Australian pressure cleaning is quoted as one price per square metre for every surface, so the split between surfaces on this page comes from the American whole-job figures carried across on the ratio between the two markets’ driveway rates. The anchor is Australian and read; the shape between surfaces is not. That is stated here rather than left for you to discover.
How the calculator works
- Surface sets the band. Driveway, house wash, deck or patio, and fence each carry their own band. Picking one fills in the area that surface typically covers, so a house wash is not quoted at a patio’s size.
- Area scales it, and the minimum catches small jobs. The A$150 minimum binds anything under about 30 square metres, which is where three separate price ladders start.
- Soft wash and soil move the quote. A soft wash adds about 22%. Heavy soil moves the quote up the range rather than adding an invented cost.
- Your state. Rates are adjusted by a state labour-cost index. New South Wales carries the highest, about 11% above the national average.
- Your economics. “Your costs and margin” turns area into hours, adds chemicals, machine wear and travel, and shows what the market price leaves you after GST is netted out.
Typical Australian pressure cleaning rates in 2026
| Surface | Per square metre | Whole job |
|---|---|---|
| Driveway | A$2.40–A$5.60 | A$200 |
| House wash | A$0.66–A$1.66 | A$350 exterior |
| Deck or patio | A$1.98–A$4.95 | A$150 |
| Fence | A$3.20–A$5.33 | not published |
By area step, the market prices A$150 for 1–30 m², A$180 for 31–40, A$200 for 41–50 and A$325 for 51–100. Crews bill A$40–A$100 an hour, A$60 typical. Minimum charge A$150. All figures include GST.
Where the Australian numbers are thin, said plainly
One marketplace carries most of the weight. The A$3–A$5 average, the area ladder and the by-surface prices all come from one source, updated May 2025. Two operator sites confirm the A$150 floor and the A$3.50–A$8 upper range.
Only the driveway anchor is Australian. House wash, deck and fence are the American shape on that anchor, or this market’s own hourly band over the production rate. No Australian source prices those surfaces apart.
A commercial rate exists and is not used. One operator prints A$10.50–A$15 per square metre for commercial work and, on the same page, city figures that work out at A$2.00–A$5.25. A source that disagrees with itself by two to seven times is not one coherent whole.
What moves the price
- Cladding and render. Painted surfaces and render want low pressure. That is a soft wash, and it costs more in chemical and dwell time.
- Two-storey walls. Ladders or a longer wand. Quote the top of the house wash band.
- Oil stains and graffiti. Sold as their own lines: an oil stain A$50–A$100, graffiti A$100 and up.
- Sealing after washing. A separate service at A$5–A$8 per square metre, not a markup on the wash.
Worked example
A 186 m² house wash with heavy algae on one wall. The quote lands at A$235 including GST (range A$180–A$290), and about A$21 of it is GST, so A$214 stays with you. At the Cleaning Services Award floor of A$27.08 an hour, the job costs about A$139: 3.1 hours of labour, the machine, chemical, the drive and 15% overhead. That leaves A$75 a visit, a 35% margin on the price without GST. The “Fill with sample data” button loads this job; set your own hourly cost after it.
What this calculator does not price
Gutters are sold per linear metre, not per area. Roofs have a published price of A$150–A$350 but no published hours anywhere, and a calculator that turns area into hours cannot honestly price a surface whose hours nobody publishes. Over a typical roof that price also implies well under the award floor per hour, which is a second reason not to take it. Quote those from your own records.
The calculator gives you the number. For typical rates and how to build a quote, read our US pressure washing pricing guide. Its rates are in US dollars.