How much does a website cost in Australia? Melbourne build prices, running costs and the items quotes leave out

Website cost depends on the work and the ongoing services you buy. Our prices run from $800 for a landing page to $20,000 or more for a store. They exclude GST and aren't Australian market averages. Add the extras and running costs before you compare quotes.

What different build budgets buy

A build budget buys a defined scope, so compare what each price includes first. Here are the prices on our web design page, checked in October 2026:

Big stores can pass $20,000. These indicative offers aren't a quality ranking or a fixed quote.

Without a reliable national price survey, we don't print market averages. A Starter site isn't automatically too cheap to win enquiries. It includes custom mobile first design, SEO foundations and a content management system (CMS) your team can edit.

The web address says Melbourne because this guide started with Melbourne prices. The advice applies anywhere in Australia. Decide what the site must do before you price it. Our small business website guide covers that planning.

A package is a bounded scope, so check what it leaves out:

• exclusions and revision limits

• migration assumptions and licences

• the tax basis and support window

• recurring fees after launch

Keep optional work and any reserve outside the commitment. A reserve isn't spent until something needs it.

What the build price pays for

Every build has six parts. A lower quote might leave one out, or expect you or another provider to supply it. Ask who's responsible before you call a quote incomplete.

Acceptance evidence means proof that each agreed test passed. Here's how one example $10,000 build could split across the six parts. It isn't our price breakdown or a typical agency margin:

Development is the biggest share here, at 30%. Content takes 18% and strategy 10%. Treat the shares as a teaching example rather than minimums for any phase.

Pin down three terms that quotes often leave vague:

• SEO foundations: named technical and on page work like titles, redirects and a sitemap, never a ranking.

• Tracking: a tested enquiry or sale recorded once, rather than a tag that merely loads.

• Testing: named devices, browsers, templates and journeys, because no one tests every device.

A privacy notice and an accessibility target each need a clear scope too.

Budget by business requirements

Requirements change the scope more than the industry label does. A sole trader may fit a Starter scope. A trade business with several crews and a job system may need more.

Then check who handles each requirement:

Trade sites must show how enquiries arrive. Ask whether job management setup is included. Our page on web design for trades points to the estimator for price, because scope varies so much.

Professional services need someone to verify credentials and review regulated claims. A client portal is a separate requirement. See our page on web design for professional services.

Store builds depend heavily on product data and test orders. They have their own page: ecommerce web design.

What a landing page costs

Our landing pages are priced from $800 to $2,000 excluding GST, and ongoing testing is a separate cost. Our web design page quotes about a week to build one, depending on how ready you are. It's one page for one defined offer.

Confirm what the price includes:

• writing and images

• form delivery and consent handling

• conversion tracking

• domain setup and hosting

An existing site or platform can often host the page. Otherwise, budget a new subscription. Complex booking or a catalogue needs a different scope. Ad spend and ongoing optimisation sit in separate budgets from the build. A page built in a week doesn't promise leads next month.

DIY, freelancer or agency

All three can work. The right fit depends on skill, time and who carries each responsibility.

A good freelancer can bring strategy and careful testing. An agency can still slip on continuity or scope. A builder can support good content, tracking and SEO when it's set up properly.

Keep software subscriptions separate from build services. A builder subscription is a running cost. A designer's build is a one off service. So one annual DIY price can't be compared directly with a one off build. The three year example below puts both on the same footing.

Our estimator turns a project type into a planning range:

It combines a project type, a build level and any add ons. The figures are our internal planning assumptions. Its semi custom starting points, excluding GST, are:

• business site: $2,400

• online store: $8,000

• web application: $15,000

• landing page: $800

A template build multiplies the base by 0.7, and fully custom by 1.5. So a template business site starts at $1,680 excluding GST. That figure is a model output and doesn't lower our Starter package price. Pick each add on once, and skip any the project type already includes.

The model assumes about ten pages, your text and photos supplied, and two revision rounds. Complex migrations or integrations still need a scoped quote.

Enter running costs as supplier totals including GST, because the tool adds no more GST. Build figures show GST on a separate line. Your results stay on your device. An enquiry doesn't automatically attach them.

What makes the scope cost more

Unique templates drive cost more than page count. A ten page site with three layouts can cost less than a five page site with five. These factors move the price most:

• unique templates and the design approach

• functions, integrations and data

• content readiness and approvals

• performance targets and measurement

• languages and user roles, where they really apply

Reusing an approved component doesn't make a site cheap or weak.

Specify features before they're priced

A feature label isn't a scope, so spell out what each one must do:

• Bookings: the services, staff and availability on offer, plus deposits, reminders and where bookings land.

• Portals: sign in, permissions, documents, account recovery and support.

• Integrations: the source of truth (whose records win), sync direction, errors and who fixes failures.

