// AUSTRALIAN TRADIE RATES AND BENCHMARKS 2026
How much do gardeners charge per hour in Australia?
Published Australian guides put gardener rates at $40 to $100 per hour. ServiceSeeking reports a $68.19 gardener average and an $80.12 landscaper average, with day rates around $575 on its platform. Airtasker reports completed gardening tasks from $70; that is an observed price, not a universal minimum charge.
Last updated: 24 September 2026. Sources: 6 published guides and records.
// THE DATA
Hourly rates in detail
ServiceSeeking reports average gardener quotes of $68.19 per hour, starting at $27 (10 Feb 2026). ServiceTasker gives a broad $40 to $100 hourly guide, with basic tasks at $30 to $50 and skilled work at $50 to $80. These are different published samples, not a single measured national distribution. ServiceSeeking reports an $80.12 landscaper hourly average from $40, with 43% of its landscaping quotes hourly and per-square-metre quotes averaging $116.99.
| Rate | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| National range | $40 to $100 per hour | ServiceTasker, 27 Mar 2025; ServiceSeeking range overlaps |
| Gardener average* | $68.19 per hour | ServiceSeeking, 10 Feb 2026 (average from $27 per hour) |
| Landscaper average* | $80.12 per hour, from $40 | ServiceSeeking, 24 Mar 2026 |
| NSW* | $55 to $85 per hour | ServiceTasker, 27 Mar 2025 |
| VIC* | $40 to $75 per hour | ServiceTasker, 27 Mar 2025 |
| QLD* | $50 to $70 per hour | ServiceTasker, 27 Mar 2025 |
| WA* | $40 to $65 per hour | ServiceTasker, 27 Mar 2025 |
| SA* | $43 to $60 per hour | ServiceTasker, 27 Mar 2025 |
| TAS* | $40 to $45 per hour | ServiceTasker, 27 Mar 2025 |
| ACT* | $49 to $55 per hour | ServiceTasker, 27 Mar 2025 |
Rows marked * are single-sourced; treat them as indicative rather than settled benchmarks.
Geographic rows show the gardener hourly range by state (2025 page) (ServiceTasker, 27 Mar 2025).
State bars: ServiceTasker, 27 Mar 2025, single-sourced. Shaded band: the $40 to $100 national range. Dot: ServiceSeeking 2026 average.
Prices are what customers are quoted, including GST where the business is registered.
Airtasker's per-task figures (updated 19 Jun 2026) put general gardening at $130 to $260 per task across the capitals, and lawn mowing at $80 to $150 per visit. They are quoted per task rather than per hour, which is how most small gardening work is actually bought.
| Rate | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney* | $180 to $260 per task | Airtasker, updated 19 Jun 2026 |
| Melbourne* | $170 to $250 per task | Airtasker, updated 19 Jun 2026 |
| Brisbane* | $150 to $220 per task | Airtasker, updated 19 Jun 2026 |
| Perth* | $160 to $240 per task | Airtasker, updated 19 Jun 2026 |
| Adelaide* | $140 to $210 per task | Airtasker, updated 19 Jun 2026 |
| Hobart* | $130 to $200 per task | Airtasker, updated 19 Jun 2026 |
| Lawn mowing* | $80 to $150 per visit | Airtasker, updated 19 Jun 2026 |
Rows marked * are single-sourced and quoted per task, not per hour, which is how most small gardening work is bought.
Quick job cost estimator
$160 to $400 around $273 at the typical rate
Slider estimate uses the sourced $40 to $100 hourly range above. Real quotes depend on access, green waste volume and travel.
// MINIMUM CHARGES
Minimum charges
Ask each gardener about their minimum booking, travel and green-waste charges. The cited guides do not establish a universal minimum. Airtasker lists $70 as the low end of completed gardening-task prices (19 Jun 2026); it does not say this is an enforced platform minimum or a fee every gardener charges.
Planning example: four-hour tidy plus separate mowing visit
- 4 hrs general gardening at $68.19/hr average
- $272.76
- Separate mowing visit, if excluded from those four hours
- $80 to $150
Four hours at $68.19 is $272.76, plus a separate $80 to $150 mowing visit gives $352.76 to $422.76. Do not add mowing twice if included in the tidy. This hypothetical allowance combines two published benchmarks; it is not a quote or an observed job price. Check travel, GST and waste-removal inclusions with the gardener.
// DAY RATES
Day rates
ServiceSeeking reports gardener day quotes averaging $574.90, from $120, and landscaper day quotes averaging $577.39, from $350. Both figures come from the same marketplace in different categories, so their closeness is not independent corroboration. On that platform, 77% of gardener quotes are hourly and 11% daily. Confirm hours, crew size and inclusions before comparing a day quote with either average.
| Rate | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Gardener average* | $574.90 per day, from $120 | ServiceSeeking, 10 Feb 2026 (11% of jobs quoted per day) |
| Landscaper average* | $577.39 per day, from $350 | ServiceSeeking, 24 Mar 2026 |
Rows marked * are single-sourced.
// FOR THE TRADIE SETTING THE RATE
Self-employed gardener hourly rate in Australia
For a self-employed gardener, a market average is a comparison rather than a viable-rate calculation. The trade-qualified employee wage floor of $29.45 becomes about $32.98 with 12% super, before other employment costs. Your own rate also needs to cover equipment, travel, overheads, unbillable time and profit. Use consistent GST treatment when comparing those costs with customer prices.
The award sets what an employer must pay a gardener, not what a sole trader charges, but it is the number your rate has to clear with room for mowers, trailer, fuel, insurance and rained-off days. The pay guide figures are below.
To turn your own wage target, overheads and billable hours into an hourly figure, use the charge out rate calculator, which opens with the gardener preset loaded.
