Ask three landscapers what your garden will cost and you’ll get three very different answers. That’s not guesswork — landscaping cost in Australia depends on a mix of turf, paving, walls, drainage and design that changes completely from one block to the next. A level new-build yard with fresh turf is a fundamentally different job from a sloping block that needs engineering, retaining and tonnes of soil carted off site.
Short answer: a cosmetic garden refresh costs roughly $2,000 to $6,000, while a full backyard landscape typically runs $5,000 to $30,000, with most professionally built mid-range gardens landing between $15,000 and $40,000. Premium projects with pools, outdoor kitchens and custom stonework climb past $60,000. Per square metre, a level backyard done properly without a pool costs about $150 to $300, depending on the mix of lawn, paving, planting and walls.
2026 landscaping cost snapshot
Match your project to a band below for a fast budget check. These indicative ranges come from current Australian price guides — your quotes will sit somewhere inside them depending on materials and site conditions.
| Project type | Indicative cost (AUD) |
|---|---|
| Cosmetic garden refresh (mulch, edging, new plants) | $2,000 – $6,000 |
| New-build or basic full backyard | $5,000 – $15,000 |
| Mid-range full garden (lawn, beds, paving, lighting) | $15,000 – $40,000 |
| Full backyard makeover, high-end finish | $30,000 – $80,000 |
| Premium project (pool surrounds, outdoor kitchen, custom stone) | $60,000 – $150,000+ |
A common rule of thumb from real-estate guides: budget 5 to 10 per cent of your property’s value. On a $700,000 home that’s $35,000 to $70,000 — but that covers driveways, patios, decking, walls and planting together, not just the garden beds.
What does landscaping cost per square metre?
Per-square-metre rates are the language of quotes, but they can mislead: a square metre of lawn costs very little, a square metre of stone paving over a retaining wall costs a great deal. What matters is the mix. Landscapers charge roughly $50 to $100 per hour, or $55 to $70 for qualified operators — labour alone can be the biggest line item on a large job.
| Element (supply + install) | Typical per-m² range |
|---|---|
| Natural turf, laid on prepared ground | $18 – $55 |
| Natural turf, with full soil preparation | $35 – $65 |
| Artificial turf, installed | $50 – $110 |
| Concrete or brick paving | $60 – $170 |
| Limestone or exposed aggregate | $100 – $170 |
| Travertine and natural stone paving | $140 – $220 |
| Premium stone (bluestone, porcelain) | $200 – $350 |
| Treated pine decking | $190 – $370 |
| Hardwood decking (merbau, spotted gum) | $280 – $630 |
| Composite decking | $295 – $600 |
| Garden beds (soil, plants, mulch) | $50 – $190 |
What drives the price up (or down)
Access. If machinery can’t get in and everything is wheelbarrowed through a side gate, labour time blows out. Tight inner-city blocks and battleaxe lots almost always cost more.
Soil and excavation. Sandy soil is cheap to work with; reactive clay, rock or contaminated fill is not. Excavation and soil removal can run from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands on difficult sites — the most commonly underestimated line item.
Slope and retaining. Sloping blocks need retaining walls to create usable zones, and walls are among the priciest elements per square metre — a surprise for many buyers.
Drainage. A yard that floods every winter needs spoon drains, agi pipes or pit systems before anything pretty goes in. Done right, drainage is invisible; skipped, it’s very visible in the worst way.
Demolition and removal. Ripping out old concrete, stumps and decades of neglect costs real money before new work starts — check quotes include tipping fees for waste and rubble.
Turf: supply and installation costs
Fresh turf is one of the best-value transformations per dollar. Supply-only prices for popular varieties sit around:
| Turf variety | Supply only, per m² |
|---|---|
| Eureka Kikuyu | $7 – $10 |
| Tropical Carpet Grass | $8 – $11 |
| Nullarbor Couch | $9 – $12 |
| Zoysia | $10 – $15 |
| Sir Walter Buffalo | $12 – $16 |
| Sir Grange Zoysia | $22 – $30 |
Installation adds $6 to $12 per square metre — preparation, levelling, topsoil, laying, rolling and the first water-in. All up, expect roughly $18 to $55 per square metre laid — a standard 200 m² lawn lands between $2,500 and $6,000 supplied and laid, plus delivery. Artificial turf runs $50 to $110 per square metre installed ($80 to $120 typical in Sydney): no mowing or watering, but it runs hot in sun and a cheap install on a poor base looks uneven forever.
