A complete bathroom renovation, where the old bathroom is stripped out and the room is waterproofed, retiled and refitted, started at about $13,500 to $35,000 in October 2026. Those are starting prices from Australian renovators' own websites: the lowest price each one advertises for a complete main bathroom. The median (the middle of those prices) was about $21,000.

Smaller jobs can cost less. Some renovators say about $10,000 covers new fittings, tapware and paint if the tiles stay.

One renovator's lighter package, with new tiles and waterproofing, started at $14,000. Its full-gut renovation, which strips out the old bathroom and uses better-quality finishes, was priced from $25,000.

These prices are a guide only. Your quote will depend on your bathroom's size and condition, the fittings you choose and where you live.

What's a realistic budget for a bathroom renovation?

For a complete main bathroom, renovators' own starting prices ran from $13,500 to $34,900 in October 2026, and for an ensuite or small bathroom from $14,800 to $27,000. Jobs with layout changes or premium finishes started at about $29,000 to $50,000.

The ranges overlap because each one comes from different renovators. The medians are of advertised starting prices, not of what people paid. A complete job usually means demolition, waterproofing (the seal under the tiles that keeps water out of the walls and floor), tiling, plumbing, electrical work, and standard fittings supplied and installed.

Inclusions differ between renovators, and some packages don't list them, so compare what each quote covers.

If your quote is for a complete main bathroom with the layout unchanged, it's worth holding it against these starting prices. Most renovators don't say whether their prices include GST, so check that before you compare.

The Housing Industry Association's senior economist, Thomas Devitt, was quoted in 2023 as saying the average spend on a bathroom renovation rose to about $26,000 in 2022. That 2022 figure is the most recent national average we found. HIA's full report isn't public, so we couldn't check how the figure was worked out.

How much does a small bathroom or ensuite cost?

An ensuite or small bathroom started at $14,800 to $27,000 on renovators' own price pages in October 2026, with a median of $15,999. That's less than a main bathroom, but not in proportion to its size.

For example, in one Sydney renovator's labour-only price guide, a 9 square metre bathroom costs only about 17 per cent more than a 2.25 square metre one, at its basic level. Fittings are extra. The cheapest ensuite packages also keep some of what's already there, such as the layout or a built-in vanity.

What does a bathroom renovation cost in each city?

Among the renovators we compared in October 2026, starting prices for a complete main bathroom ran from $13,500 in Adelaide to $34,900 in Melbourne. Of the three cities in the table, Adelaide's were lowest and Melbourne's highest.

Brisbane renovators we found published ranges rather than starting prices, so their figures aren't comparable with the table. They put a complete job at $29,000 to $35,000 (before GST, in one case). In Perth, complete packages started at $25,000, but too few Perth renovators publish a starting price for the table.

We didn't compare prices in Canberra, Hobart or Darwin. If you're renovating there, compare two or three itemised quotes instead.

How much do bathroom renovation trades cost?

Tradies will charge different rates for different services, but can also charge in different ways. For example, some tradies will charge an hourly rate, while others will charge per job, if they’re a tiler, they may charge per square metre. As mentioned earlier, it’s important to understand that how much a tradie will charge will depend on job complexity, location and accessibility as well.

According to Hipages, the average national hourly rCan you renovate a bathroom for $10,000 or $5,000?

Some renovators say $10,000 can pay for a cosmetic refresh that keeps the tiles, but on most published prices it won't pay for a complete renovation. Two early decisions shape the price: whether the tiles come off, and whether the plumbing moves.

Do the tiles come off? Many renovators treat this as the line between a refresh and a complete renovation, because once the tiles are off, the waterproofing behind them usually has to be redone. A refresh that keeps the tiles replaces the vanity, toilet, shower screen and tapware, and adds a coat of paint.

Does any plumbing move? Moving the toilet, shower, bath or vanity adds cost. One Brisbane renovator's price guide puts a complete job at about $3,000 to $6,000 more when the fittings move. Ask for that change to be priced separately.

One Melbourne renovator says it can completely renovate many standard-sized bathrooms for under $10,000. Among the prices we found, that's the exception.

To put $5,000 in context, four entry-level fittings totalled about $811 at Bunnings in October 2026. They were a toilet suite, a 900 mm vanity, a framed shower screen (a front panel only) and a basin mixer. That's before installation and any other materials.

Older homes can add costs once the tiles are off, and renovators list asbestos removal and hidden rot as extras. According to the Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency, a home built or renovated before 1990 might contain asbestos, including in wall sheeting in wet areas.

Before demolition, ask the renovator how they'll identify and safely remove any asbestos, and how testing and removal will be priced. A Brisbane renovator says removal by licensed asbestos professionals commonly costs about $2,000 to $3,000 plus GST, depending on the material and how much there is.

What's the most expensive part of a bathroom renovation?

Labour and building materials are the bigger cost, on one Melbourne renovator's figures. They typically come to at least double what the fittings cost, and sometimes triple. By that measure, it's the scope of the work, not the fittings, that decides most of the price.

How much do bathroom fittings cost?

An entry-level toilet suite started at $189, a 900 mm vanity with its top at $389, and a framed shower screen at $199 at Bunnings and Beaumont Tiles in October 2026. These are selected prices for the product only, and installation is extra. Availability varies, and some higher-end items are special order.

