Commercial · Cairns

How much do security guards cost in Cairns?

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

Updated November 2026·Independently researched·11 min read

A static security guard in Cairns runs $40–$60 per hour

for a weekday day shift, as published by security firms (mostly ex GST where stated) - night, weekend, public holiday, event and patrol rates below

An Esplanade bar putting two licensed crowd controllers on the door for a Saturday pays $55–$85 per guard per hour, with $60 typical. A Portsmith boat yard that wants the slipway watched through the night books by the shift, and one 10-hour overnight guard is $500–$750.

+3.4% Security Guards costs in Cairns are up around 3.4% over the past year, re-verified against 90+ sources in November 2026. Year on year

Typical static guard rate in Cairns, weekday day shift

$45

per guard per hour, Cairns 2026, as published

Static security guard, weekday day shift

$40-$60

Static guard, night or weekend shift

$55-$75

Static guard, public holiday

$80-$120

$40$45$60

Cairns guard work is bought by the hour, and the hour is priced by when it falls. A static guard costs $40–$60 per hour on a weekday day shift, $55–$75 per hour once the shift moves into the night or onto a weekend, and $80–$120 per hour on a public holiday. Firms also set a minimum booking, so one evening on Shields Street is billed to that minimum even if the guard is only needed for part of it.

The officer you book matters as much as the clock. The Esplanade and Shields Street late venues book licensed crowd controllers at $55–$85 per guard per hour; a resort function at Palm Cove or on Macrossan Street Port Douglas books event security guards at $45–$70; a CBD or Cairns North office reception books a concierge or front-desk officer at $40–$65 per hour. Travel out to Port Douglas or Palm Cove, and how far a site sits from the firm's patrol base, are worth asking about on any Far North quote.

Yards and builds are priced by the visit or by the shift. A mobile patrol through a Woree or Edmonton yard is $30–$60 per site visit, a nightly patrol contract on one site $400–$1,200 per month, a construction site guard $45–$70 per hour and one 8-hour weekday static shift $280–$480. A private party or wedding with 2 guards for 6 hours is $660–$840 per event, and a council-run hall that sets its own event security charge bills $68–$198 per guard per hour.

Quick answerA static security guard in Cairns costs $40–$60 per hour for a weekday day shift in 2026, with $45 typical, $55–$75 per hour for a night or weekend shift and $80–$120 per hour on a public holiday. Event security guards run $45–$70 per guard per hour, licensed crowd controllers $55–$85 per guard per hour and a mobile patrol $30–$60 per site visit. Prices are as published by security firms and councils, mostly ex GST where a basis is stated. Get free Cairns quotes →

Security Guards Prices in Cairns 2026: Cost Table, Price List and Hourly Rates

Service	Low	Typical	High
Static security guard, weekday day shift	$40per hour	$45	$60
Event security guard	$45per guard per hour	$55	$70
Licensed crowd controller (venues, events)	$55per guard per hour	$60	$85
Mobile patrol, per site visit	$30per visit	$35	$60
Static guard, public holiday	$80per hour	$100	$120
Static guard, night or weekend shift	$55per hour	$65	$75
Concierge or front-desk security officer	$40per hour	$50	$65
Construction site guard	$45per hour	$50	$70
Overnight site guard, one 10-hour shift	$500per shift	$650	$750
Static guard, one 8-hour weekday shift	$280per shift	$360	$480
Mobile patrol contract, one site, nightly patrols	$400per month	$600	$1,200
Private party or wedding, 2 guards for 6 hours	$660per event	$780	$840
Event security guard at a council venue (council-set hourly charge)	$68per guard per hour	$80	$198

Scoping security guards work in Cairns? Get a quote from a local commercial contractor - free, no obligation.

Get Cairns quotes →

Prices are as published by security firms and councils, mostly ex GST where a basis is stated. Cairns and the Far North, November 2026.

How much does a security guard cost per hour in Cairns?$40–$60 per hour for a static guard on a weekday day shift, $45 typical. The rate climbs to $55–$75 per hour for a night or weekend shift and $80–$120 per hour on a public holiday, and one 8-hour weekday shift is priced at $280–$480 per shift.

What do event security and patrols cost in Cairns?Event security guards run $45–$70 per guard per hour and licensed crowd controllers $55–$85 per guard per hour. A mobile patrol is $30–$60 per site visit, or $400–$1,200 per month on a contract of nightly patrols for one site.