Paving and decking: hard surface costs
Paving. Plain concrete pavers start around $50 to $70 per square metre installed, brick around $70 to $90. Most landscapers price standard concrete or brick pavers in the $70 to $170 range depending on base work. Limestone and exposed aggregate sit between $100 and $170, travertine and natural stone between $140 and $220, and premium bluestone or porcelain between $200 and $350. A 40 m² entertaining patio therefore runs from about $3,200 in concrete pavers to over $8,000 in natural stone.
Decking. Treated pine is the budget workhorse at roughly $190 to $370 per square metre installed. Hardwoods such as merbau and spotted gum run $280 to $630 — merbau boards alone cost $100 to $160 per square metre before subframe, footings and labour. Composite sits in the $295 to $600 range: more upfront than mid-range timber, but it needs only an occasional wash instead of annual oiling. If the entertaining zone is growing into a full alfresco setup, sketch the layout alongside our outdoor kitchen ideas so gas, water and power are roughed in before the pavers go down, not after.
Retaining walls: the budget breaker
Walls vary more than any other element because cost hinges on height, engineering and material. Timber sleepers run roughly $210 to $470 per linear metre, concrete sleepers $260 to $630, and masonry or brick $700 to $1,500. Quoted per square metre of wall face, expect $140 to $750.
The critical threshold is height: walls over about one metre typically need engineering certification and council approval in most states, adding thousands in fees regardless of material. On steep blocks, retaining can become the single biggest line item — get the engineering sorted during the design phase, because a wall treated as an afterthought is always dearer.
Soft landscaping vs hard landscaping
Soft landscaping is the living stuff — turf, beds, soil, plants, mulch and irrigation. Hard landscaping is the built stuff — paving, decking, walls, drainage, lighting and structures. Soft landscaping is cheaper: planted beds typically run $50 to $190 per square metre (around $110 mid-range), and a modest planting package for a standard yard often lands between $6,000 and $10,000. A single 40 m² stone patio can cost more than all the planting combined.
One real example: a 200 m² Perth backyard with mid-range finishes costed at about $37,000 — design $2,500; soil prep, lawn and beds $5,600; irrigation $6,500; buffalo lawn $2,400; limestone paving $5,200; plants and mulch $6,600; concrete sleeper wall $4,500; lighting $4,000. Travertine instead of limestone, plus a fire pit and water feature, pushes the same yard to about $52,000; stripping it back to kikuyu, plain pavers and no extras drops it to roughly $15,000.
The lesson: decide your split early. If the budget is tight, spend on the bones — levels, drainage, soil and irrigation — and plant cheaply. Plants grow; a badly graded yard does not fix itself.
Council approvals: what needs a tick-off
Rules vary by council — there is no national standard. Walls over about one metre usually need engineering and approval; major earthworks, drainage changes affecting neighbours, and structures like raised decks, pergolas and tall fences can all trigger permits. A planning permit alone can average around $1,000 including the designer’s time.
Check your council’s planning portal before committing to a design, and use a licensed structural landscaper for anything structural. Industry bodies such as Landscape NSW & ACT (LNA) maintain member directories that make it easier to find reputable, insured operators. Never assume a wall, deck or drainage change is exempt — retrospective approvals cost far more than getting it right first.
Getting quotes you can actually compare
Get at least three itemised quotes for the same scope — quotes vary most because one includes soil prep, drainage and tipping fees while another leaves them out. Ask each landscaper to confirm in writing that materials and labour are included, what’s covered in preparation, and how variations are charged.
