What the work really costs, and what to charge over it
For each trade's most-quoted jobs: the benchmark cost of actually doing the work, and the sell rates that land a floor, healthy or premium margin. All ex GST, derived from Sumitt's 2026 regional rate cards. Type your own rate into the checker to see where you sit.
How to read it. Cost is the benchmark cost of doing the reference job in an average Australian region, per unit, before any margin. Floor adds a 15% margin (the house minimum), Healthy adds 30%, Premium adds 40%. The spread column shows how the healthy rate moves across regional cost factors. These are cost-derived guides for your own pricing, not a survey of what anyone else charges, and not advice.
Concrete & paving
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plain slab / pathper m² · benchmark scope: 40 m2 plain concrete | $111 | $130 | $158 | $184 | $151 to $180Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
| Exposed aggregate drivewayper m² · benchmark scope: 60 m2 exposed agg driveway 100mm | $134 | $157 | $191 | $223 | $182 to $216Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
| Shed slabper m² · benchmark scope: 50 sqm shed slab | $123 | $145 | $176 | $206 | $168 to $200Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
Fencing
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timber paling fenceper lm · benchmark scope: 40m paling fence | $94 | $110 | $134 | $157 | $128 to $153Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
| Colorbond fenceper lm · benchmark scope: 30m colorbond fence | $105 | $124 | $151 | $176 | $144 to $173Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
Retaining walls
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete sleeper wall (per m² of face)per m² · benchmark scope: 15m concrete sleeper wall 1m high | $445 | $524 | $636 | $742 | $606 to $723Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
Tiling
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bathroom retileper m² · benchmark scope: 12 m2 bathroom porcelain retile | $282 | $331 | $402 | $470 | $386 to $457Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
| Porcelain floorper m² · benchmark scope: 25 m2 porcelain floor | $152 | $178 | $216 | $253 | $208 to $245Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
Painting
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interior repaintper m² · benchmark scope: 100 m2 repaint | $28 | $33 | $40 | $46 | $37 to $44Adelaide / SA metro → Sydney / NSW metro | Check your rate |
Flooring
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid plank supply & layper m² · benchmark scope: 45 m2 hybrid | $94 | $111 | $134 | $157 | $127 to $153Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
| Sand & polish existing timberper m² · benchmark scope: sand and polish 80 m2 of existing solid timber floors | $48 | $57 | $69 | $80 | $64 to $78Adelaide / SA metro → Sydney / NSW metro | Check your rate |
Plastering
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hang & set plasterboardper m² · benchmark scope: 80 m2 of plasterboard | $54 | $63 | $77 | $89 | $73 to $86Adelaide / SA metro → Sydney / NSW metro | Check your rate |
Landscaping
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turf supply & layper m² · benchmark scope: 50 m2 buffalo turf | $42 | $50 | $60 | $70 | $57 to $68Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
Earthmoving & excavation
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cut & cart away (300mm)per m² · benchmark scope: cut 100 m2 by 300mm and cart away | $40 | $47 | $57 | $66 | $54 to $65Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
Electrical
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 downlights + 2 double GPOsper the job · benchmark scope: add 6 downlights and 2 double gpos | $1,219 | $1,434 | $1,741 | $2,032 | $1,647 to $1,966Adelaide / SA metro → Sydney / NSW metro | Check your rate |
| Switchboard upgradeper the job · benchmark scope: switchboard upgrade with 6 safety switches | $1,832 | $2,155 | $2,617 | $3,053 | $2,514 to $3,007Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
Plumbing
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bathroom reno (toilet, vanity, shower)per the job · benchmark scope: bathroom reno with new toilet, vanity and shower | $3,520 | $4,141 | $5,029 | $5,867 | $4,774 to $5,641Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
| Hot water swap (like for like)per the job · benchmark scope: replace electric hot water like for like | $1,725 | $2,029 | $2,464 | $2,875 | $2,363 to $2,827Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
Carpentry
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merbau deckper m² · benchmark scope: 25 m2 merbau deck | $264 | $311 | $378 | $441 | $360 to $427Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
| Treated-pine deckper m² · benchmark scope: 25 m2 treated pine deck | $214 | $251 | $305 | $356 | $291 to $346Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
Roofing
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal re-roof (Colorbond)per m² · benchmark scope: 180 m2 colorbond reroof | $88 | $104 | $126 | $147 | $120 to $144Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
| Tile roof restorationper m² · benchmark scope: 160 m2 tile roof restoration | $49 | $57 | $69 | $81 | $66 to $80Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
Bricklaying & blocklaying
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Face brick veneer wallper m² · benchmark scope: 45 m2 face brick veneer wall | $142 | $168 | $203 | $237 | $193 to $229Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
| Core-filled blockworkper m² · benchmark scope: 30 m2 besser blockwork core filled | $225 | $265 | $321 | $375 | $308 to $369Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
Rendering
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acrylic render systemper m² · benchmark scope: 100 m2 acrylic render | $73 | $86 | $104 | $122 | $98 to $119Adelaide / SA metro → Sydney / NSW metro | Check your rate |
| Cement render, 2-coatper m² · benchmark scope: 100 m2 cement render | $48 | $56 | $69 | $80 | $64 to $77Adelaide / SA metro → Sydney / NSW metro | Check your rate |
Formwork
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspended slab, class 3per m² · benchmark scope: 150 m2 suspended slab 150 thick class 3 soffit | $86 | $101 | $123 | $143 | $116 to $140Adelaide / SA metro → Sydney / NSW metro | Check your rate |
| Slab edge boardsper lm · benchmark scope: 60 lm edge boards 150 high | $25 | $29 | $36 | $42 | $34 to $40Adelaide / SA metro → Sydney / NSW metro | Check your rate |
Method.Every figure is derived, not surveyed: Sumitt’s 2026 regional rate cards (the original eleven trades recalibrated July 2026 against named-supplier pricing; carpentry, roofing, bricklaying and rendering calibrated on their addition in August 2026) are priced over the reference scope shown under each job by the same deterministic takeoff engine the app quotes with, then grossed up to each margin level. All figures ex GST. Regional spread uses the same rate cards’ material and labour factors. No AI, no user data, and nothing here reflects what any Sumitt user charges.
Edition No. 1 (Q3 2026), published 26 August 2026. The next edition ships when the rate cards move. Rates are guidance for your own pricing, not gospel and not advice; your costs are the ones that matter, and every derived number stays editable inside Sumitt.