Price the setup of an existing tool apart from custom development. The tool's own monthly fee is another line. A simple embed and a two way stock sync are very different jobs.

Control changes before work starts

Agree every change before anyone starts on it. A defect is work that fails the agreed specification, so fixing it isn't a change. A new preference or feature is.

Then you'll know whether a change replaces existing scope or adds to it. Define what each included revision round covers before work starts.

Plan the content

Content needs a named writer, a reviewer and a due date. Image permissions need checking before launch too. A common mistake is assuming the designer writes the copy.

Seven pages at, say, $150 to $300 a page comes to $1,050 to $2,100. That's arithmetic on a stated rate, with no market data behind it. Our guide to writing website copy helps if you're doing it yourself.

Set each performance target against a named page template, test conditions and a review date. Be wary of a blanket two second load guarantee. A PageSpeed score doesn't prove extra revenue either.

What quotes leave out

Budget surprises come from items nobody priced, or items priced twice. Keep one register for every cost. Give each line one of four types:

• Included: in a quote you've accepted

• Extra: required, but priced separately

• Usage based: changes with volume, like card fees

• Contingency: a reserve for genuine unknowns

Record the supplier, who pays and the renewal date for each line. Note the tax basis and whether another service already bundles it. These groups catch the usual gaps:

Don't add a blanket 20% to 30% buffer on top of costs you've already itemised. Set a reserve for genuine unknowns instead. A common mistake is paying for backups twice, once with the host and again in a care plan.

On a hosted platform, check what the plan already covers. Don't pay separately for anything it includes, such as certificates. Content checks and app upkeep still need an owner. A free TLS certificate (the one that encrypts the connection) can still involve paid setup.

Account security needs an owner too. The ACSC's small business guide covers updates, multi factor authentication and regular backups. Our guide to web hosting for small businesses covers renewal prices and service scope.

Keep running costs apart from advertising and ongoing SEO. A site build doesn't buy you an audience on its own.

Check email and payment costs

Google's plan comparison lists these Workspace prices in AUD, checked in October 2026. Check your own invoice to see how GST applies.

Annual means a commitment of one year or more, billed monthly or yearly. Cancel early and you still pay the full commitment. So monthly billing doesn't mean there's no term.

Budget for paid users, not every address. Google allows up to 30 aliases per user at no extra cost. An alias isn't a separate account. Set up shared access properly instead of sharing passwords.

Platform prices may not be in AUD. When we checked in October 2026, Webflow's pricing was in USD, plus applicable taxes at checkout. If you convert it, note the exchange rate and the date. Card currency conversion fees may apply too.

For a store, list the actual card fees from your payment provider. Many quote a percentage plus a fixed amount per transaction. Check whether those fees include GST before you add another 10%.

International cards and currency conversion can cost more. Some providers also charge a fee for each dispute. Budget for refunds too. Don't assume one provider's rate applies to another gateway.

Card fees stay a cost to your business. Since 1 October 2026, businesses can't surcharge Visa, Mastercard, American Express or eftpos cards. The ACCC's card surcharge page has the detail. Our ecommerce launch checklist covers payment and pricing checks.

A complete first year and three year budget

Here's a complete example budget for a service website. All figures are AUD excluding GST. It isn't our quote or a market benchmark.

The $8,000 build covers everything from strategy to handover, including basic tracking. Copy, photos and the migration are scoped separately. Email assumes two Business Starter users on the Flexible plan.

The running costs cover a full year:

Year one comes to $13,198.20, with the running costs counted once as one subtotal.

For a simple cash view, assume every supply carries 10% GST. That adds $1,319.82, making the year one payment $14,518.02. Real tax treatment varies by supplier. Any GST credit depends on your own registration and timing.

The budget leaves out marketing, your own time and any incident. A reserve, say $1,000, is cash set aside until something uses it. Keep it out of the ledger. Note whether it includes GST.

Extend it to three years

This baseline holds prices constant and isn't a supplier guarantee. It assumes no rebuild, no new users and no new functions.

A 10% rise in every running cost from year two adds $259.82 a year. That lifts the three year total by $519.64. Treat it as an assumption to test. If only some suppliers rise, apply the increase to those lines alone.

Then test what else could move:

• renewal prices after an introductory rate

• extra paid email users

• higher transaction volumes

• new pages or content

Show an annual licence when it's actually paid, instead of twelve imaginary payments. Note any commitment that runs past the three years. Our guide to website maintenance costs covers what care plans include.

Marketing needs its own budget, separate from running costs. The marketing budget allocator helps you plan that spend.

Compare DIY and designer costs over three years

This is a separate example: a basic brochure site built on one hosted builder. Both routes use the same features and software. The designer route pays $4,000 for setup, a teaching figure that's separate from our packages. The DIY route spends $300 on assets or help.