A proper design is worth paying for on anything over about $20,000. A concept plan starts around $850; a full design with 3D renderings typically costs $2,750 to $6,000, and a master plan with construction drawings can run $4,000 to $10,000. That plan turns a wish list into a fixed price and build sequence — and lets you compare quotes like for like. Also check the boring stuff: licence or registration where your state requires it, public liability insurance, and a couple of recent local references you can drive past.
Hidden costs people forget
Budgets blow out on the same forgotten items. Keep a 10 to 15 per cent contingency and allow for: soil reports (around $1,000); engineer certification for walls (from $3,000); bulk-material delivery fees; tipping fees for soil and rubble; irrigation running costs; annual mulch top-ups; and aftercare — new turf and plants need serious watering through their first summer, and the water bill is real.
One more quiet cost: your time. A garden designed for a lifestyle you don’t have — high-maintenance hedges for a household that travels, a lawn nobody mows — becomes a chore bill or a replanting bill within two years. Design for the maintenance you’re actually willing to do.
Frequently asked questions
How much does landscaping cost in Australia?
A cosmetic garden refresh costs roughly $2,000 to $6,000. A full backyard landscape typically runs $5,000 to $30,000, with most mid-range gardens landing between $15,000 and $40,000. Premium projects with pools, outdoor kitchens and custom stonework climb past $60,000. A common rule of thumb is 5 to 10 per cent of the property’s value for the complete landscape.
What does landscaping cost per square metre?
A level backyard done properly costs about $150 to $300 per square metre without a pool, depending on the mix of finishes. By element, turf costs $18 to $55 per square metre laid, standard paving $60 to $170, natural stone paving $140 to $350, treated pine decking $190 to $370, composite decking $295 to $600, and planted garden beds $50 to $190.
How much does new turf cost installed?
Sir Walter Buffalo costs $12 to $16 per square metre supply only, with installation adding $6 to $12 — roughly $18 to $28 per square metre all up, or $25 to $40 as a typical installed figure. A standard 200 m² lawn costs about $2,500 to $6,000 supplied and laid. Budget kikuyu ($7 to $10 supply) brings it down; premium Sir Grange zoysia ($22 to $30 supply) pushes it up.
Do I need council approval for a retaining wall?
It depends on your council, but walls over about one metre high generally need engineering certification and approval in most states. Major earthworks, drainage changes and structures like raised decks can also trigger permits — check your council’s planning portal before committing to a design.
Does landscaping add value to a home?
Yes — agents and experts report good landscaping can add at least 6 to 7 per cent to a home’s value, mainly through street appeal and usable outdoor space. The return is strongest on front gardens and entertaining zones, which is why a tidy frontage that boosts your kerb appeal is often the smartest first spend before selling.
How can I keep landscaping costs down?
Spend on the bones first — levels, drainage, soil and irrigation — and plant cheaply, since plants grow and bad grading doesn’t fix itself. Get three itemised quotes for the same scope, confirm inclusions in writing, and keep a 10 to 15 per cent contingency. DIY demolition, mulching and planting saves thousands; leave walls, drainage and electrical work to licensed professionals.
Figures & sources
All prices are in Australian dollars, collected from published Australian price guides in October 2026. Project bands, hourly rates ($50–$100) and turf prices (Kikuyu $7–$10 through Sir Grange $22–$30 supply, $6–$12/m² install) are from Yellow Pages’ 2026 landscaping and turf guides. Labour rates ($55–$70/hr) and paving/decking figures are from hipages’ 2026 guides. Perth per-element pricing, the $37,000 worked example, the $150–$300/m² whole-yard benchmark and design fees ($840–$5,250) are from LWA Landscapes’ September 2026 guide. Sydney benchmarks are from Landscaping Outlook’s 2026 guide. Further design fees and the 5–10% property-value rule plus 6–7% value uplift come from OpenAgent; installed decking comparisons from Brite Decking’s 2026 guide; artificial turf figures from a January 2026 Sydney installer guide. Treat every figure as indicative and confirm with itemised local quotes.