Worked Security Guards Cost Scenarios — Cairns

Three Cairns bookings priced from the rows on this page: a bar strip on the Esplanade, a marine yard at Portsmith and a resort wedding at Palm Cove. The rows each line draws on are named; your own quote prices your hours, guard count and travel.

Esplanade bar strip crowd control. A late-trading bar on the Esplanade rosters licensed crowd controllers at $55–$85 per guard per hour ($60 typical) from early evening to close on Friday and Saturday, and adds an event security guard at $45–$70 per guard per hour for the night it hosts a touring act, with a mobile patrol at $30–$60 per site visit checking the doors and bins after lock-up.
Portsmith marine yard, overnight guard. A boat repair yard at Portsmith with vessels on the hardstand and outboards in the shed books one overnight site guard on a 10-hour shift at $500–$750 per shift ($650 typical) for the weeks a refit is underway, and drops back to a nightly patrol contract at $400–$1,200 per month once the work is launched.
Palm Cove resort wedding. A couple marrying at a Palm Cove resort books a private party or wedding package of 2 guards for 6 hours at $660–$840 per event ($780 typical) to manage the gate and the car park, and asks the firm to show the travel charge from Cairns as its own line; a Saturday or public holiday date moves any static guard booked to watch the gear to $55–$75 or $80–$120 per hour.

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 installer will be in touch about your job. No spam, no middleman.

Scoping security guards work in Cairns? Get a quote from a local commercial contractor - free, no obligation.

Get Cairns quotes →

Prices are as published by security firms and councils, mostly ex GST where a basis is stated. Cairns and the Far North, November 2026.

Security Guards Costs by Sector in Cairns

Cairns guard bookings come from the late venues on the Esplanade and Shields Street, the resorts and event lawns of Palm Cove and Macrossan Street Port Douglas, the marine and freight yards of Portsmith, Woree, Smithfield and Edmonton, the centres at Cairns Central, Smithfield Shopping Centre and DFO Cairns, and the offices of the CBD and Cairns North.

Late venues: the Esplanade and Shields Street, Cairns - Licensed crowd controllers at $55–$85 per guard per hour on the door through weekend nights, and event security guards at $45–$70 for a one-off gig or festival night; ask whether the roster runs to close or to a fixed finish time.
Resorts and events: Palm Cove and Macrossan Street Port Douglas - Event security guards at $45–$70 per guard per hour and private parties or weddings of 2 guards for 6 hours at $660–$840 per event, with travel from Cairns shown separately; a council-run hall with its own event security charge bills $68–$198 per guard per hour.
Marine and freight yards: Portsmith, Woree, Smithfield, Edmonton - Mobile patrols at $30–$60 per site visit or a nightly patrol contract at $400–$1,200 per month for a locked yard, and one 10-hour overnight guard at $500–$750 when vessels, plant or stock sit outside the shed.
Retail centres: Cairns Central, Smithfield Shopping Centre, DFO Cairns - A static guard on the floor at $40–$60 per hour, one 8-hour weekday shift at $280–$480, and weekend trading at $55–$75 per hour; a retailer in more than one centre should ask for a single rate card.
Offices and builds: the CBD, Cairns North and Smithfield - Concierge or front-desk officers at $40–$65 per hour for a reception desk, and construction site guards at $45–$70 per hour on a build where plant and materials are delivered before the site can be locked.

What Cairns Security Guards Jobs Actually Cost

Plain weekday cover in Cairns sits around the typical rates: a Cairns North or CBD reception desk on business hours books a concierge officer near $50 per hour, and a weekday guard at Cairns Central near $45 per hour, inside the $40–$60 band. The bill climbs where the hours do - Esplanade and Shields Street weekend doors at $55–$85 per guard per hour for crowd controllers, weekend static cover at $55–$75 and public holidays at $80–$120.

Yards, builds and functions are bought by the shift and the event. A Portsmith marine yard during a refit books one overnight guard at $500–$750 per 10-hour shift, then steps down to a nightly patrol contract at $400–$1,200 per month or single visits at $30–$60; an Edmonton build keeps a construction site guard at $45–$70 per hour until it can be locked. Palm Cove and Port Douglas resort functions book event guards at $45–$70 per guard per hour, and a wedding with 2 guards for 6 hours prices at $660–$840 per event.

What Affects Security Guards Costs in Cairns

Cairns guard prices are set by the roster, the officer and the distance, from Esplanade bar doors to Portsmith yards and resort lawns up the coast.