Both pay the same running costs each year, excluding GST:

• builder plan: $600

• domain: $35

• one app: $120

• two email users: $283.20

That's $1,038.20 a year, with no paid care plan on either route.

Over three years, DIY costs $3,414.60 in cash against $7,114.60 for the designer route. The designer route needs $3,700 more cash, before owner time changes the picture:

The hours are teaching assumptions. Use your own. DIY takes 60 hours to set up, plus 24 in each year. The designer route needs far less: 12 hours to set up, plus 12 a year.

An hourly rate isn't automatically lost profit, because spare time may not displace paid work. Neither route proves better results, so judge capability and acceptance evidence separately. Our guide comparing WordPress, Webflow, Shopify and custom builds covers platform choice.

How to compare website quotes

Compare quotes on the same scope, or the totals mean nothing. This checklist keeps them level:

Here's an example in AUD excluding GST. Quote A is $6,000 but leaves out four deliverables. Quote B is $9,600 and includes them:

B costs $200 less for this defined scope. That says nothing about quality or running costs, so compare those separately.

Ask each provider to confirm missing items. Don't fill the gaps with your own guesses. A common mistake is treating an unanswered line as free. Price optional work as a separate scenario. Load the same extras onto every quote, or none.

Send every provider the same request:

Two or three suitable quotes is usually enough, though no law sets a minimum. A very low quote isn't automatically a bad one. Our $500 website guide shows how to judge one by its scope. Our guide to choosing a web designer covers vetting beyond price.

Quotes and price lists must be truthful. The ACCC's price display rules say prices shown only to other businesses needn't include GST. So make the audience and tax basis clear on every quote.

Drip pricing means revealing unavoidable charges bit by bit. A separately quoted option isn't automatically that. Our guide to dark patterns and consumer law separates current and future rules.

Plan payments, renewals and exit

Total cost and cash timing are different questions. A low monthly figure doesn't show what's due before launch.

Minimum terms matter too. Here are two example plans, excluding GST. A $5,000 build plus $500 a month for 24 months commits you to $17,000. A $299 monthly plan over 24 months totals $7,176. Both exclude anything the contract leaves out.

Don't add a financed build cost again if the monthly fee already pays for it. Here's an example 40, 40 and 20 schedule on an $8,000 build, excluding GST:

It's a teaching schedule, so check the actual terms in each contract. Tie every payment to agreed evidence.

Check rights before you pay

Paying in full doesn't transfer every right by itself. Intellectual property (IP) a contractor creates belongs to the contractor unless the contract says otherwise. IP Australia confirms it, so get a written agreement that says when rights transfer. Then list each piece separately:

• rights in the custom design and code

• open source and third party licences

• the domain registration

• platform and hosting access

• editable design files

Register the domain in your business's own details. The domain regulator, auDA, warns that a developer using their own details can cause eligibility issues. A com.au domain is a licence you renew.

Plan the exit

Ask what happens if you cancel:

• whether the site stays live

• what you can export

• which licences you must replace

• whether help is billed

• what notice or minimum charges apply

Hosted software can mean rebuilding some functions when you leave. That's a trade off to disclose upfront, rather than a reason to rule a platform out.

Changing developer differs from changing platform. A new developer can often take over the same site. A new platform usually means a rebuild.

Keep forms, email and tracking running while you switch. A common mistake is cancelling the old service before data and functions have moved and been checked. Our website migration checklist covers the switch.

Unfair contract terms laws protect small businesses in standard form contracts. The ACCC says terms letting only one party end or change a contract may be unfair. Not every minimum term or cancellation fee is unfair, though.

Choose a suitable build level

Start with requirements that would hurt the business if they failed, then add preferences.

If needs are still unclear, pay for discovery before a binding estimate. Not every lead generation business needs an expensive custom site.

You can cut cost without cutting critical work:

• reuse approved components

• launch the essential services first

• prepare accurate content early

• defer automation you don't need yet

• keep a platform that already does the job

Don't trim enquiry delivery, security or ownership arrangements to save money.

Test the value case before you commit

A dearer site doesn't automatically convert better. Work out what the extra spend would need to return instead.

Contribution is revenue minus the variable costs of doing the job. So $6,000 divided by $300 means 20 extra completed jobs. Use the same GST basis throughout. It's breakeven logic, as Business Victoria explains. Add any further costs to the $6,000 before dividing.

The sum doesn't predict 20 jobs. Nor does it prove the website caused them, or show when cash arrives. Check demand, capacity and how fast you follow up. If there's no credible path to the extra work, cut the scope or gather evidence first.

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Written by Ajay K.Co-founder, Elev8d

Ajay is the co-founder of Elev8d and writes most of what you will read here. Psychology grad turned marketer, which is a fancy way of saying he cares about why people click, not just where things rank. Every guide is written in plain English for Australian businesses, tested on real campaigns before it earns a spot on this site.