// FAIR WORK MINIMUMS
Gardening and Landscaping Services Award pay guide 2026
| Classification | Weekly | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory level | $978.10 | $25.74 |
| Level 1 | $1,004.90 | $26.44 |
| Level 2 | $1,029.10 | $27.08 |
| Level 3 | $1,074.70 | $28.28 |
| Level 4 (trade qualified) | $1,119.10 | $29.45 |
| Level 5 | $1,154.30 | $30.38 |
Source: Fair Work, Gardening and Landscaping Services Award 2020 (MA000101), clause 15.1. These are base minimums for adult employees; casual, overtime and penalty rates are in the full award and the Fair Work pay guide.
// THE COST FLOOR
Why rates are what they are: the cost floor
An employed gardener's award minimum wage is $29.45 per hour (Fair Work, Gardening and Landscaping Services Award 2020 (MA000101), 2026). The rate a gardener business charges customers is $40 to $100 per hour. The difference pays for the ute, insurance, tools, super, unbillable hours and the business's risk.
The gap pays for the ute, insurance, tools, super, unbillable hours and the business's risk.
For a GST-registered business, a $40 GST-inclusive hourly charge is about $36.36 excluding GST. Subtracting the illustrative $32.98 wage-plus-super floor leaves about $3.38 before other employment costs, equipment, overheads and profit. A business not registered for GST would retain about $7.02 from a $40 charge before those costs. This is a cost comparison, not a recommended rate; leave, non-billable hours and your actual setup change what you need to charge.
The $32.98 employee-cost figure is a derivation, the award hourly rate multiplied by 1.12 for the Superannuation Guarantee, not a published statistic. Award classification: Level 4 (trade-qualified per Schedule A.5.1: horticulture apprenticeship, Cert III, or 3+ yrs equivalent).
// FREE TOOL
Work out your own rate
Whether you call yourself a gardener or a landscaper moves the market band by more than $10 an hour, but the cost side is the same mowers, trailer and fuel. The calculator works out the rate your setup actually requires, whatever the job title says.
Charge-out rate and day rate calculator Opens with the gardener / landscaper preset loadedCharging right but still not booked out? Web Blend builds websites and lead systems for gardeners.
See the Lead System →// COMMON QUESTIONS
Gardener and landscaper rate questions
Straight answers to the questions people actually search, from the same dataset as the tables above.
Get in touchHow much does a gardener charge per hour in Australia?
As of August 2026, gardeners charge $40 to $100 per hour, with a published average of $68.19. Basic tasks run $30 to $50 per hour and skilled work $50 to $80. NSW has the highest state range at $55 to $85.
What should a self-employed gardener charge per hour?
Use your own wage target, employment costs where relevant, equipment, overheads, billable hours and profit goal. Published market rates are a comparison, not proof that a particular price will cover your costs. Compare revenue and costs on the same GST basis. The charge-out rate calculator at /tools/charge-out-rate-calculator/?trade=gardener estimates a rate from the assumptions you enter.
How much do landscapers charge per hour?
Landscapers average $80.12 per hour, from $40, with 43% of landscaping jobs quoted hourly (ServiceSeeking, March 2026). Per-square-metre landscaping averages $116.99, and landscaper day rates average $577.39 from $350 per day.
What is the minimum charge for a gardener?
Minimum bookings vary by business. Airtasker reports completed gardening-task prices starting at $70 in its June 2026 guide, not an enforced $70 minimum. Its city ranges for general gardening run from $130 to $260 per task. Ask what the quote includes and whether travel or waste removal is extra.
How much does lawn mowing cost?
Published marketplace figures put lawn mowing at $80 to $150 per visit (Airtasker, June 2026). The price moves with lawn size, edging and green waste removal, so quotes for the same block can sit anywhere inside that band.
Do gardeners charge a day rate?
Yes, though most work is hourly: 77% of gardening jobs are quoted hourly and 11% per day. The average gardener day rate is $574.90 from $120, closely matching the landscaper average of $577.39.
Do gardeners charge GST on top?
Where the business is registered for GST, quoted prices are generally inclusive, and the figures on this page follow that convention. Smaller part-time gardeners may not be registered, in which case their quotes carry no GST at all.
// METHODOLOGY & SOURCES
Sources and methodology
Ranges on this page combine 6 published Australian datasets and cost guides, cross-checked on 7 August 2026; award wage floors come from official Fair Work pay guides effective 1 July 2026. This page is part of the Australian Tradie Rates and Benchmarks dataset. This dataset is reviewed and republished every July following the Fair Work annual wage review.
- ServiceSeeking, average gardener prices 2026
Page date: Published 10 Feb 2026. Accessed 7 August 2026.
- ServiceTasker, gardener cost guide
Page date: Published 27 Mar 2025. Accessed 7 August 2026.
- ServiceSeeking, landscaper prices 2026
Page date: Published 24 Mar 2026. Accessed 7 August 2026.
- Airtasker, gardener cost guide
Page date: Updated 19 Jun 2026. Accessed 7 August 2026.
- Fair Work pay guide, MA000101 (effective 1 Jul 2026)
Page date: Pay guide dated 24 Jun 2026. Accessed 7 August 2026.
- Fair Work, MA000101 award (Level 4 classification confirmation)
Page date: Current award text. Accessed 7 August 2026.
Editorial correction, 24 September 2026: the four commercial cost guides were checked again. Airtasker's observed task-price low is not a minimum fee, the two ServiceSeeking categories are not independent sources, and the cost example now separates GST from revenue. The published market figures are retained; the worked quote is an explicit hypothetical calculation.
Every figure on this page with its range, unit and source. Free to reuse with attribution and a link.
// KEEP EXPLORING