28 October 2026
How Much Does Website Design Cost in Australia? (2026 Guide)
By Jack Evans
Most Australian small businesses pay between A$3,000 and A$8,000 for a professionally designed website in 2026. Some guides put the bottom of the range closer to A$2,000 and a few quote A$5,000–A$10,000 as the norm, which tells you how much the market disagrees with itself.
I'm Jack. I build websites for small businesses from Singapore, including for clients in Australia, so I compare local quotes with what I charge. The figures below come from Australian pricing guides (listed at the end), most of which are written by agencies. Treat them as ranges, and get a couple of written quotes against the same brief before you decide anything.
Quick reference: website design pricing in Australia
| Type of website | Typical price (AUD) | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Landing page or one-pager | A$800–A$3,000 | 1–3 weeks |
| Freelancer, small business site | A$1,000–A$4,000 | 2–4 weeks |
| Small agency, custom design | A$3,000–A$8,000 | 4–8 weeks |
| Larger custom build | A$6,000–A$15,000 | 6–12 weeks |
| Complex site with integrations | A$15,000–A$40,000 | 3–6 months |
| Ecommerce store | A$10,000–A$60,000+ | 6–16 weeks |
The sources overlap and contradict each other at the edges, and one major guide has changed its own low end between versions. So I'd read these as signposts, not quotes.
What I charge, as an example
I rebuild small-business websites for a fixed A$2,900 in Australia. That covers every page moved across and tidied up, a fast mobile-friendly design with call buttons on each page, local SEO basics, redirects from every old address to its new one, and the domain and email switch handled so nothing breaks. It goes live within 14 days of you signing off the content, and I build a free homepage preview first, so you see it before paying.
The optional care plan (hosting, SSL, daily backups, uptime monitoring and 30 minutes of changes a month) is A$140 a month. First five Australian clients get a founding price of A$2,200.
That puts it below the typical small-agency range and above a basic freelancer build. It isn't right for a large catalogue or a site with a client portal. As a benchmark for a done-for-you small-business site, though, it's a fair reference point. See the full pricing.
What drives the cost
Pages and how much already exists
A 6-page site for a tradie and a 40-page site for a clinic group are different projects. Rebuilding an existing site costs less than starting from scratch, because the content is already written.
Template or custom design
Template-based work keeps the bill down. Custom design means layouts and typography made for your brand, which takes longer and costs more. Most of the price spread between A$3,000 and A$15,000 sits here.
Features
Online payments, bookings, quote forms that feed a CRM, member logins and multiple locations each add real work. A site that explains what you do and makes it easy to ring you costs far less.
Content and photography
Many quotes assume you'll supply the words and the photos. If you need a copywriter or a shoot, that's extra, and it's often the line that blows a budget.
Hourly rates
One 2025 guide lists freelance designers at A$50–A$150 an hour and agencies at A$80–A$200. A 40 to 80 hour project at those rates lands in the ranges above.
Freelancer, agency or independent?
A freelancer suits a small budget and a simple site if you can manage the project yourself. Look at live sites they've built and test them on your phone.
An agency suits a site that's central to the business, where you want strategy, design, development and content under one contract. The overheads in Sydney and Melbourne tend to show up in the price.
Between those is an experienced independent who quotes a fixed price because there's no layer of account managers to pay for. That's how I run Heylo. For an existing site that needs a rebuild, see website redesign. For something new, web design.
Hidden costs Australian businesses miss
GST
Check whether a quote includes GST. Many Australian hosting and design prices are shown ex-GST, and the gap is 10%. If your business is registered for GST you can usually claim it back, so it won't change your net cost. If you're not registered, it's real money. Compare quotes like for like.
Domain and hosting
A .com.au domain costs roughly A$15–A$45 a year depending on the registrar. Shared hosting starts around A$5–A$18 a month plus GST, managed WordPress hosting runs from about A$45 a month, and bigger needs can reach A$100 or more. Cheap introductory pricing often rises at renewal.
Maintenance
Estimates vary hugely. One guide puts ongoing costs at A$75–A$400 a month for a small site, while agency pages quote A$100–A$500 a month for updates, security and backups, and more for larger sites. Whatever you choose, make sure it's written down.
ABN and domain eligibility
A .com.au domain needs an Australian presence, such as an ABN. If a designer registers it in their name, you've lost control. Ask for the domain to be in yours.
Copy, photography and tools
Booking software, email marketing and photography are separate costs. Add them to your total, not just the build.
How to get good value
- Write a clear brief. A page list and your must-have features gets you quotes you can compare.
- Ask for itemised quotes. If one is much cheaper, find what's missing.
- Ask what isn't included. Redirects, SEO setup, content changes and support are the common gaps.
- Own your domain and your site. You should be able to leave without losing either.
- Launch the essentials. A well-built site can grow. A rushed one gets replaced.
For a rough figure based on your project, try the website cost calculator. If you want to be found locally, ask what's included for SEO.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a small business spend on a website in Australia?
Most spend between A$3,000 and A$8,000. You can pay less for a simple freelancer build or a landing page, and more for custom design, many pages or ecommerce.
Is a A$1,000 website any good?
It can be, for a landing page or a very small site from a freelancer with live work you can check. Be careful when a low price skips redirects, mobile testing or ownership of your domain.
Does website design include GST?
Not always. Check whether a quote shows GST-inclusive or GST-exclusive prices. GST-registered businesses can usually claim it back.
How long does a website take in Australia?
A new small business site usually takes three to eight weeks. A rebuild is faster because the content exists. Mine goes live within 14 days of you signing off the content.
Do I need a monthly maintenance plan?
You need maintenance, though not necessarily a plan. Updates, backups and security have to be done by someone. My care plan is A$140 a month, and agency plans commonly run A$100–A$500.
Next steps
If you're comparing countries, the equivalent guides are here: Singapore, the UK and the US.
If your current site looks dated or doesn't work well on a phone, I can show you what yours could look like before you spend anything. Get a free preview of your new homepage, or see the fixed prices first.
Sources
This article was written by Jack Evans at
Heylo
I rebuild websites for small businesses in 14 days for a fixed price, and help larger ones fix their costliest processes with AI. Based in Singapore.
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