Travel up the coast - A Palm Cove or Macrossan Street Port Douglas booking can carry a travel line on top of event guards at $45–$70 per guard per hour, so ask for it to be shown apart from the guard rate.
Distance from the patrol base - A mobile patrol is $30–$60 per site visit, and site size, visit length and how far a Smithfield or Edmonton yard sits from the firm's patrol base are the questions that place a quote in that band.
Weekend and holiday rosters - Shields Street and Esplanade venues that roster weekend nights pay $55–$75 per hour for static cover and $80–$120 on a public holiday, against $40–$60 on a weekday day shift.
Door work or event cover - Licensed crowd controllers at $55–$85 and event security guards at $45–$70 per guard per hour are separate bookings, and a venue that needs both should see two lines on the quote.
Overnight yards and builds - Portsmith and Woree yards with vessels or plant outside pay $500–$750 for one 10-hour overnight guard, and Edmonton builds $45–$70 per hour for a construction site guard through the day.
Minimum bookings and whole shifts - Firms bill short jobs to a minimum booking, while a whole 8-hour weekday shift is $280–$480 and a council-run hall with its own event security charge bills $68–$198 per guard per hour.

How to Control Security Guards Costs in Cairns

In Cairns, the savings come from fitting the cover to the hours that carry the risk and from keeping travel visible: book guards on site only for the nights that need them, use patrols where a check will do, and group coastal bookings.

A Portsmith or Woree yard locked overnight can price a nightly patrol contract at $400–$1,200 per month against an overnight guard at $500–$750 per shift, and keep the guard for refit weeks only.
Palm Cove and Port Douglas venues running several functions in a season can book them with one firm on one rate card, so the travel line is agreed once rather than per event.
Esplanade and Shields Street venues can roster crowd controllers at $55–$85 per guard per hour for the hours the door is busy, and use a mobile patrol after close instead of keeping a guard to the end.
An Edmonton or Smithfield builder can book construction site guards for the weeks plant and materials sit on site before lock-up, then switch to patrols at $30–$60 per site visit.

What a Compliant Security Guards Quote Includes — Cost in Cairns

Before comparing Cairns quotes, check each one prices the same shifts at the same rate type - weekday day, night or weekend, public holiday - states the minimum booking, and lists event guards, crowd controllers, concierge officers and patrols on their own lines with the GST basis stated.

The hourly rate for each shift type: weekday day shifts at $40–$60, night or weekend shifts at $55–$75 and public holidays at $80–$120 per hour
The minimum booking length, and what a whole shift comes to - one 8-hour weekday shift at $280–$480 or one 10-hour overnight shift at $500–$750
Event security guards at $45–$70 and licensed crowd controllers at $55–$85 per guard per hour, with the guard count and the hours on site written down
Mobile patrols at $30–$60 per site visit, or a nightly patrol contract at $400–$1,200 per month, with the visits per night and what each visit checks
Construction site guards at $45–$70 per hour, with day cover and overnight cover shown as separate lines
Concierge or front-desk security officers at $40–$65 per hour, with the duties - visitor sign-in, deliveries, floor rounds - listed
For a private party or wedding, the per-event price of $660–$840 for 2 guards for 6 hours; at a council venue, whether the council's own charge of $68–$198 per guard per hour applies instead
The licence numbers held by each guard and by the company supplying them, with the company's ABN and public liability insurance
A single GST basis across every line, with public holiday dates, cancellation terms and any travel charge for an outlying site stated

Security guards cost in Cairns: bar strips, marine yards and resort events

What a Cairns guard costs comes down first to the shift. On a weekday day shift a static guard is $40–$60 per hour (typically $45); on a night or weekend shift $55–$75 per hour (typically $65); on a public holiday $80–$120 per hour (typically $100). Firms also quote whole shifts: one 8-hour weekday static shift at $280–$480, and one 10-hour overnight site shift at $500–$750.

Then comes the kind of cover. An Esplanade or Shields Street door is licensed crowd controllers at $55–$85 per guard per hour; a Palm Cove or Port Douglas function is event security guards at $45–$70, or a private party or wedding with 2 guards for 6 hours at $660–$840 per event; a Cairns North reception is a concierge officer at $40–$65 per hour; an Edmonton or Smithfield build is a construction site guard at $45–$70 per hour; and a Portsmith or Woree yard that only needs checking is a mobile patrol at $30–$60 per site visit, or $400–$1,200 per month on a nightly contract. At a council-run hall with its own event security charge the rate is $68–$198 per guard per hour.

