Cost · Waterproofing & tiling
Bathroom renovation cost in Australia
The short answer
No reliable public price range exists. Bathroom cost is driven by whether plumbing moves, what is found behind the walls, and the standard of fixtures. Three variables that swamp everything else.
Checked against 4 published sources, listed in full at the end of this page. How we source this
Why we don’t publish a “typical range”
Australia has no authoritative public price index for this work. Prices vary by state, by site access, by what is found once work starts, and by how busy the trade is that month. Any 'typical range' you see quoted, including on this site's earlier drafts, is someone's guess presented as research, so we publish what actually drives the number instead.
What actually moves the price
Use these to read the quote in front of you and to ask the questions that make competing quotes comparable.
- Whether fixtures stay where they are. Moving a toilet, shower or basin means moving drainage, which is the most expensive single change you can make.
- What is found once the room is stripped, rot, termite damage, old waterproofing failure, or non-compliant existing work.
- Waterproofing, which is mandatory in wet areas and is not a line to remove from a quote.
- Fixture and tile selection, which can vary by a large multiple for a visually similar result.
- Whether the room is on a slab or a suspended timber floor.
- Structural changes such as removing or moving a wall.
- Whether a building permit is required, which depends on the extent of the work and your council.
Bathrooms produce the widest quote spread of any common renovation, and most of it is genuine rather than opportunistic. The reason is that a large part of the job is unknown until the room is stripped, so quotes differ in how much contingency they have absorbed and how honestly they have described it.
Waterproofing is worth singling out. It is a mandatory requirement under the National Construction Code for wet areas, it is one of the most commonly identified defects in Australian residential construction, and in several states it is a licensed activity separate from tiling. Ask who is doing it and what they hold.
Sources
Every source below was fetched and its response recorded on the date shown. Where a government site blocks automated clients, that is noted rather than reported as a successful check.
- National Construction Code · Australian Building Codes BoardChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
- Standards Australia · Standards AustraliaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
- Building and renovating · Consumer Affairs VictoriaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
- Australian Building Codes Board · Australian Building Codes BoardChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK