The Services Where Prices Vary Most in Australia (2026)
For some jobs every quote lands within a few dollars. For others the dearest quote is many times the cheapest. These are the 2026 services where shopping around saves the most, ranked by how wide the gap runs.
$1,800
typical (median) price
$2,400,000
dearest: Townhouse Construction
$20
cheapest: Recruitment Fee
The 40 services below have the widest gap between a cheap and a dear quote, ranked by how wide the quote spread runs. Where the dearest quote is many times the cheapest, getting three quotes is worth real money.
Where the quotes vary most
Ranked by how many times dearer the top quote is than the cheapest. Each links to the live calculator.
| Service | Average cost (2026) | Cheap vs dear |
|---|
| Debt Recovery Lawyer | $7,550 | 150.0x |
| Logo Design | $7,600 | 100.0x |
| Liquor Licence NSW | $6,050 | 100.0x |
| Will Australia | $1,250 | 83.3x |
| Criminal Lawyer | $30,400 | 75.0x |
| Roof Tile Replacement | $9,150 | 72.0x |
| Defamation Lawyer | $50,800 | 66.7x |
| Respite Care | $3,050 | 60.0x |
| Divorce Australia | $30,600 | 54.5x |
| Pizza Oven | $10,200 | 50.0x |
| Traffic Lawyer | $10,200 | 50.0x |
| Guitar Lesson | $770 | 50.0x |
| Air Freight | $2,550 | 50.0x |
| Commercial Signage | $7,650 | 50.0x |
| Post and Rail Fencing | $30,800 | 40.0x |
| Periodontist | $4,100 | 40.0x |
| Intellectual Property Lawyer | $10,300 | 40.0x |
| Citizenship Application | $1,550 | 37.5x |
| Pink Slip Cost NSW | $510 | 34.5x |
| Air Conditioning Installation | $10,300 | 33.3x |
| Vertical Garden | $2,600 | 33.3x |
| Defect Clearance Cost | $1,050 | 33.3x |
| Tax Agent Fee | $2,600 | 33.3x |
| Water Feature | $4,150 | 32.0x |
| Laser Cutting | $1,300 | 31.3x |
| Asbestos Removal | $7,750 | 30.0x |
| Enduring Power of Attorney | $470 | 30.0x |
| Mediation | $7,750 | 30.0x |
| Pool Cover Cost | $6,200 | 30.0x |
| Epoxy Floor Coating | $31,000 | 30.0x |
| Soil Removal | $6,200 | 30.0x |
| Product Liability Insurance | $7,750 | 30.0x |
| Excavation | $7,750 | 30.0x |
| Aquarium Setup | $1,550 | 30.0x |
| Business Name Registration | $620 | 27.3x |
| Mould Removal | $4,150 | 26.7x |
| Contesting a Will | $41,500 | 26.7x |
| VoIP | $2,100 | 26.7x |
| Concrete Cancer Repair | $20,800 | 26.7x |
| Double Glazing Retrofit | $20,800 | 26.7x |
Method & reuse. Figures are the typical 2026 cost (the midpoint of our price range) from Going Rate, which prices over 1,000 Australian services, cross-checked against the sources above. Each links to the live calculator, where you can run the numbers for your own job. Journalists and writers are welcome to cite these figures with a link to
goingrate.com.au.
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