The Queensland Government's fair trading pages say that to work as a crowd controller in Queensland you need a Queensland security provider class 1 licence, and that a business needs a security firm licence if it supplies staff to provide security services. On a Cairns quote, ask for the class 1 licence number of each crowd controller, the licence number of each other guard and the security firm licence of the company supplying them.

Security guards cost by shift type and site in Cairns

Quick answerCairns pricing follows the shift and the site: a Shields Street venue books crowd controllers at $55–$85 per guard per hour, a Cairns North reception a weekday desk at $40–$65 per hour, a Portsmith yard patrols at $30–$60 per site visit, and an Edmonton build a construction guard at $45–$70 per hour with overnight shifts at $500–$750.

A guard's hourly rate in Cairns changes in steps with the roster. Weekday day hours are $40–$60, night and weekend hours $55–$75 and public holiday hours $80–$120, so a DFO Cairns store that covers a long weekend pays three different rates across the same few days. Booked as whole shifts, 8 weekday hours are $280–$480 and a 10-hour overnight shift $500–$750.

The site decides which officer you need. A Cairns Central or CBD office reception uses a concierge officer at $40–$65 per hour; a Woree or Smithfield yard can be covered by mobile patrols at $30–$60 per site visit or a nightly contract at $400–$1,200 per month rather than a guard all night; a Palm Cove or Port Douglas event books event guards at $45–$70 and crowd controllers at $55–$85 per guard per hour; and a wedding with 2 guards for 6 hours prices at $660–$840 per event, before any travel line.

Frequently Asked Questions — Security Guards Cost in Cairns

What is the price of security guards in Cairns?

From our Cairns table: a static guard is $40–$60 per hour on a weekday day shift (typically $45), $55–$75 per hour for a night or weekend shift (typically $65) and $80–$120 per hour on a public holiday (typically $100); a mobile patrol is $30–$60 per site visit.

How much does a security guard cost per hour in Cairns?

A static guard on a weekday day shift costs $40–$60 per hour in Cairns, with $45 typical, and a concierge or front-desk security officer $40–$65 per hour, typically $50. A CBD or Cairns North reception desk is usually a fixed weekday roster; a Smithfield Shopping Centre store covering a few nights after a break-in pays the firm's minimum booking on each of them.

How much does event security cost in Cairns?

Going by our Cairns table, an event security guard is $45–$70 per guard per hour, typically $55, and a licensed crowd controller $55–$85 per guard per hour, typically $60. Esplanade and Shields Street venues, Palm Cove resort lawns and Port Douglas functions are where Cairns event bookings come from; ask for the guard count, the start and finish times and the travel charge on the same page.

What does a mobile security patrol cost in Cairns?

A mobile patrol is $30–$60 per site visit on our Cairns table, with $35 typical, and a contract of nightly patrols on one site $400–$1,200 per month, typically $600; the visit count and what each visit checks decide where a quote lands.

What licence should a Cairns security company hold?

The Queensland Government's fair trading pages say that to work as a crowd controller in Queensland you need a Queensland security provider class 1 licence, and that a business needs a security firm licence if it supplies staff to provide security services. In Cairns, check that the names and licence numbers on the roster match the guards who turn up, and ask whether any shift is subcontracted to another firm.

How much does a construction site security guard cost in Cairns?

A construction site guard is $45–$70 per hour on our Cairns table, with $50 typical; where the cover runs through the night, an overnight site guard on one 10-hour shift is priced at $500–$750 per shift.

What do security guards cost on weekends and public holidays in Cairns?

A static guard costs $55–$75 per hour for a night or weekend shift in Cairns, with $65 typical, and $80–$120 per hour on a public holiday, typically $100. Retailers at Cairns Central and DFO Cairns, and Portsmith or Edmonton yards running weekend work, should have weekday, weekend and public holiday rates side by side on one quote before the roster is set.

How much does security for a private party or wedding cost in Cairns?

A private party or wedding with 2 guards for 6 hours is $660–$840 per event on our Cairns table, with $780 typical; at a council venue that sets its own event security charge, the guard is priced at $68–$198 per guard per hour, typically $80. For a Palm Cove or Port Douglas wedding, ask the firm how it prices the drive from Cairns and whether the guards stay on until the last car has left the venue.

What does a full security shift cost in Cairns?

One 8-hour weekday shift for a static guard costs $280–$480 per shift on our Cairns table, with $360 typical, and one 10-hour overnight site shift $500–$750, typically $650. For a Portsmith or Woree overnight shift, ask what the guard records at hand-over and how the firm bills a shift that has to run past its finish time.