold Coast · Canberra · Hobart · Darwin · Newcastle · Geelong · Sunshine Coast · Townsville · Wollongong · Byron Bay.