As a guide to quantity, an Adelaide renovator's standard bathroom package includes 16 square metres of tiling.

A renovator's package usually includes an allowance, a set amount for fittings and tiles, rather than you buying them yourself. One Melbourne package allowed $45 per square metre for tiles. Ask what the allowance buys, and what you'll pay if you choose dearer ones.

How much do bathroom tradies charge?

We found few tradespeople who publish their rates. Here's what they listed in October 2026, plus one renovator's waterproofing price:

• Tiling: one Melbourne tiler starts standard wall and floor tiling at $85 per square metre and waterproofing at $65 per square metre.
• Electrical: one Brisbane electrician lists $130 to $170 an hour for kitchen and bathroom renovation work, and $185 an hour as its standard rate. It says its prices include GST.
• Waterproofing: one Sydney renovator puts it at $1,500 to $3,000, depending on the size of the wet area.
• Plumbing: one Sydney plumber charges a fixed price for each job, including GST, rather than an hourly rate.

With so few rates published, it's the total, itemised quote that's worth comparing. Ask what the waterproofing price covers and whether it includes a certificate.

How to check a bathroom renovation quote

If you have only one quote so far, two or three itemised quotes let you compare like with like. Before you sign, check each one for these:

• What's included. Demolition, rubbish removal, waterproofing, tiling, plumbing, electrical and fittings, with each fitting named or given an allowance.
• GST. Whether the price includes it, because most published prices don't say.
• Extras. How moving plumbing, removing asbestos or repairing hidden rot would be priced.
• Waterproofing. Who does it, whether they hold the licence or registration your state requires, and whether you'll get a certificate for the work.
• Licence and insurance. The business's licence, on your state's register, and home warranty insurance (cover if the builder can't finish the job or fix defects), if your state requires it for a job your size. The table below has both.
• A written contract. It's required in NSW for jobs over $5,000, in Queensland over $3,300, in Victoria over $10,000 and in SA over $20,000.

Do you need a licensed tradie for a bathroom renovation?

Plumbing and electrical work needs a licensed tradesperson in every state whose rules we checked. NSW requires a licence for plumbing and electrical wiring whatever the job costs, and Queensland for any plumbing or drainage.

Whether the business running your renovation needs a licence depends on your state:

• NSW: a contractor licence for residential building or trade work over $5,000 in labour and materials, including GST. Waterproofing is its own licensed trade, separate from tiling.
• Queensland: a licence from the QBCC, the state's building regulator, for building work over $3,300, and a separate licence for waterproofing over $3,300. Owners can do building work worth up to $11,000 on their own property without a QBCC licence, but plumbing and drainage still need a licensed tradesperson.
• Victoria: a registered builder for a contract over $10,000. Waterproofers have their own registration class, needed to contract for more than $10,000.
• SA and Tasmania: builders need a licence for most building work, whatever its value.
• WA: a registered builder for work of $20,000 or more that needs a building permit.

The National Construction Code sets the wet-area waterproofing rules that bathroom work must meet. If you plan to manage the work yourself as an owner-builder, different rules apply, so check with your state's regulator first.

In most states, your builder must also take out home warranty insurance once the job passes a set value. It's a safety net: in WA and SA, for example, it pays out if the builder dies, disappears or becomes insolvent before finishing the work or fixing defects.

If you're not sure whether your job needs a permit or approval, ask the renovator, because in some states that decides whether insurance is required.

How long does a bathroom renovation take?

Renovators' own websites put a standard full renovation at about three to five weeks on site, and a small bathroom or ensuite at two to four. Layout changes or structural work stretch that to four to six weeks.

Design and ordering come first. One Perth renovator puts the whole job, from first call to finish, at five to eight weeks.

Some renovators say the bathroom is out of use for two to four weeks of the work. Ask yours how long you'll be without it.

Is a bathroom renovation worth it if you're selling?

It can be, but we found no reliable Australian evidence that a bathroom renovation adds a set amount to a sale price. The often-quoted idea that a renovation should add twice its cost to your home's value is a rule of thumb from a renovation coach who sells courses, not a finding from sales data.

Ray White's chief economist, Nerida Conisbee, said in 2022 that it was "too simplistic" to say a renovation adds a fixed percentage. Ms Conisbee said the effect is hard to separate from the market's own movements.

Before you commit to a quote, it's worth asking two or three local agents what buyers in your area expect from a bathroom, and whether a refresh would do. You can compare local agents on OpenAgent.

If you decide not to renovate, our guide to staging your bathroom for sale covers cleaning, decluttering and small updates, and our guide to what home staging costs has stagers' prices. For the bigger question, see our guide on whether to renovate before selling.

Frequently asked questions

Where these figures come from

• Renovation prices: starting prices published on renovators' own websites in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and published price ranges in Brisbane, checked on 16 October 2026. We counted packages described as complete renovations. The tables leave out packages where you supply the fittings or tiles, and prices given only in articles.
• Fittings: the Bunnings and Beaumont Tiles websites, 16 October 2026, for the product only.
• Trade rates: tradespeople's and renovators' own price pages, 16 October 2026.
• Averages and value: the Housing Industry Association's senior economist, quoted in 2023 on 2022 spending, and Ray White's chief economist, 2022.
• Licences and insurance: the state regulators linked above, checked on 16 October 2026, and Victoria's Building and Plumbing Commission for the July 2026 change.